Yolanda Flowers is a career educator and rehabilitation services expert who was Alabama's 2022 Democratic gubernatorial nominee, making her the first Black woman nominated for governor by a major party in Alabama history. She lost to incumbent Kay Ivey 66.9%-29.2% in the 2022 general election. Flowers announced her 2026 candidacy in September 2025. She faces significant fundraising challenges, having been vastly outspent in 2022.
Yolanda Flowers graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1978. She earned an associate degree in speech therapy in 2004, a bachelor's degree in audiology from the University of Tennessee in 2007, and a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of Tennessee in 2009. Her career includes work as a rehabilitation specialist, assistant speech pathologist, and reading instructor in Tennessee. She was elected as the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor after defeating State Senator Malika Sanders-Fortier in a runoff.