Alabama Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield, R-Arab, resigned from the Legislature Monday to become executive vice president of the Business Council of Alabama.

Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, was elected to succeed Scofield as majority leader while Rep. Wes Kitchens, R-Arab, announced his candidacy for Scofield’s seat.

“This decision was one of the hardest that I have ever had to make, and with any decision of this magnitude, I involved a lot of prayer and talked it over with family and friends,” Scofield said in a statement, according to WAFF. “If I didn’t love serving you, the decision would have been easy. It’s a dream job with an organization whose mission I strongly believe in. I have always supported policies that make Alabama more business-friendly because if we have healthy businesses, they can create more high-paying jobs.”

A chicken farmer from north Alabama, Scofield was first elected to the state Legislature at 30 years old in 2010.

“Serving you as your state senator for the past 13 years has truly been the greatest honor of my life, and I hope that I have made you proud,” Scofield went on to say. “Every day, I have gotten up and worked hard to make our district and our state the best it can be.”

Scofield rose up the ranks in Montgomery, becoming majority leader of the state Senate in 2020.

In announcing his resignation, the north Alabama lawmaker said his new role with the BCA, the state’s most influential group advocating for businesses, “will allow me to continue to work for you and support you in different ways. It will also let me get more business-friendly candidates elected to office and to protect and support the elected officials who are working to make Alabama better.”

The Senate elected Sen. Steve Livingston, R-Scottsboro, to succeed Scofield as majority leader.

“Sen. Livingston has an impeccable legislative record, and I am confident he will continue to make a positive impact on all Alabamians in his new role as Majority Leader,” said Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, in a statment to AL.com. “Sen. Livingston and I have a wonderful working relationship and friendship, and I look forward to working with him in this new role to build upon the work that the Republican Caucus has been doing to preserve and strengthen Alabama’s way of life and beliefs.”

Reed also heaped praise on Scofield, who he thanked “for his unwavering dedication to the state of Alabama…”

“After entering the Senate together nearly 14 years ago, Sen. Scofield has proven himself to be an enduring friend, an exceptional leader, and a true champion for the people of Alabama,” Reed said. “We wish Sen. Scofield well in his future endeavors.”

Meanwhile, Kitchens announced his candidacy for Scofield’s now-vacant seat on social media: