Gov. Kay Ivey, in the wake of Tuesday's Senate election, is hearing criticism from both sides of the political aisle ahead of what could be a heated 2018 gubernatorial race.

Democrats wonder how Ivey could say that she was voting for Roy Moore despite also saying that she believed the women who accused him of making sexual advances on them when they were teens and he was in his 30s.

Republicans maintain that Ivey's call for a special election needlessly cost the state millions of dollars and created an opening for Democrats to improbably win a Senate seat for the first time in a quarter-century.

In a sarcastic Tweet, Josh Holmes, former chief of staff to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, thanked Ivey for "the opportunity to make this national embarrassment a reality."

Before we get the results, I'd just like to thank Steve Bannon for showing us how to lose the reddest state in the union and Governor Ivey for the opportunity to make this national embarrassment a reality — Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) December 13, 2017

"Governor Ivey mishandled this election from the start," said Quin Hillyer, a conservative writer in Mobile.

Said Steve Flowers, a former Republican member of the Legislature and a political columnist published by more than 60 newspapers: "The whisper campaign and talk among Republicans who have been around the machinery ... is that they think she hurt the party."

Unexpected twists

Ivey, 73, called the special election one week after she was sworn in as governor following the resignation of scandal-plagued Robert Bentley.

Bentley had recently appointed state Attorney General Luther Strange as senator, to fill Jeff Sessions' seat. Bentley slated Strange to serve until the state's regular 2018 elections.

But the appointment was marred by controversy. Strange, the state's top prosecutor, was supposed to be investigating allegations that Bentley misused the governor's office to conceal a romantic relationship with an aide.

When Ivey took over in April, she changed course and ushered in a special election, which in turn caused a series of dominos to fall, ultimately to create an atmosphere of a political carnival.

"I guess she thought she'd get a contentious issue off the table," said state Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville. "But it elevated into a more critical issue than she could've dreamed of."

Ivey has said little since Tuesday's votes were counted. In a statement Wednesday, she said, "This just shows that the people of Alabama don't want Washington insiders coming down and telling them what to do."

On Thursday, Ivey told a reporter in Montgomery that it is "not important" who someone votes for.

I asked Gov. Ivey who she voted for Tuesday. “It’s not important what one person votes for,” she said. #ALSEN #alpolitics — Brian Lyman (@lyman_brian) December 14, 2017

Brent Buchanan, a political consultant who is working on Ivey's campaign for governor, said, "We don't believe the governor will be criticized for following the law."

Indeed, Ivey said back in April that she was carrying out the instructions of state law by calling the election. The law states that if a vacancy occurs in the Senate seat more than four months before a general election, the governor is to call a special election "forthwith."

Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, said he agrees that it's unfair to criticize Ivey's special election call. He said that Alabama law, as currently written, is "more clear to have the special election than not." Clouse said, "I don't think she made a wrong move from that standpoint."

State lawmakers, however, may be revising the law when they return to Montgomery on Jan. 9 for the spring session. The Alabama House is expected to consider a bill that would end special elections for U.S. Senate and declare the governor's appointee as the interim replacement until the next regularly-scheduled election.

Campaign issue

Ivey, who declared in September that she'd seek a full term as governor in 2018, has long been viewed as the favorite to win.

Now, said Hillyer, "Her path to the nomination, and to ultimate victory, just got at least somewhat harder."

At least two longtime political scientists in Alabama question whether Ivey will suffer politically.

William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama and a longtime observer of state politics, said Ivey is likely to "catch some flack" for calling the special election, but doubts it will be a make-or-break issue.

Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University, said the governor's decision on the special election isn't "the kind of thing that will resonate very much with voters."

"Let's think back and remember how many people complained, including the press, about the schedule Bentley created," said Brown. "Governor Ivey was responding to media commentary and public opinion when she created an election schedule. She responded to public pressures."

Ivey's Republican opponents, thus far, include Republicans such as evangelical youth pastor Scott Dawson of Birmingham, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, state Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile, Birmingham businessman Josh Jones and Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries John McMillan.

On the Democratic side, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox and former Alabama State Supreme Court chief justice Sue Bell Cobb will be vying for the state's chief executive post.