Alabama was ALWAYS conservative. Back in the day, the democrats in Alabama were conservatives. That changed from the time of Reagan.
By then, Republicans became the real conservatives.
Democrats were being represented by people like Mike Dukakis, Bill Clinton and Algore as the democrat presidential candidates, and Congress was filling up with democrats like Ted Kennedy, Diane Feinstein, Nanzi Pelosi, Chuck U Schumer, Burnie, etc..
By that time (really started in the 1990s), people realized that the days of the “Dixiecrat” were over, and switched over to the GOP in mass.
Not disputing the conservative aspect, just that it took a long time for the party change.