Question: How many years did the last Democratic governor of Alabama serve in Alabama government?

Context paragraphs:
Kansas gubernatorial election, 2006: The Kansas gubernatorial election of 2006 took place on November 7, 2006.  Incumbent Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who sported high approval ratings ran for re-election to serve a second and final term.  Governor Sebelius was unopposed for the Democratic nomination and she faced the Republican nominee, State Senator Jim Barnett, who emerged from a crowded primary.  Sebelius roundly defeated Barnett and cruised to re-election, which was quite a considerable feat for a Democrat in staunchly conservative Kansas.  As of 2017, this is the most recent time a Democrat was elected Governor of Kansas.

Stand in the Schoolhouse Door: The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door took place at Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama on June 11, 1963.  George Wallace, the Democratic Governor of Alabama, in a symbolic attempt to keep his inaugural promise of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" and stop the desegregation of schools, stood at the door of the auditorium to try to block the entry of two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood.

New York gubernatorial election, 2010: The New York gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2010, to elect the Governor of New York, to serve a four-year term that began in January 2011.  Incumbent Democratic Governor David Paterson, elected as Lieutenant Governor in 2006 as the running mate of former Governor Eliot Spitzer, chose not to run for a full-term.  On November 2, New York Attorney General and Democrat Andrew Cuomo defeated Republican Carl Paladino.  Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins received over 57,000 votes, allowing the New York Green Party to be listed on the ballot for the next 4 years.

Georgia gubernatorial election, 1998: The 1998 Georgia Gubernatorial Election was held on November 3, 1998.  Incumbent Democratic Governor of Georgia Zell Miller was unable to seek re-election due to term limits, therefore creating an open seat.  To replace him, State Representative Roy Barnes won the Democratic Party's nomination after a close and highly contested primary election, while businessman Guy Millner, who had run for Governor and the United States Senate in the previous four years, won the nomination of the Republican Party.  In the general election, Barnes was able to defeat Millner by a margin of victory larger than Governor Miller's victory over Millner four years prior, which was in part due to the unpopularity and controversy of Mitch Skandalakis, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia.  As of 2017, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat was elected Governor of Georgia.

Alabama gubernatorial election, 1998: The Alabama gubernatorial election of 1998 was held on 3 November 1998 to select the governor of the state of Alabama.  The election saw incumbent Fob James (R) taking on Lieutenant Governor Don Siegelman (D).  The result saw Don Siegelman win a decisive victory over Fob James.  As of 2017, this is the most recent election in which a Democrat was elected Governor of Alabama.

Alabama gubernatorial election, 1978: The 1978 Alabama gubernatorial election took place on November 7, 1978, to elect the Governor of Alabama.  Incumbent Democratic Governor George Wallace did not run for re-election.  Fob James, a businessman who had switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party and campaigned as a "born-again Democrat", won the Democratic primary in an upset over Attorney General Bill Baxley.  He went on to defeat Guy Hunt in a landslide in the general election.

Don Siegelman: Donald Eugene "Don" Siegelman (born February 24, 1946) is a former American politician and lawyer who has held numerous offices in the state of Alabama.  He served one term as the 51st Governor of Alabama from 1999 to 2003.  Siegelman was the last member of the Democratic Party, as well as the only Roman Catholic, to hold the office of governor.  He is the only person in the history of Alabama to be elected to serve in all four of the top statewide elected offices: Secretary of State, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Governor.  He served in Alabama politics for 26 years.

Dennis Fryzel: Dennis Fryzel (February 21, 1942 – July 6, 2009) was the last head football coach at the University of Tampa.  He was the captain of the football team at Garfield Heights High School, where he lost his teeth to on-the-field injuries.  He attended Denison University, where he played football and ran track.  Although offered a tryout by the Boston Patriots, he was unable to bulk up enough to accept.  He entered the coaching ranks with jobs at his former high school, Columbia University, and Williams College, before being offered the defensive coordinator position by Tampa head coach Earle Bruce.  Fryzel took over the head coaching position when Bruce was offered a job at Iowa State University the next year.  Fryzel coached for two years at the University of Tampa, before the program was disbanded.  Ironically, Fryzel, who had become the fourth UT head coach in as many years, had given assurances on his hiring that he intended to serve out his three-year contract, and not use it to serve as a springboard to a higher-profile job.  Fryzel then took the position of special teams coordinator with the expansion NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  After one year, he returned to the college ranks and served as defensive coordinator at Syracuse University and Air Force, before rejoining Bruce at Ohio State University.  After being fired (along with Nick Saban and Steve Szabo) following the 1981 Liberty Bowl, Fryzel retired from coaching.  Saban, who calls Fryzel a "great mentor" and included him on the sideline at Alabama games, credits him with helping him to make up his mind to leave the Miami Dolphins and take the University of Alabama coaching job.  He died in July 2009 of renal cancer.

Bill Ritter: August William "Bill" Ritter (born September 6, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 41st Governor of Colorado, from 2007 to 2011.  He is a member of the Democratic Party.  Before his election in 2006, he served as the district attorney for Denver.  He was the first native-born governor of Colorado since 1975, as well as being the first Democratic governor to serve with a Democratic majority in the Colorado General Assembly in 50 years.  Ritter did not run for a second term as Governor in 2010.  He was replaced by fellow Democrat John Hickenlooper.

Hawaii gubernatorial election, 2002: The 2002 Hawaii gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2002 to select the Governor of Hawaii.  Incumbent Democratic Governor of Hawaii Ben Cayetano was term-limited and therefore could not run for re-election.  Former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, who had narrowly lost the 1998 election, was nominated once again by the Republicans while Lieutenant Governor Mazie Hirono earned the Democratic nomination in a tightly fought race.  Lingle and Hirono duked it out in a toughly-fought campaign, with Hirono's campaign crippled by allegations of corruption within the Hawaii Democratic Party and many voters desiring a change.  Ultimately, Lingle won out over Hirono in one of the state's closest gubernatorial elections, allowing her to become the first Republican Governor of Hawaii since 1962 and the state's first female Governor ever.

Supporting paragraphs: Alabama gubernatorial election, 1998 Don Siegelman
Answer: 26 years