Alabama senator Richard Shelby has indicated he won’t run again
U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the Senate’s fourth most senior member, has told confidants that he does not intend to run for reelection next year_— prompting some Republicans to urge the powerful, establishment politician to reconsider, even as potential replacements prepare to run for his seat. The senator in recent weeks told one close Alabama ally that he was not planning on running in 2022 for what would be his seventh term, according to the ally, who was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The person said some in the state were still trying to get Shelby to change his mind out of concern about losing clout and worries that the senator might be replaced by a fringe candidate who would not be as effective. Shelby spokeswoman Blair Taylor said Friday that the senator has not made a decision, “but there will likely be an announcement forthcoming in the next few weeks.” “As I previously stated, the Senator has not made a decision or an announcement regarding whether or not he plans to run in 2022. Any speculation is just that, speculation,” Taylor wrote in an email Friday. A titan of Alabama politics, the 86-year-old politician has spent 42 years in Washington, serving first in the House before the Senate. His stepping down would leave a power void for the region. It would also set off a free-for-all primary in a national party deeply divided between traditional Republicans like Shelby and those who model themselves on former President Donald Trump. Shelby was elected to the Senate in 1986 as a conservative Democrat during the party’s waning days of power in the Deep South, but he switched to the GOP in 1994. He’s spent the past two years as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee before Democrats gained control of the chamber. All along, he has used his influence to benefit the state’s interests, particularly ports and military manufacturers. He played a key role in bringing an FBI campus and the newly announced Space Command to Huntsville. “I don’t know anybody who knows how to wield power like Shelby does,” said David Mowery, an Alabama-based political consultant. “I would say that is his greatest accomplishment, to get money allocated to the state for many different projects,” former Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said. Alabama’s political circles have long braced for a Shelby retirement. Armistead said the senator told him during his 2016 bid for reelection that it was his last campaign, but Armistead added the caveat that, “Things change.” Several months ago, Shelby told a group of business leaders at a private meeting that he would retire rather than run again, according to a person in attendance who was not authorized to discuss the event and also spoke on condition of anonymity. A list of potential GOP replacements is waiting in the wings. Possible candidates include Shelby’s former chief of staff, Katie Boyd Britt, who now heads an influential business lobby and who would likely have the senator’s backing if she decided to enter the race. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who suspended his 2020 Senate campaign when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions jumped in the race, said he would consider a run. Rep. Mo Brooks is also expected to eye the seat. Brooks has faced criticism for his role in the Jan. 6 siege at the U.S. Capitol. At a rally before the deadly riot, he told the crowd it was time for “taking down names and kicking ass,” but has maintained since that he was talking about fighting at the ballot box. Brooks declined to comment. Britt did not immediately respond to a text message and a message on social media. Shelby could use his power to give his preferred successor a boost. The senator has gone much of his career without serious opposition and has nearly $10 million in campaign money that he could throw toward his candidate of choice. Still, the GOP primary could serve as a microcosm of the larger national tug of war over the direction of the Republican Party. While Shelby has amassed a conservative voting record, the measured Republican senator has not embraced the bombastic populist style of Trump and Trump-like candidates. “I think it would be a total free-for-all,” said Mowery. Shelby was one of the last of the “old style-Southern politicians who saw as their main job as to steer as much of the federal budget to the state, instead of jumping on the hot-button issue of the day,” Mowery said. In 2017, Shelby bucked his party when he announced that he could not support Republican Roy Moore, who faced sexual misconduct allegations, in the special election for Alabama’s other Senate seat. “You’ll have a lot of candidates that will try to be as loud or as dumb as possible because they think that is what plays to 50% or more of the Republican electorate — not realizing that’s not how you get things done in Washington,” Mowery said. Some prominent state figures are still hoping that Shelby will reconsider. “I hope he will run again. I don’t think there is anyone who has meant more to the state of Alabama in that position in my lifetime,” former Gov. Bob Riley said. ___ This story has been edited to correct that Bill Armistead is the former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Pandemic deaths and economic fallout are top Alabama story
A biological threat that once seemed far removed from Alabama dominated both state news and everyday life like nothing else in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic was the state’s top news story of the year, and its effects will linger into the New Year and beyond. Here is a look at that and other Top 10 Alabama news stories of the year: CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC A pandemic that spread waves of death and misery across the globe killed more than 4,100 people in Alabama, sickened thousands more and ravaged the state’s economy like nothing else in decades. A springtime of school closings and business shutdowns was followed by months of mask-wearing and social distancing. A midsummer surge in cases eased, but that was followed by a fall spike that health experts say will keep killing people at least into 2021. Unemployment dropped after hitting a high of 12.9% in April, when nearly 217,000 people lost their jobs statewide. Yet the prospects for continuing improvement could be tied to how well people heed health precautions and the success of a vaccination program that is just beginning. SENATE ELECTION Republican Tommy Tuberville reasserted the GOP’s lock grip on Alabama by defeating Democratic Sen. Doug Jones after stopping a comeback bid by Jeff Sessions for the party’s nomination. Faced with a crowded primary field that included President Donald Trump’s first attorney general, the retired football coach emerged from a runoff against Sessions to run a campaign that consisted of embracing Trump at all turns. The tactic worked to perfection in deeply conservative Alabama: Tuberville trounced Jones in November to oust the only state Democrat holding statewide office. RACIAL RECKONING The fallout from a police killing hundreds of miles away from Alabama helped erase vestiges of the state’s white supremacist past with stunning swiftness. Confederate monuments were removed and college buildings were renamed following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. A night of violence after a demonstration in Birmingham set the stage for the removal of an obelisk honoring Confederate soldiers and sailors. Monuments also came down in Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville, and protests were held elsewhere. The Alabama Department of Archives and History acknowledged its past role in perpetuating racism and so-called lost cause ideals in a sign of systemic change that once seemed unlikely. ALABAMA PRISONS Longstanding complaints over violence, dilapidated buildings, and inadequate care in Alabama’s prisons resulted in a Justice Department lawsuit claiming men’s lockups are so bad they violate the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Calling the state’s prison system one of the most understaffed and violent in the nation, the department asked a court to require unspecified changes to improve conditions. The court fight will last at least into 2021, as Alabama said it plans a vigorous defense in court. The state also is moving ahead with a $900 million plan to have companies build three new, giant prisons that will be leased by Corrections. TROPICAL WEATHER Hurricane Sally blasted the Alabama coast, leaving widespread damage and knocking out power for weeks in some areas, during a record-setting year of tropical weather. Sally made landfall as a Category 2 storm at Gulf Shores on Sept. 16, pummeling the coast with fierce winds and as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain. Officials said the damage was worse in places than from Hurricane Ivan, which landed a direct hit on the same area in 2004. Crews spent weeks removing mountains of debris that lined roadsides. The hurricane season was so busy forecasters had to turn to the Greek alphabet after running out of assigned names. JOHN LEWIS Alabama native and longtime U.S. Rep. John Lewis was honored with events in Troy, Selma, and Montgomery following his death at age 80 in July. A wagon drawn by two horses carried Lewis’ body across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, where he and other voting rights marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers in 1965. A long line of people later waited to pay respects to Lewis as he was honored at Alabama’s Capitol. A native of rural Pike County near Troy, Lewis had moved to Georgia and represented Atlanta in Congress for decades. DEADLY MARINA FIRE Eight people were killed in a horrific fire that swept through a north Alabama marina near the Tennessee River in Scottsboro. The January blaze at Jackson County Park Marina began in the middle of the night and quickly engulfed a dock where people who lived aboard boats were sleeping. Five children and teens were among the dead, and the victims included six members of one family. The fire was later determined to be an accident, but a federal report said it was worsened by the marina’s “limited fire safety practices.” HUBBARD REPORTS TO PRISON The long saga of disgraced Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard finally ended behind bars. The one-time Republican leader reported to prison in September four years after jurors convicted him of ethics violations. Then a judge reduced Hubbard’s sentence from four years to 28 months at the request of the defense after part of his conviction was overturned earlier this year. Prosecutors accused Hubbard of leveraging his powerful Statehouse office to obtain clients and investments for his private businesses, and he was automatically removed from office when he was found guilty in 2016. Six of his 12 felony convictions were thrown out on appeal. DEMOCRATIC FIGHT A lawsuit for control of the Alabama Democratic Party ended with new leadership but the same old results. Long given up for dead in a reliably red state, the party found itself at the center of a court fight over control of the organization in late 2019. The battle ended in February when a judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by longtime leader Nancy Worley to prevent the new party chair, state Rep. Chris England, from taking control. Newly invigorated, the party fielded a slate of candidates with hopes of winning new seats in the November election. Instead, Democrats didn’t claim any new statewide offices and lost the one they had when Sen. Doug Jones lost to Republican Tommy Tuberville. CLOTILDA The state committed to spend $1 million to preserve the
Donald Trump says William Barr resigning, will leave before Christmas
Attorney General William Barr, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, is departing amid lingering tension over the president’s baseless claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son. Barr went Monday to the White House, where Trump said the attorney general submitted his letter of resignation. “As per letter, Bill will be leaving just before Christmas to spend the holidays with his family,” Trump tweeted. Trump has publicly expressed his anger about Barr’s statement to The Associated Press earlier this month that the Justice Department had found no widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election. Trump has also been angry that the Justice Department did not publicly announce it was investigating Hunter Biden ahead of the election, despite department policy against such a pronouncement. Barr told the AP that U.S. attorneys and FBI agents have been working to follow up specific complaints and information they’ve received, but “to date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” Barr’s resignation leaves Trump without a critical ally as he winds down his final weeks in office, and it throws into question open Justice Department investigations, especially the probe into Hunter Biden’s taxes. In his resignation letter, Barr said he updated Trump Monday on the department’s “review of voter fraud allegations in the 2020 election and how these allegations will continue to be pursued.” He added that his last day on the job would be Dec. 23. Trump said Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen, whom he labeled “an outstanding person,” will become acting attorney general. As the current second in command at the Justice Department, Rosen’s appointment is not likely to change much in the final weeks before the administration departs. Trump spent much of the day watching the Electoral College tally and calling allies but broke away to meet with Barr. His tweet about the Attorney General’s exit was a sober message from a president who is notoriously cold to his departing staff and quick to name-call and deride them once they say they are leaving. Trump has also previously claimed he fired staffers who resigned to make himself appear more powerful, and others, like former attorney general Jeff Sessions, were mocked by the president for weeks before they left office. But despite Trump’s obvious disdain for those who publicly disagree with him, Barr had generally remained in the president’s good graces and has been one of the president’s most ardent allies. Before the election, he had repeatedly raised the notion that mail-in voting could be especially vulnerable to fraud during the coronavirus pandemic as Americans feared going to polls. But Trump has a low tolerance for criticism, especially public criticism, from his allies and often fires back in kind. The two had been at odds in the past few months and Barr was said to have been frustrated by Trump’s tweeting. Trump said on Fox News over the weekend that he was disappointed that the Hunter Biden investigation had not been disclosed. Hunter Biden himself announced it last week. “Bill Barr should have stepped up,” Trump said. One senior administration official not authorized to speak publicly and speaking to The AP on condition of anonymity said Barr had resigned of his own accord and described the meeting as amicable. Barr, who was serving in his second stint as attorney general, sought to paint himself as an independent leader who would not bow to political pressure. But Democrats have repeatedly accused Barr of acting more like the president’s personal attorney than the attorney general, and Barr had proved to be a largely reliable Trump ally and defender of presidential power. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican leader of the judiciary committee, told reporters at the Capitol he was surprised by the news. “I think he did an incredibly good job trying to repair damage done to the Department of Justice, trying to be fair and faithful to the law. I think he’s got a lot to be proud of,” Graham said. “He fought for the president where he could, as every attorney general and administration should, but he also didn’t cross lines that he shouldn’t have crossed.” He said he was referring to disclosing the Biden investigation. Before releasing special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on the Russia investigation last year, Barr framed the results in a manner favorable to Trump even though Mueller pointedly said he couldn’t exonerate the president of obstruction of justice. He also appointed as special counsel the U.S. attorney who is conducting a criminal investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe of the 2016 election that morphed into Mueller’s investigation of possible Trump-Russia cooperation, following Trump’s repeated calls to “investigate the investigators.” Barr also ordered Justice Department prosecutors to review the handling of the federal investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn and then sought to dismiss the criminal charges against Flynn, who had twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. Trump later pardoned Flynn. Barr’s break from Trump over election fraud wasn’t the first. Earlier this year, Barr told ABC News that the president’s tweets about Justice Department cases “make it impossible for me to do my job,” and tensions flared just a few months ago when the two were increasingly at odds over the pace of the Durham investigation. Trump had been increasingly critical about a lack of arrests and Barr was privately telling people he was frustrated by Trump’s public pronouncements about the case. Trump was also said to blame Barr for comments from FBI Director Chris Wray on election fraud and mail-in voting that didn’t jibe with the president’s alarmist rhetoric. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Tommy Tuberville names Stephen Boyd as chief of staff
Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville on Wednesday announced that Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd, an Alabama native with a lengthy Washington D.C. resume, will serve as his chief of staff. Boyd is currently the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice. The post is responsible for managing the Justice Department’s relationship with Congress. He was nominated to the position by President Donald Trump in 2017. He previously was chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Martha Roby and also worked for former Sen. Jeff Sessions in policy and communications roles. Boyd is a 2004 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and 2001 graduate of the University of Alabama College of Communications. “He is well-known throughout Alabama and knows how to get things done on Capitol Hill. Stephen is a leader of tremendous integrity and during my discussions with him, it became abundantly clear that he is the right person for the job,” Tuberville said in a statement announcing the appointment. “Stephen is a true conservative who has fought for our Alabama values since moving to Washington D.C. and I’m proud to announce him as my chief of staff,” Tuberville said. Boyd is Tuberville’s first announced staff hire. Tuberville defeated incumbent Sen. Doug Jones to win back the Alabama Senate seat for Republicans. The former college football coach who has never held public office has acknowledged he will have a steep learning curve in the U.S. Senate. He told The Associated Press in an earlier interview that one of his first priorities will be to put together an experienced staff. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
GOP’s Tommy Tuberville defeats US Sen. Doug Jones, flips Alabama seat
Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville has recaptured a U.S. Senate seat for Republicans by defeating Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama. Jones has been widely been considered the Senate’s most endangered Democrat. Republicans had made taking back the once reliably conservative seat a priority in 2020. Tuberville, who has never held public office and last coached four years ago, aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump and declared in the primary campaign: “God sent us Donald Trump.” “Alabama, welcome back to the Republican U.S. Senate,” Tuberville shouted after taking the stage to loud cheers at his election night party in downtown Montgomery. He said his victory shows that the seat can’t be bought by donors from other states. Tuberville took a congratulatory call from Vice President Mike Pence on stage after his victory was declared. “Thank you for delivering a great victory for President Donald Trump and thank you for sending a great new senator to the United States Senate,” Pence told the crowd after Tuberville put him on speakerphone. Jones had won the seat during a 2017 special election in which GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore was publicly accused of sexual misconduct involving young women decades ago. The GOP hammered Jones over his vote to convict Trump in the Senate impeachment trial earlier this year. Judy Harrison, a retired educator in Montgomery who described herself as “very conservative,” said she voted for Tuberville. “He’s a fine Christian man, I do know that,” said Harrison, 80. “And I know that he will work hard and do the best that he can. And I think his values are similar to mine.” However, Glenn Crowell, a 63-year-old retired restaurateur and Republican, voted for Jones. “I would have voted for Tuberville, but I couldn’t find out some stuff about him because he didn’t give any interviews and didn’t debate or anything like that,” said Crowell, who is Black. “So I know him for a football coach, but I don’t know him for his political views.” Three years ago, Jones became the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter-century. His victory, blasted as a fluke by some, was aided by scandal after Republican nominee Roy Moore, already a controversial figure in the state, faced allegations of sexual misconduct from decades earlier. Jones won the special election to fill the seat that belonged to former U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions. He resigned to become Trump’s first attorney general, a position he was later forced to resign after Trump became unhappy from Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Tuberville, armed with outsider appeal and fame from his time as Auburn University’s football coach, won the GOP primary over Sessions, who tried to win back his old seat but was wounded by his falling out with Trump. Trump won Alabama with 62% of the vote in 2016 and endorsed Tuberville over Sessions in the 2020 Republican primary runoff. In trying to recapture the seat for the GOP, Tuberville and Republicans pointed to some of Jones’ votes to argue his views were out of step with Alabama’s conservative voters. In addition to seizing on Jones’ vote in Trump’s impeachment trial, Republicans also criticized Jones’ support of abortion rights. Alabama voters in 2018 approved a constitutional amendment saying it’s state policy to recognize the rights of “unborn children.” Jones, a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klansmen responsible for Birmingham’s infamous 1963 church bombing, positioned himself as a moderate who supported gun rights and would cross party lines when it benefited the state. On the campaign trail, he referred to Tuberville as “Coach Clueless” because of his verbal fumbles on policy questions and past financial dealings. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Republicans try to reclaim Alabama Senate seat from Doug Jones
Republicans in Alabama are attempting to reclaim a U.S. Senate seat that the Democrats won three years ago in the reliably red state. Democratic Sen. Doug Jones is being challenged by Republican Tommy Tuberville, who limited his public appearances and refused to debate him. Tuberville is well known in Alabama as Auburn University’s former football coach, and is expected to benefit from straight-ticket voting and President Donald Trump’s endorsement in a state where Trump remains popular among white voters. Voters encountered long lines as the polls opened Tuesday morning. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill predicted that the state will see record turnout with up to 76% of the state’s 3.7 million eligible casting ballots. The race will test whether Democrats can maintain inroads in the Deep South state. The outcome of the race could also affect control of the U.S. Senate, which Republicans currently control 53-47. Judy Harrison, a retired educator in Montgomery who described herself as “very conservative,” said she voted for Tuberville. “He’s a fine Christian man, I do know that,” said Harrison, 80. “And I know that he will work hard and do the best that he can. And I think his values are similar to mine.” Glenn Crowell, a 63-year-old retired restaurateur and registered Republican, voted for Jones. “I would have voted for Tuberville, but I couldn’t find out some stuff about him because he didn’t give any interviews and didn’t debate or anything like that,” said Crowell, who is Black. “So I know him for a football coach, but I don’t know him for his political views.” The Jones campaign emphasized his record of bipartisanship and support for the Affordable Care Act while questioning Tuberville’s knowledge and readiness for office. Jones, a former U.S. attorney best known for prosecuting Ku Klux Klansmen who bombed a Birmingham church in 1963, became the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in a quarter century by defeating Roy Moore, who was accused of pursuing romantic and sexual relationships with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. During a candidate forum with students at Auburn, Jones was asked whether a Democrat could represent the interests of Alabamians. “I have no idea what they are talking about when someone says that,” he said. “Does it mean I’m not going to represent the farmers like I’ve been doing? Does it mean I’m not going to represent the military like I’ve done for the last two years, and help upgrade our nuclear triad and our military folks?” “Alabama is not monolithic. We are a diverse state. …. The goal is to try to find common ground,” he added. Tuberville ended the comeback hopes of former Attorney General and Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions in this summer’s GOP runoff. He’s positioned himself as a political outsider and emphasized his support of Trump and opposition to abortion. “I’m going to stand with President Trump to finish the border wall, cut your taxes, and protect life,” Tuberville said in an ad. His last comment was a reference to his opposition to abortion. Tuberville said Jones was out of sync with Alabama’s conservative voters when he voted to remove Trump during the impeachment trial and refused to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Senator Jones has not been a voice for the people of Alabama,” Tuberville said after a campaign stop Sunday, suggesting Jones was more suited to represent California. “I want to go work on their behalf,” he said of Alabama voters. David Mowery, an Alabama-based political consultant, said the path for a Democrat is harder in Alabama than in some other Southern states that are beginning to turn purple. “We’re a Republican state. We don’t have a growing suburban area,” he said. “Those types of issues aren’t roiling our populace, for better or for worse. We don’t have the diversity that a Georgia has, or a North Carolina has.” Wearing a string of GOP buttons and carrying a face mask that read, “Biden will Keep Lock Downs For Years,” Meghann Mustico, a 40-year-old file clerk from Hoover, came to hear Tuberville speak on Sunday. “I know he will better represent Alabama,” Mustico said. “President Trump has been the voice for the unborn, stood up for veterans rights, and I have a feeling he is going to follow his lead.” Marilyn Hobbs, a program administrator for a media company, said she has already cast an absentee ballot for Jones and for former Vice President Joe Biden in the presidential election. She said there is energy among Democrats in this election. “He definitely has a chance,” Hobbs said of Jones. “The same people who voted for him last time, we are going to vote for him again. I do believe women will play a central part in voting for this senator and this president.” Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Senate race between Jones, Tuberville tops Alabama ballot
In addition to voting for president, Alabama voters will also decide a U.S. Senate race and multiple other offices and issues on Tuesday. Here is a look at Election Day in Alabama: PRESIDENT Very popular among the conservatives who dominate Alabama politics, Republicans are hopeful President Donald Trump will carry the state against Democrat Joe Biden. Trump carried 62% of the roughly 2.1 million votes cast in Alabama in his race against Hillary Clinton in 2016, and there’s little indication Trump’s popularity has waned in the deep-red state despite problems including impeachment and the coronavirus pandemic. But while some GOP candidates in Alabama have staked their campaigns on aggressively supporting Trump for a second term, increased Democratic turnout could narrow the president’s margin against Biden. While Alabama Democrats are more energized and organized than they were four years ago, the number of yard signs and roadside shops selling Trump paraphernalia across Alabama are visible proof of Biden’s uphill battle in reclaiming a state that a Democratic last carried in a presidential election in 1976, when Jimmy Carter from neighboring Georgia was on the ballot. U.S. SENATE Republicans trying to maintain control of the U.S. Senate are staking their hopes on former college football coach Tommy Tuberville defeating first-term Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who won the seat in a special election in 2017. Tuberville, who has never held public office and last coached four years ago, is among the candidates who’ve aligned themselves most closely with Trump, even declaring in the primary campaign: “God sent us Donald Trump.” Viewed as an underdog in a Republican-controlled state, Jones mocked Tuberville as “Coach Clueless” and chided him for his refusal to debate. Jones won the seat previously held by Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore was publicly accused of sexual misconduct involving young women decades ago. With GOP incumbents in danger elsewhere, Republicans hope Tuberville can knock off Jones. U.S. HOUSE The state will have at least two new members of Congress after voters pick winners in races for two open U.S. House seats in south Alabama. The Republican chairman of the Mobile County Commission, Jerry Carl, is trying to keep GOP control in the southwest Alabama seat now held by Rep. Bradley Byrne. Carl is facing Democrat James Averhart, a retired Marine who runs a nonprofit group and directs the Mobile-area office of the NAACP. In southeast Alabama’s 2nd District, Republican Barry Moore of Enterprise and Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall are vying for the job of GOP Rep. Martha Roby, who didn’t seek reelection. Moore is a former state representative and business owner, while Harvey-Hall is an educator from Montgomery. Two Republican House members are also hoping to win reelection. Rep. Mike Rogers of Saks is seeking a 10th term in east Alabama’s 3rd District against Democrat Adia Winfrey, while Rep. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville is seeking a 13th term in office against Democrat Rick Neighbors in the 4th District, which includes much of north Alabama. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville; Gary Palmer of Hoover; and Terri Sewell of Selma were unopposed in the general election. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Six statewide constitutional amendments are on the ballot, including one that would remove racist language from the state’s 1901 constitution, which was passed to ensure white supremacy in Alabama. Sponsored by Rep. Merika Coleman of Birmingham, Amendment 4 would allow a recompilation of the state constitution to remove wording that prohibited mixed-race marriage and mandated racially segregated schools. While no longer in effect, supporters of the amendment say the prohibitions are an embarrassment and should be removed. Recommended changes to the constitution would be submitted to lawmakers in 2022 for approval, and voters would again be asked to approve the stripped-down document. Voters defeated similar measures twice before, most recently in 2012. Amendment 1 is a mostly symbolic measure pushed by Republicans that says only U.S. citizens have the right to vote, which already is the law nationally. The Alabama Constitution currently states that every male citizen can vote, although the 19th Amendment provided women’s suffrage in 1920. Amendment 2 would allow the full Alabama Supreme Court to appoint the director of the state’s court system, a task now performed solely by the chief justice, and make other changes to the judicial system. Amendment 3 would extend the amount of time that appointed district and circuit judges can serve. Amendments 5 and 6 would protect anyone who kills someone in self-defense in a church in Franklin and Lauderdale counties. Alabama’s “stand your ground” law already applies inside churches, the attorney general’s office has said, but backers support more specific provisions. PSC PRESIDENT Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is seeking reelection as president of the utility-regulating Alabama Public Service Commission against Democrat Laura Casey. Cavanaugh, seeking her third term, was the first woman to serve as chair of the Alabama Republican Party and has closely aligned herself with President Trump while espousing conservative orthodoxy. She says keeping power rates low helps families and business development. Casey contends the three-member PSC, all Republicans, is more interested in protecting the state’s largest electrical utility, Alabama Power Co., than consumers. She recently lost an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, which rejected her right to videotape a hearing held before the PSC about solar energy fees. STATE SCHOOL BOARD The ballot on Tuesday includes three contested seats on the Alabama State Board of Education. In the District 1 race in southwest Alabama, Republican board vice president Jackie Zeigler, a retired principal, is opposed by Democratic nominee Tom Holmes, a retired state employee who also led a disabilities advocacy program. Republican Stephanie Bell is touting her experience supporting programs, including the Alabama Reading Initiative, as she seeks an eighth term representing the 3rd District of central Alabama. She is opposed by Jarralynne Agee, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Miles College in Birmingham. In the 5th District, which includes much of Alabama’s Black Belt region, Democrat Tonya Smith Chestnut and Republican Lesa
Doug Jones of Alabama calls rival Tommy Tuberville ‘Coach Clueless’
Jones criticized Tuberville’s reaction to tapes of President Donald Trump saying in February that he knew the severity of the coronavirus.
Kamala Harris bringing energy, dollars and more to Joe Biden’s campaign
Harris is rapidly embracing her new role.
Inside the Statehouse: Tommy Tuberville ran a good disciplined campaign for U.S. Senate
Steve Flowers outlines what Tommy Tuberville needs to do in order to defeat Doug Jones.
Inside the Statehouse: GOP primary over, fall elections begin
Steve Flowers reviews Alabama’s electoral landscape in the wake of this month’s primary run-off elections.
Tommy Tuberville says maybe to debate; Doug Jones: Voters deserve one
Republicans are seeking to reclaim the Senate seat from Jones, who won a 2017 special election.
