Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne on Monday announced he will run for a Senate seat in 2020, giving Republicans their first option for taking back the seat that U.S. Sen. Doug Jones won in a special election in Dec. 2017.
Byrne made the announcement Monday night, just down the street from where he grew up, at Wintzell’s in downtown Mobile, Ala. In announcing his candidacy, Byrne made clear his campaign will focus on his record as a fighter for Alabama’s values.
Following Byrne’s announcement, Jones weighed-in on Byrne’s candidacy.
“Given the results of his losing bid for governor in 2010, in which he did not even win the republican nomination, it’s hard to see why they would nominate a career politician like Bradley Byrne now,” said Jones. “He has been part of the problem in Washington for years.”
Byrne has represented Alabama’s 1st District since 2014.
Battle of the war chests
When it comes to cash-on-hand, Byrne is not too far behind Jones.
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, Byrne has $1,090,498.98 is his congressional campaign fund, which he is able to transfer to his senate campaign.
Meanwhile, Jones has a balance of $2,131,165.71 cash-on-hand.