Congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson promises to limit Tik Tok influence and prevent social media companies from silencing conservative voices
On Thursday, Congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson released a statement promising that she will lead efforts to block the influence of the Chinese-owned TikTok video app and prevent social media conglomerates from silencing conservatives on their platforms if elected to Congress. Dobson, a Montgomery real estate attorney, is a Republican candidate for Alabama’s Second Congressional District seat. “As relations between China and the U.S. continue to erode and every expert agrees that cyber warfare is a real and looming threat, more than 150 million Americans have willingly surrendered their personal information to the Chinese-owned TikTok video app,” Dobson said. “At the same time, those who express opinions contrary to woke ideas and liberal dogma on their social media pages are routinely sent to ‘Facebook jail’ or have their accounts permanently revoked like President [Donald] Trump.” “When social media owners can silence a president and shadow ban all conservative thought with which they disagree, they assume the powers of Third World, Banana Republic dictators,” Dobson continued. “And when the Chinese Communist Party can access the personal information of millions of Americans at any time they wish, we are allowing them to weaponize the internet and placing their fingers upon the trigger.” Dobson promised that she would join the ever-growing number of congressional conservatives who are sponsoring legislation and promoting ideas that will stem the control of social media by the Chinese government and extremist liberal interests. Dobson noted that TikTok is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. and is by law obligated under China’s “National Intelligence Law” to turn over any information on its American users that is demanded by the ruling Communist Party. During a congressional hearing held earlier this year, the chief executive officer of TikTok also deflected questions about Community Party ties and influence within the company. Dobson pointed to an internal company post by a senior Facebook engineer as evidence of the almost universal liberal domination of the popular social media platform and the contempt that conservative beliefs generate. The post, which was reported by the New York Times, read: “We are a political monoculture that’s intolerant of different views. We claim to welcome all perspectives but are quick to attack — often in mobs — anyone who presents a view that appears to be in opposition to left-leaning ideology.” Dobson has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard and a law degree from the Baylor School of Law. She is married and has two children. She serves on the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Southeast Livestock Exposition and is a member of the Birmingham Chapter of the Federalist Society. Dobson grew up on a cattle farm in Alabama and excelled in high school rodeo. Congressional District 2 has been heavily redrawn ahead of this election. Previously, CD2 was 28% Black. The court-appointed special master redrew Congressional District 2 so that it is now 48.7% Black. It includes all of Montgomery County, the eastern half of the Blackbelt, the northern half of the Wiregrass, and part of Alabama southwest, including most of the City of Mobile. According to data prepared by the special master, there is over a 94% likelihood that a Democrat will win the district. The special master redistricted Second Congressional District incumbent Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and all of Coffee County out of Congressional District 2 and into Congressional District 1. Moore is challenging incumbent Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) in the First District, so Congressional District 2 is a rare open seat. State Senator Greg Albritton of Atmore, former State Senator Dick Brewbaker, real estate broker attorney Hampton Harris, former Congressional staffer and restauranteur Karla M. DuPriest, football star Wallace Gilberry, Stacey T. Shepperson, and Belinda Thomas are all also running in the Republican primary. The major party primaries are on March 5. If necessary. There will be a Republican primary runoff election on April 16. Thirteen Democrats are running in the Democratic primary. The Republican and Democratic nominees will face off on the November 5 presidential election ballot. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Hampton Harris qualifies for second congressional district
Attorney Hampton Harris launched his campaign for Congress on Wednesday. Harris is one of eight Republicans who qualified Friday to run for Alabama’s redrawn Second Congressional District (CD2). Harris, a Montgomery native, said he is desperate to fight for traditional American values. “We cannot change Washington if we keep sending the same establishment politicians to Congress,” said Hampton Harris. “America is at a crossroads, and members of my generation are desperate to fight for the values that seem to be under assault from the radical left. Weakness won’t defeat the woke. We need strength, energy, and a disciplined commitment to our Constitutional rights.” Harris received a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery in economics with a minor in biology. Following graduation from college, Hampton worked in the emergency department at Baptist Health in Montgomery. He says that there, he witnessed firsthand the looming opioid crisis in Alabama and the failures of socialized medicine managed by a Washington bureaucracy that is far away from the people it is supposed to serve. Harris went on to earn a law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 2023. While in law school, Harris served as an advocate in the Cumberland School of Law Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic. There, he was able to work directly with veterans across Alabama. “Our working families and seniors are facing the biggest cost of living crisis since the Great Depression, and every day that Biden and the Democrats print more money, inflation gets worse,” Harris said. “They are destroying wealth for those who can least afford these disastrous government policies, and it must stop. I will stand with Speaker Mike Johnson and Congressional conservatives to uphold our God-given liberties and defeat the woke extremists that are weakening America.” Harris owns a real estate brokerage firm serving the Montgomery and Southeast Alabama markets. Harris is married. His wife, Abbi Harris, is also an attorney and serves this country as a member of the United States Air Force. Harris said that he has never wavered from his strong conservative roots. He grew up in a family of seven who were homeschooled by his mother. He says he benefited from his experience growing up in a Christian homeschooling household. Hampton said his upbringing helped him build his life around traditional family values. Previously, CD2 was 28% Black. The court-appointed special master redrew CD2 so that it is now 48.7% Black. The new Second Congressional District includes all of Montgomery County, the eastern half of the Blackbelt, the northern half of the Wiregrass, and part of southwest Alabama including most of the City of Mobile. According to data prepared by the special master, there is over a 94% likelihood that a Democrat will win CD2. The special master redistricted Second Congressional District incumbent Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and all of Coffee County out of CD2 and into CD1. Moore is challenging incumbent Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) in the First District, so CD2 is a rare open seat. State Senator Greg Albritton of Atmore, former State Senator Dick Brewbaker, attorney Caroleene Dobson, former Congressional staffer and restauranteur Karla M. DuPriest, football star Wallace Gilberry, Stacey T. Shepperson, and Belinda Thomas are all also running in the Republican primary. The major party primaries are on March 5. If necessary. There will be a Republican primary runoff election on April 16. Thirteen Democrats have qualified to run in the Democratic primary. The Republican and Democratic nominees will face off on the November 5 presidential election ballot. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Tough GOP race for Richard Shelby seat in Alabama closes with flurry
Republican Senate hopefuls made last-minute pitches to primary voters Monday in the tight race for the GOP nomination for seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Shelby. The three leading candidates in Tuesday’s primary — U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, former Shelby aide Katie Britt, and veteran Mike Durant — concentrated their efforts in Republican strongholds in north Alabama, attempting to sway undecided primary voters and combat a flurry of negative attack ads in the race. The fractured field increases the chances the primary will go to a June 21 runoff, which will be required unless a single candidate captures more than 50% of the vote. Brooks planned a rally in Huntsville with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as he seeks to overcome former President Donald Trump‘s harsh criticisms and decision to rescind his endorsement. Durant, running on his status as a military veteran and business owner without political experience, received a folded U.S. flag from supporter Ashlie Combs during a stop at a barbecue restaurant in the Birmingham suburb of Homewood. “I’m in it for the right reason. I’m in it to serve,” Durant said. “I’m not in it because I’ve aspired to be this my whole life. In fact, I don’t like politics. But we need people like me in Washington.” Before leading the Business Council of Alabama, Britt served as chief of staff to Shelby, one the Senate’s most senior members and a traditional Republican known for his ability to bring home federal projects and funding to his home state. Brooks sought a resurgence after a war of words with Trump, who has not endorsed another candidate since withdrawing his backing in March after their relationship soured. Trump cited Brooks’ languishing performance and accused the conservative congressman of going “woke” for saying it was time to move on from the 2020 presidential outcome and focus on upcoming elections. Brooks said Trump was trying to get him to illegally rescind the election. Brooks, a six-term congressman from north Alabama, is banking on his long history with Alabama voters to overcome his feud with Trump. “If you’re a conservative Republican, I would submit to you that I’m the only proven conservative in this race. With me, there is no rolling the dice to determine how I’m going to go on major public policy issues,” Brooks said at an earlier campaign event, urging people to look up his ratings from the National Rifle Association, Heritage Action, and other groups. Britt planned an afternoon event in Cullman. Before leading the Business Council of Alabama, Britt served as chief of staff to Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members and a traditional Republican known for his ability to bring home federal projects and funding to his home state. Britt said while her experience would allow her to “hit the ground running,” she would bring a fresh perspective to Washington. “People want new blood; they want fresh blood. They want something different in the United States Senate. They want that from the top down,” Britt said in an earlier interview with The Associated Press. Lillie Boddie of Florence, small business owner Karla M. Dupriest of Mobile, and Jake Schafer also are on the ballot. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
GOP primary race for Alabama Senate seat turns bitter
Alabama’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby has become a bitter high-dollar contest with the three strongest contenders jockeying for the nomination. The leading candidates are U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who won — and then lost — former President Donald Trump’s backing in the race; Katie Boyd Britt, the former leader of Business Council of Alabama and Shelby’s former chief of staff; and Mike Durant, an aerospace company owner best known as the helicopter pilot whose capture during a U.S. military mission in Somalia was chronicled in the “Black Hawk Down” book and subsequent movie. Lillie Boddie, Karla M. Dupriest, and Jake Schafer are also seeking the GOP nomination. Observers say it’s hard to predict whether the nomination will be settled in Tuesday’s primary. The fractured field increases the chances that the race will go to a June 21 runoff, which is required unless one candidate captures more than 50% of Tuesday’s vote. David Mowery, an Alabama-based political consultant, said the race has an up-for-grabs feel. “It’s anybody’s guess as to who’s in first and who’s in second in the runoff,” he said. As for the barrage of negative campaign ads in the primary’s closing days, Mowery said: “The gloves have come off.” The Alabama race is one of several bitterly contested GOP primaries for open Senate seats. Retirements also sparked heated races this season in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and in Ohio. Trump further scrambled the Alabama race this spring when he rescinded his endorsement of Brooks. Both Britt and Durant have courted Trump’s nod, but he has so far stayed out of the Alabama race. “We look at this country and don’t recognize it right now. Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, every single thing in this nation is moving in the wrong direction,” Britt said during a speech to the Republican Women of East Alabama. Before leading the Business Council, Britt served as chief of staff to Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members and a traditional Republican known for his ability to bring home federal projects and funding to his home state. But in speeches Britt, running under a slogan of Alabama First, has leaned away from her hefty Washington resume. She said it’s important voters get to know her and the kind of senator she will be. Her experience, she said, gave her an opportunity to understand how the Senate works. “I can hit the ground running on day one. And for me, Alabama First is not just a slogan. It’s a mission,” she said. Brooks, a six-term congressman from north Alabama, is banking on his long history with Alabama voters to overcome his feud with Trump. “If you’re a conservative Republican, I would submit to you that I’m the only proven conservative in this race. With me, there is no rolling the dice to determine how I’m going to go on major public policy issues,” Brooks said, urging people to look up his ratings from the National Rifle Association, Heritage Action, and other groups. Despite losing Trump’s backing, he continues to run as “MAGA Mo,” invoking Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, and his campaign website continues to include old video footage of Trump praising the north Alabama congressman. Trump initially endorsed Brooks last year, rewarding the conservative firebrand who whipped up a crowd of Trump supporters at the January 6, 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol insurrection. “Today is the day that American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” Brooks said. But Trump withdrew the endorsement in March after their relationship soured. Trump cites Brooks’ languishing performance and accused the conservative congressman of going “woke” for saying it was time to move on from the 2020 presidential outcome and focus on upcoming elections. Brooks said Trump was trying to get him to illegally rescind the election. Trump has not made a new endorsement in the race. Both Durant and Britt have maintained they are the superior choice for Trump’s backing if the race goes to a runoff. At a speech in Phenix City, a town in the shadow of the U.S. Army’s Fort Benning, Durant pitched himself as the outsider in the race. He began a speech by describing his combat service — which included not just Somalia but Desert Storm and missions in Panama — and then working in the defense industry and founding an aerospace company. “I’m not a politician,” Durant said. “That is what people are tired of. That’s why people want outsiders. That is why people want straight shooters.” Durant said his military experience separates him from those in Washington who “don’t know what they’re talking about” when discussing deploying troops. “This is serious business. We don’t deploy troops, we don’t get in skirmishes, we don’t try to do nation-building unless we truly understand the commitment that we’re about to make, not only financially, but the lives of young men and women, our national credibility, all those things that are on the line.” Durant, a helicopter pilot who was held prisoner after being shot down, is seeking the endorsement of Trump, who once disputed that Sen. John McCain was a war hero because he was held as a POW. “I like people that weren’t captured,” Trump said in 2015. Asked about that, Durant said he thought the divisions between the two were “based on politics, not based on service.” Both Britt and Brooks have criticized Durant for “dodging debates” after his campaign declined three separate dates offered by the Alabama Republican Party. Durant said he is willing to debate but could not make it fit his schedule. Outside groups have pumped more than $20 million into the race to either support or oppose one of the frontrunners. The Super PACS have been responsible for many of the attack ads in the race. Alabama Patriots PAC spent $4 million to support Durant after receiving money from America’s Project, a Virginia-based PAC associated with Jacob Harriman,
