Republican CD2 candidate Wallace Gilberry says he learned life lessons from playing football
Republican Second Congressional District (CD2) candidate Wallace Gilberry is reminding voters of his success playing football for the University of Alabama and in the National Football League. “I cut my teeth on the gridiron in Tuscaloosa,” Gilberry said in a recent fundraising email. “I played for Mike Shula and Nick Saban, then made it 9 seasons in the NFL.” “Football – along with my mom and great-grandmother – taught me everything I know,” Gilberry continued. “Like: 1) Bring glory to God on and off the field 2) Play through the whistle 3) Always stand to honor those who keep us free” “My name is Wallace Gilberry,” Gilberry stated. “If you’ve never heard of me, that’s OK – here’s what you should know: I’m a Black man in America who is familiar with the struggles of our community. But I’m also a Republican who voted for Trump. And I’m running in the single most competitive House race in the entire country.” Democrats are hoping that they can flip Alabama’s Second Congressional District from Republican to Democratic after the federal courts redrew the district to make Congressional District 2 48.7 percent Black. Twenty-one candidates, including Gilberry, have qualified to run for the seat. Second District incumbent Congressman Barry Moore was redistricted to Congressional District 1 where he is challenging incumbent Congressman Jerry Carl in the GOP primary. “I’m running against more than a DOZEN far-left Democrats with an army of mega-donors backing them.,” Gilberry said. “I’ve never run for office. They have. I’ve never even sent an email like this before. But I was raised by a single mom who worked 2 jobs to put food on the table for her 5 kids – being an underdog is nothing new to me or my family. So – with grit and determination in my heart – I’m respectfully asking you to pitch in JUST a few bucks now to fuel my underdog campaign to victory. I promise I’ll make you proud when we win it all. God bless you.” Gilberry is a native of Bay Minette in Baldwin County. He grew up as one of five children and was raised by his single mom and his great-grandmother. Gilberry is one of eight Republicans who have qualified for the March 5 primary ballot. State Senator Greg Albritton, former state Senator Dick Brewbaker, real estate attorney Caroleene Dobson, former Congressional staffer turned Mobile restauranteur Karla M. DuPriest, attorney and real estate broker Hampton S. Harris, Stacey T. Shepperson, and Newton city council member Belinda Thomas are the other seven GOP candidates. Thirteen Democrats have qualified to run as well. The eventual Republican and Democratic nominees will face off in the general election on November 5. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
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.
