Alabama Senate Republican Primary — Trump v. Sessions (Update)
Not literally, it’s Trump’s pick of Tommy Tuberville versus Jeff Sessions.
Tuesday, July 14, 2020, is the Republican primary in Alabama for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Doug Jones.
Defeating Jones is a must if Republicans are going to have a strong chance of holding the Senate.
Jones never should have been elected in the first place, but for the debacle with Republicans nominating Roy Moore for the 2017 special election to replace Jeff Sessions, who became U.S. Attorney General. Jones barely won the race, which would have been an easy win for anyone other than Moore.
Sessions, who was one of Trump’s earliest supporters, ended up recusing himself leading to the appointment of Robert Mueller, and well, the rest is Russia-collusion hoax history. Most important for present purposes, Sessions then resigned as Attorney General, and is running to get back his old seat. Trump, who is intensely bitter towards Sessions over Mueller-gate, has endorsed Sessions’ opponent in the runoff primary election, Tommy Tuberville.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1263970567838932993
.@realdonaldtrump Look, I know your anger, but recusal was required by law. I did my duty & you're damn fortunate I did. It protected the rule of law & resulted in your exoneration. Your personal feelings don't dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do. https://t.co/QQKHNAgmiE
— Jeff Sessions (@jeffsessions) May 23, 2020
Sessions has been all over Fox News and in advertising making the case that he is the best positioned to support the Trump agenda even if Trump supports his opponent.
Seems to me that Tuberville is riskier in the general election because he is less of a known quantity. There could be surprises. Quinn Hillyer writes, The national media will have a field day with Coach Tuberville:
When then-Auburn University head coach Tommy Tuberville made a brief appearance in the movie The Blind Side, his close friend and business partner John David Stroud appeared in the film with him, pretending to be an assistant coach looking at game films. Stroud later went to prison for investment fraud. Tuberville skated by with an out-of-court settlement.
If Tuberville wins the July 14 Republican primary runoff for the U.S. Senate in Alabama against former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, it’s a certainty that this and other parts of Tuberville’s past suddenly will be subjected to the full investigative force of the politicized, hard-left newsroom of the New York Times and by other left-wing news outlets as well. That’s what the establishment media does to Republicans: It waits until the GOP is stuck with a nominee and then vets the nominee with an eye toward defeating him.
Tuberville, as a political neophyte, never has been fully vetted. Sessions, on the other hand, is an entirely known quantity; there’s nothing the media can do to him to move his political needle further downward if he earns the nomination to face incumbent Democrat Sen. Doug Jones in November.
On Tuberville, everything will be under scrutiny — his marital history, his recruiting practices, his treatment of black players, his Florida residency, his lack of knowledge of local Alabama issues, and of course, this investment scandal. He may be clean as a whistle, but if he’s not, the media will blow the whistle on him.
There may be nothing to the Tuberville concern, but can Republicans take a chance at losing what should be an easy pick-up?
I was going to do a reader poll, but there’s not a lot of time before tomorrow. I think Sessions will win the primary, and will easily defeat Doug Jones. If Tuberville wins the primary, every morning we will wake up waiting for a shoe to drop.
UPDATE
Tuberville trounces Sessions in Alabama Senate Republican Runoff
[Featured Image – Trump and Sessions in happier times, at Trump 2016 campaign rally]
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Comments
Please NO SESSIONS!!!
Sessions is a self proven RINO,who gives worthless pond scum a bad name.
Sessions demonstrated as AG he’s a political coward. But better him in that Senate Seat that Democrat Doug Jones. After the GOP primary, whoever wins has my support for that Senate seat. That’s politics, like it or not.
On Tuberville, everything will be under scrutiny . . . He may be clean as a whistle, but if he’s not, the media will blow the whistle on him.
Not really a factor. This is The Left we’re talking about—they’ll blow the whistle on him whether he’s guilty or not.
I don’t care who wins as long as they defeat a Dem.
I do know Tuberville was probably the worst coach in U of Cincinnati history (and that is saying a lot). He was only in it for the money and the endorsement deals – he was a joke around here.
Of course, Sessions is a Wimp so whadda you got? Wimp vs Grifter.
Don’t care as long as they beat the Dem.
LOL
Sessions is like electing romney.
Same exact difference, just the names.
BS, Sessions is no Romney. I think Trump is being infantile in how he handles personnel. Like it or not Trump has flaws too. Trump should have handled decisions on personnel a lot more diplomatically. Sessions is still a good, moral man and deserves to win. If Trump was a better man he would support his old friend Jeff Sessions.
I will still vote for Trump in November, but he could help himself quite a bit if he changed some of his behavior.
I would support Sessions (always liked him). I hope he and Trump can mend some fences if and when Sessions becomes the primary candidate.
Your joking? Right?
Look at his record as a US Senator. He’s proven.
If you’re an Alabama Republican and you withhold your vote from the nominee in November because you supported the other guy, you deserve Jones.
Those of us in the other 49 states don’t deserve for Alabama to be represented by a Democrat Senator. If you won’t do it for yourselves, do it for your country.
I follow Michelle Maliki and she been heavily promoting Sessions because of Tuberville’s record. She supports Trump so it’s not my state but I agree that the coach’s record could end in a loss.
Malkin (autocorrect is not my friend)
Big-time college football coaching is a morass of corruption every which way. Knowing nothing else than that, I’d say there’s a better than 50-50 chance he’ll be frog-marched if they start looking at him.
Recall that Roy Moore was Kavanaughed with a vengeance. Some of the accusations were disproven even before the election, and all of them disappeared afterward when they had served their purpose. Any time Gloria Allred shows up, it’s a tell.
Whether we agree with Moore or not, he was treated shamefully, both by the Communist Party (dba the Democratic Party) and by the Republican Party.
As for Sessions, (a) he’s good on immigration but got tricked by Rod Rosenstein, (b) I wish that President Trump would get over it, and (c) I hope that Rod Rosenstein is at some point called to account for his actions; probably a vain hope.
Whatever you think of his record as attorney general, Sessions was always a dependable voice and vote in the Senate. I hope Alabama sends him back there.
Yes on the kavinaughing. Shameful that the R party participated in it.
And I don’t like Moore, never have. But I stood up for him against what were clearly lies and fabrication.
Sessions is a dope. A complete and utter dope. He still hasn’t accepted he got rolled and allowed a gang of special council members to take over the justice department.
Sessions does not deserve to represent anyone again.
It’s far more important that he be loyal to something worthwhile than that he be partucularly sharp. He’s not running to be pilot of Air Force One or anything else which requires much ability or skill.
I’m an Alabamian and I just don’t believe many fans of the Crimson Tide are going to vote for Tommy Tuberville, the football rivalry is that fierce here. And there are legions of loyal Crimson Tide fans in this state.
Agreed. It’s pretty stupid as reasons go, but there are certainly some portion of the citizenry that won’t do it on that justification alone.
Yes. It’s stupid AND juvenile but then most Alabama football fans hate Auburn and anything connected to it, past or present, with a passion. People who haven’t lived down here can’t imagine just how important this rivalry is to so many. My spouse and I aren’t football fans at all and we’ll be voting for Tuberville today. If Sessions beats him we’ll hold our noses, vote for Sessions in November and hope for the best.
I’m just not optimistic about a Tuberville win.
You’re right about the sports allegiances. It’s juvenile for sure but it is what it is. Being an Auburn fan doesn’t mean I hate Bama but not everybody shares that point of view. It’s fine w/me if they win every game except the last one in November.
The Bride and I were leaning toward Tuberville but the point that he has no record politically and has some personal baggage the “progress”ives could exploit keeps tickling me. Sessions is a known quantity and, though he’s been in Washingtoon a long time, there’s not much left to embarrass him with. His background is the law. He recused himself because he *>had<* to, not because he wanted to.
It's runoff day. Decisions, decisions.
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I feel Sessions let Trump down very badly and there is now so much animosity between them that if Sessions goes back to Washington he’ll just be another RINO working against the president. Might as well have Doug Jones for six more years.
Let’s run Tubberville for a seat when there is a more comfortable majority of sensible people in this country.
That would be NEVER
And Trump will NEVER forgive Sessions
NEVER
“And Trump will NEVER forgive Sessions”
Nor should he. I won’t. Sessions allowed the corrupt commie cabal of criminals to take over the dept of injustice.
I resided in Alabama for several years, and I find it scary that so many in that state view everything through the eyes of this or that football team, seemingly at the expense of evrerything else.
I’m Alabamian born and raised, and I agree.
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I am no fan of Sessions, what he did was turn the DOJ over the Mueller Coup Team. He was as big a part of the attempted coup that the cabal were, even if he wasn’t a member of the cabal.
He is either an ignoramus, which we have way too many members of congress in that category, or he is part of the cabal that worked to effect a coup against the sitting President.
Would he be any better than Romney has turned out to be? I don’t trust him. He is either a coward, a fraud, or corrupt. Not a warming endorsement.
Hey oldgoat, I agree. My personal opinion is that Sessions is a dope. And he knows how he screwed up and will not admit it. Were he to admit the truth I *might* be inclined to forgive him. He doesn’t and I won’t.
If not for Sessions recusing and 3 years of Russia collusion investigation, would the deep state have been as thoroughly unmasked and exposed as they are now? Would the right be as dialed-in and fired-up as they are now? I’m not commending Sessions by any stretch, just looking at it from the vantage point of “all things work together for the good” … Trump was never going to be loved, much less appreciated regardless of Meuller, et al … but d@#n if we don’t know who the ba$+@rds are now.
Remember in November. They need to be curb stomped.
No. Just no.
I had the highest of hopes for Jeff Sessions.
I was totally let down.
Kavanaugh occurred because it worked so well on Moore. McConnell yielded to Alred and gave us Jones and the Kavanaugh spectacle.
McConnell spearheaded the anti-Moore campaign because he couldn’t boss Moore around. Another of his screwups.
Sessions should have not taken the job, or he should have resigned.
He did as much damage as clinton and obama because he let them get away with their treason and crimes, giving us the lawlessness we have today.
“If Tuberville wins the primary, every morning we will wake up waiting for a shoe to drop.”
A bit of history: In 1986 Sessions was smeared as a racist when he was nominated to be a US District Judge by Reagan. The MSM/DNC axis succeeded in getting GOPe senators Arlen Specter and Charles Mathias to vote against him, dooming the nomination.
When Sessions was nominated to be US Attorney General the MSM/DNC axis tried the exact same smear again (this time it failed because they did not peel off GOPe votes like they did in 1986).
If nominating a “safe” candidate is the goal, then it is time to realize there is no such person. ANY candidate the Republicans nominate the Communists will seek to assassinate (figuratively and literally). So in that sense it makes no difference whether Sessions or Tuberville gets the nomination – the Communists will do whatever it takes to win. Get ready and plan to pressure the GOPe not to toss away the Senate seat AGAIN like they did when the publicly sabotaged Moore in retaliation for defeating their pal, the ethically-challenged Luther Strange.
“Tuberville, as a political neophyte, never has been fully vetted. Sessions, on the other hand, is an entirely known quantity; there’s nothing the media can do to him to move his political needle further downward if he earns the nomination to face incumbent Democrat Sen. Doug Jones in November.”
Seriously? Roy Moore was arguably the most known of known quantities in Alabama politics. Because of his flamboyant career on the Alabama Supreme Court it was very hard to find someone who had no opinion about him, yet to defeat him in his Senate run the Communists had to invent out of thin air new charges of rape and harassment (charges that were never investigated and mysteriously vanished once the election was over).
The same could happen to the “entirely known quantity” Sessions just as easily as Tuberville.
It is a solid bet that whoever wins tomorrow will be Kavanaughed by the Communists, who will concoct some wackadoodle phony allegations. Counterattack by pointing out that fake charges are now the preferred political weapon of the Communists (along with race riots, rape, murder, burning and looting). This should be a constant theme of whoever wins from now until November.
Roy Moore wanted to draw attention to himself, and he used his faith – MY faith as a Christian – as a tool to do it.
Roy Moore is a selfish, conniving grifter who didn’t hesitate to use the Ten Commandments in order to enhance his political career in the eyes of the easily impressed. I was disgusted at the number of “educated” people who fell for it. The number of those unwilling or unable to ask the six basic questions was astounding and, frankly, alarming.
Forget Roy Moore. He’s a loser. In many ways.
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I never liked Roy Moore, either, for the reason you have stated concerning the Ten Commandments. However, as a Christian, I was dismayed and saddened to see how many people swallowed the pedophile story. As contentious a figure as Moore had always been in Alabama politics, if such a story had any weight, any substance whatsoever, it would have come out long before that election. No, Moore should not have used the Ten Commandments as he did but he himself was a victim of lies, slander and calumny and the Eighth Commandment was broken time and again by many good “Christians” here in Alabama in order to secure Moore’s defeat. Two wrongs never make a right.
As a resident of Alabama, I want a Senator that represents the people of Alabama. Someone that has our values and beliefs. Only one of the candidates has a demonstrated track record of doing that, and it’s Jeff Sessions. Tuberville “might” actually do that, but we’re full of history of people who turn bad when they actually get to vote.
So the values of Alabama are being a Deep State traitor
Gotcha …
Cheap shot. Thanks. No, gonzo, that doesn’t describe our values at all.
Sessions did what he did because he had to, not because he wanted to. Let’s face it, following Trump’s footsteps in lock step isn’t always a good idea. Sessions knew that so he followed legal requirement, not Trump’s demands.
Don’t think I dislike Trump. Nothing could be farther from the truth since his election was a seriously needed speed break to the “progress”ives, but he can still do dumb things – like requiring loyalty when it might not be the best thing for the future of the nation. Many of us don’t like Sessions for whatever reason but there’s a lot we just don’t know about Tuberville.
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Not cheap, apparently true
He didn’t have to resign and he should have discussed it with Trump PRIOR
He should have stepped down
He is responsible for much of Trumps, his family and this Country
He simply is a traitor
Oh, please, Gonzo. Judging by your other comments over the years, you’re better than that.
I can well understand Trump’s disdain for Sessions. But in politics you take what you can get. Better a GOP Senator Sessions than a Democrat Senator Doug Jones.
The main goal is to regain that seat for the GOP and hopefully retain a GOP majority in the US Senate. If we can get Tuberville in that Senate seat, great. Otherwise Sessions will do.
If Sessions goes back to the Senate he will do everything he can to thwart Trump. Would be no different than a Democrat.
Jones didn’t win because Moore was a bad candidate – Moore’s win came solely from the city of Huntsville – he won because Democrats pulled out the pedophile allegation even though even if Moore had done the things he was accused of, without evidence, he wouldn’t have been one. Jones’ win was the opening shot in the use of sex against Republican candidates. As for Sessions, I don’t care who wins the primary, I just want Jones out.
Correction – JONES’ win came solely from the city of Huntsville. Moore was well ahead until the Huntsville votes were counted. There are rumors that busloads of blacks were brought in from neighboring Tennessee to illegally vote for Jones. Trump won Huntsville by a very large margin. There was definitely something fishy there.
Correction – JONES’ win came solely from the city of Huntsville. Moore was well ahead until the Huntsville votes were counted. There are rumors that busloads of blacks were brought in from neighboring Tennessee to illegally vote for Jones. Trump won Huntsville by a very large margin. There was definitely something fishy there.
You should care, you all should care, Sessions was and is a traitor and part of the Deep state
Here, you and i are in agreement. But, I want to know if Sessions is a turncoat due to beliefs, or blackmail? And, given that virtually ANYTHING can. be dug up and used against virtually anyone these days, who ISN’T subject to blackmail?
Very few are willing to say “Publish and be damned”. And few in the general public are willing to overlook that blackface at the school party 45 years ago, or the use of N1663R in a memo, radio interview, or whatever.
For gosh sakes, people, they’re running for Senator, not rocket scientist.
In fact, with a very, very few exceptions (e.g., Ted Cruz), the United States Senate essentially functions as America’s Most Prestigious Short Bus.
I would be willing to support Sessions – IF the cowardly little punk could, JUST ONCE, admit that he was a terrible AG and that he allowed himself to be manipulated into recusing himself.
Instead the little weasel is STILL TRYING to claim his recusal was ‘required by law’ and he ‘did his duty’.
Fuck Sessions.
His recusal should have been accompanied by a letter of resignation.
Correct. Instead the little weasel accompanied it with a threat from McConnell that if Trump actually got rid of him he would refuse to confirm a replacement.