I generally like former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He was an above average conservative Senator before becoming a running joke and a thorn in President Trump’s side as Attorney General. One can even argue his incompetence led to the Russia investigation, the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, and the two years of the attacks and lies the President had to face over so-called “Russian collusion.”
But other than that, he seems to be an okay guy.
From a policy perspective, he is strong. From a leadership perspective, he was pretty decent during his two decades in the Senate. But he shouldn’t run for Senate again, at least not in the upcoming election. Nevertheless, rumors are spreading that he is being “drafted” as buzz builds around him potentially joining the crowded Republican field in Alabama.
Jeff Sessions 2020 U.S. Senate Run Buzz Swirls in Alabama
In recent days, there has been rampant speculation that former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions could enter the contest for his old seat. Sessions held the seat currently occupied by Jones from 1997 through 2017. He gave up that seat to serve in the Trump administration until his unceremonious exit in late 2018.
If Sessions were to enter the race for the Republican Party’s nomination, he would be joining a crowded field that includes former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL), Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R) and former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Late last month, Tuberville secured front-runner status by receiving the endorsement of the influential Alabama Farmers Federation. At the time and to this day, publicly available polling has shown Tuberville with a substantial lead over the rest of the field.
It’s quite a who’s-who among Alabama Republicans running for the nomination to take down Democrat Doug Jones. Tuberville is a legend. Byrne won his Congressional district by 27 points in 2018. Merrill won his statewide election by 22 points. Mooney has made a strong name for himself in the state legislature. And who doesn’t know Moore, who lost to Jones after a teen-dating scandal from the 1970s broke in the Washington Post.
Nevertheless, Sessions has a ton of die-hard supporters in Alabama. His entry into the race would cause an upheaval in the primary and bring turmoil to an already-crowded race. It would be different if there weren’t strong candidates to run, as the GOP desperately needs to retake the seat to maintain control of the Senate. But there are. The candidates are strong enough. Whoever emerges as the primary winner will be the frontrunner in the general election.
Jeff Sessions’ time has come and gone. He made decisions that pushed him out of favor with the President, and thus out of favor with many in the Republican Party. His candidacy is unnecessary with such a strong field already running.
We are currently forming the American Conservative Movement. If you are interested in learning more, we will be sending out information in a few weeks.
[gravityform id=”2″ title=”true” description=”false”]
