The Associated Press is reporting former Attorney General Jeff Sessions is going to try to return to Capitol Hill by running for the Senate seat he vacated when he took on the job in President Trump’s cabinet. He plans on making the announcement Thursday.
The 72-year-old Sessions had a rocky tenure as Attorney General with his boss once noting selecting Sessions was his “biggest mistake.” But Sessions has remained positive towards the President, making many speculate he intended to run again in Alabama wear President Trump is extremely popular.
AP sources: Jeff Sessions to announce Alabama Senate bid
In a speech last month at a Republican Party fundraiser in Huntsville, Sessions reiterated his support for Trump even as he joked about life after being “fired” from a job. Sessions praised Trump’s effort on trade, immigration and foreign policy.
“That’s why I supported him and why I still do support him,” Sessions told the crowd of about 500. “He is relentlessly and actually honoring the promises he made to the American people.”
Sessions, for years a popular figure among state Republicans, represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate from 1997 to 2017. He will enter the race as a presumed front-runner, but the effect of Trump’s online and verbal lashings remains unclear in Alabama, where the president remains popular.
The Republican field trying to take on Democrat Doug Jones is already packed with notable candidates like Tommy Tuberville, Bradley Byrne, John Merrill, Roy Moore, and Arnold Mooney. Sessions will be an instant frontrunner, but not necessarily a sure thing unless the President openly endorses him.
Please don’t
It seems to be too late to dissuade Sessions from running, but he really shouldn’t. It’s difficult to have his proud legacy end on such a sour note in the White House, but he is no longer needed. Any of the current candidates could beat Jones, including Moore who lost to him in 2017.
But the real reason he shouldn’t run is because being Attorney General revealed some disturbing authoritarian policies, including he love for civil asset forfeiture and eminent domain. He is strong on border security and adding another border hawk to the mix in the Senate is a welcome change, but all of the candidates are tough on border security. Sessions isn’t adding anything by muddying the waters.
Jeff Sessions had his turn in the spotlight. It’s time for him to relinquish his claim on his old Senate seat and let another staunch conservative rise up the ranks. His candidacy adds nothing to the equation other than confusion and contention.
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