6 big winners from the AL-01 Republican primary

In what was probably the nastiest Republican primary since the 2010 gubernatorial race, former state senator Bradley Byrne outlasted businessman Dean Young to become the Republican party’s nominee for Congress in south Alabama.

Click here to check out 6 losers from the AL-01 Republican primary. Below are 6 of the winners.

DISCLAIMER: this list is no indication of whether I agree or disagree politically or philosophically with any of these individuals or groups — they simply ended up on the winning side in this particular race.

WINNERS

Bradley Byrne

Duh. Byrne has now been involved in two epic bloodbaths in the last three years. He lost the first one, but showed some resilience and won the second. Byrne probably has some of the thickest skin in Alabama politics at this point. Heck, he even fought through the heart-wrenching death of his brother just days before election day.

Barring something completely unforeseen in the general election, Byrne will be the first district’s next congressman. Not a bad second act for a guy who many people had written off after he couldn’t gain any traction for a potential primary challenge to Gov. Bentley.

Byrne is 58 years old, so south Alabama’s congressional seat will probably be in his hands for the next decade or so, assuming he doesn’t take another crack at statewide office at some point.

The National Rifle Association

At a time when Dean Young seemed to be gaining momentum among the conservative grassroots, the NRA dropped in and gave Byrne a big endorsement. That was especially damning for Young, who was seen so often on the campaign trail sporting an NRA hat.

The NRA’s street cred among conservatives is unquestioned. Even though I think endorsements are often overvalued, there’s no doubt the rifle association’s support of Byrne was at the very least an important psychological moment in the campaign.

They ended up finding themselves on the winning side.

Alabama’s Congressional Delegation

Reps. Roby, Rogers and Brooks all dropped $2,500 into Byrne’s campaign in the home stretch. It’s pretty rare for sitting congressmen to play in congressional primaries in their home state, but they apparently felt strongly enough about Byrne — or about keeping Young out — that they got involved. That would have made delegation meetings pretty awkward had Young squeaked through. But he didn’t.

Ending Spending PAC

Similar to the NRA, Ending Spending PAC has been a major player in conservative races in recent years. They were one of the biggest supporters of insurgent tea party candidate Ted Cruz before he became a U.S. Senator. They dropped in $100,000 of pro-Byrne advertising the week before the election, prompting Al.com’s Brenden Kirby to pen the crushing headline, “Dean Young vows to be ‘Ted Cruz congressman,’ but pro-Cruz PAC backs Byrne.” Again, similar to the NRA endorsement, moments like that left voters who may have been predisposed to supporting the tea party-styled candidate Dean Young a little unsure.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

No endorsement was more polarizing than the Chamber’s nod to Bradley Byrne. They spent around $150,000 on his behalf and sent the national media’s “Tea Party vs. Business/Establishment” narrative into high gear. The Young campaign got a little egg on its face for pursuing the Chamber’s endorsement, then acting like they never wanted it once they found out it was going to Byrne. The Chamber might have some work to do to regain the trust of grassroots conservatives nationally, but they picked the winning horse in south Alabama — so they’re a clear winner in this one.

MSNBC

MSNBC has a win-win in #AL01. Dean Young wins – "Ala. elects birther nut." Byrne wins – "The Tea Party is dead!"

— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) November 5, 2013

…Just kidding. You have to have higher ratings than old re-runs of The Beverly Hillbillies to have a legitimate chance at actually being considered a “winner.”

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Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims