It’s 275 days until Alabama Republicans head to the polls to vote for their preference on who will represent the GOP on the November 2020 general election ballot.
Even this far out, it is a solid bet incumbent President Donald Trump will win the 2020 Republican presidential primary in Alabama. How might that assumption impact turnout in March 2020 with other offices on the ballot, including a Republican U.S. Senate nomination up for grabs?
During an interview that aired Friday on Huntsville radio’s WVNN, Alabama Republican Party chairwoman Terry Lathan said although complacency is a concern, the Trump factor will still turn out votes in next year’s primary.
“One of the things we talk about, the same thing we talked about in 2018 is complacency – don’t take anything for granted,” Lathan said. “Now if you’re asking me specifically about [Trump] on a primary ballot, and of course he is going to be the nominee of the party, there’s something about people liking to go pick up a pen and that ballot and circle ‘Donald Trump.’ They love him in our state. If the president says, ‘Everyone go vote, everyone go vote in the primary, regardless,’ he’s also probably messaging, ‘Hey, I need help in the Senate, I need help in the U.S. House. All my folks go vote. Get in the primary. Get us some good candidates. We’ll see you in November.’”
“He turns people out like nothing I have ever seen in my 42 years of volunteering in the Republican Party,” she added.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.