MONTGOMERY — Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) made the second-to-last campaign stop in his Republican primary bid for the U.S. Senate at Chappy’s Deli on Monday afternoon.
Ahead of voters going to the polls on Tuesday, Byrne appeared at campaign stops in Huntsville and Birmingham before Alabama’s capital city. He was scheduled to end the evening with a final campaign stop in Mobile before he visits his campaign headquarters to thank volunteers and staff.
Speaking to members of the media at his Montgomery appearance, Byrne expressed optimism at his chances of making what will be a certain runoff between a combination of him, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville.
“We’re expecting a good turnout tomorrow,” Byrne said. “I know the roads are not ideal [due to rain]. We’ve had a real upswing in our campaign in the last three weeks — we can feel it, we’re hearing it, seeing just about every indicator. So we’re looking for a big day tomorrow.”
He then summarized his closing message to voters.
“It’s clear,” Byrne outlined. “The people of Alabama are looking for a conservative fighter, someone with a real track record — doesn’t just talk about it. I vote with President Trump 97% of the time. I was one of the 12 or so members of the House invited to the celebration of the end of impeachment, then [President Trump] publicly [on] national television thanked me for the work that I did for him. People are looking for somebody that’s going to do that. And I’ve proven that I will do that.”
He then contrasted himself with Sessions and Tuberville.
“[Y]ou can certainly see that Jeff Sessions, who was a longtime senator — and I honor him for his service, he’s had 20 years. Most people say that’s enough time,” Byrne advised. “Other people say that when the president needed him the most, he wasn’t there.”
“And then Tommy Tuberville last year was running around being critical of the president, saying he was ‘pissed off’ at Donald Trump because President Trump wasn’t taking care of our veterans [and] wasn’t doing enough to keep benefits away from illegal aliens,” he continued. “That’s not the kind of senator we want to send [up] from Alabama to Washington.”
“We want somebody like me who stands with the president and fights when it really matters,” Byrne added.
He concluded by reiterating that he expects to make the runoff.
“[W]e are exactly where we wanted to be [from the beginning of the race], and we anticipate a big night tomorrow night — and a big sendoff going into the runoff,” Byrne stressed.
The runoff will be held March 31.
RELATED: Tuberville makes closing pitch: ‘We’ve got to have a new voice for Alabama’
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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