A political action committee supporting former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville’s 2020 U.S. Senate bid released a new video ad on Tuesday that goes on the offensive against former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01).
Sessions, Tuberville and Byrne have polled significantly above other Republican primary candidates in the Senate race, including former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs). Now, the top three contenders find themselves embroiled in a negative ad blitz with two weeks to go until voters cast their ballots.
Byrne over the weekend launched both a contrast ad that hit Tuberville and Sessions, as well as a separate negative ad claiming Tuberville supports amnesty.
This was followed by Sessions on Monday issuing a response to the Byrne ad and criticisms Tuberville has launched against Sessions while on the stump recently. Sessions on Tuesday then built on his own response by releasing an ad attacking both Byrne and Tuberville.
Tuberville’s campaign also released a new negative ad on Tuesday, echoing allegations he has made previously that Sessions and Byrne are the type of “weak-kneed career politicians” that “aren’t tough enough to stand with President Trump.” The latest Tuberville ad even implicitly compared his two leading opponents to U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), who recently voted to remove Trump from office on one impeachment article.
Weak-kneed career politicians aren’t strong enough to stand with @realDonaldTrump. #TeamTub #DrainTheSwamp #GOP #MAGA #KAG #alsen pic.twitter.com/ViiyTtQETg
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) February 18, 2020
Shortly thereafter, the Romney motif was doubled down upon when GRIT PAC released a spot of its own entitled, “Don’t let Mitt Happen in Alabama.”
Over video and audio of mooing cows, a female narrator opens the ad by saying, “Jeff Sessions, Bradley Byrne: two career politicians who are out of touch with Alabama.”
The narrator then invokes Sessions recusing himself from the Russia investigation as attorney general and Byrne calling on Trump to step down from the Republican ticket in October 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape came out.
“In a place where Mitt happens, we need to watch our step,” the narrator warns, coupled with a sound effect and visual related to manure.
“No bullsh**,” she continues. “No weak knees.”
GRIT PAC is an independent expenditure committee supporting Tuberville’s candidacy. The PAC previously released an ad blasting Sessions when the former senator entered this race.
Tuberville’s campaign also released a negative ad against Sessions when he announced his bid to return to the Senate in late 2019.
Sessions this week has additionally launched an ad attacking Tuberville for comments he made in August about Trump not doing enough to improve healthcare for American military veterans.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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