Republican Jeff Coleman on Tuesday evening in Dothan held his official campaign kickoff as he looks to succeed U.S. Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) in Alabama’s Second Congressional District.
Coleman’s campaign in a Wednesday release detailed that the candidate spent time during his kickoff speech on both issues of local importance (such as farming, manufacturing and military bases) and of national priority (like securing America’s porous border).
The crowd was estimated at over 200 people, with Coleman saying, “I love Southeast Alabama and I believe I can represent it with class and dignity.”
He attempted to brand himself as a political outsider and career businessman, similar to President Donald Trump, who is willing to make tough decisions.
“I’ve never run for office and I’m not a politician,” Coleman remarked. “I’ll make you this promise: If you’ll send me to represent you in Congress, I will focus on doing what’s right, not on getting re-elected.”
Coleman is the chairman of Coleman Worldwide Moving. The fifth-generation leader of his family-owned moving, storage and transportation business oversees a company ranked as one of the top 30 largest private companies in the state of Alabama.
The kickoff event came on the heels of Coleman turning in impressive third quarter fundraising numbers. In Q3, Coleman actually raised more money in contributions than any of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates in the same quarter: $468,001. He also loaned his campaign $500,000. Coleman spent just $2,973 in Q3, ending it with $965,027 on hand.
Because of the impressive fundraising and an organized campaign apparatus, the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) on Wednesday actually announced that Coleman has been tapped to join its Young Guns “On the Radar” Program.
The program mentors and supports GOP candidates in races across the country and works to provide them with the necessary tools to run successful, winning campaigns against their Democratic opponents — should they advance from the primary.
“This is an important step in ensuring that the Second District will remain in conservative hands and that we will fight back against liberal special interests from Washington that will try to buy this district,” Coleman, also a former Business Council of Alabama (BCA) chairman, commented.
Former Alabama Attorney General Troy King, who like Coleman has qualified to run in AL-02, was also announced as a candidate in the NRCC program.
Additional qualified GOP candidates include Prattville businesswoman Jessica Taylor and former State Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise). State Rep. Will Dismukes (R-Prattville) on Wednesday announced he was withdrawing from the race. He had previously announced his candidacy but had not qualified.
Taylor entered the race after third quarter fundraising reports were due, thus she is not yet eligible for the NRCC program.
Roby has announced that she is not seeking a sixth congressional term, leaving the solidly red seat open in the 2020 cycle.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
