Runoff season is behind us, and one of the most toxic ones at that. The consensus in the state was that this past cycle was the most obnoxiously negative and bitter one anyone had seen, and even those who love politics had had enough of it.

In Alabama, the Republican primary has essentially been the election, considering the low likelihood of a Democrat victory in any race. But Republicans need a refresher on what we’re up against.

Democrats are salivating while watching us tear each other apart. Let’s remind ourselves of what exactly we’re up against, shall we?

Let’s just start locally first when examining the current state of the Democratic Party. Doug Jones, when he was taking a break from obsessing over Tuberville’s residency, claimed that Alabama has just rejoined the Confederacy with our new 6-1 congressional map.

Doug Jones resents Alabama. He despises everything this state stands for, and refuses to accept that Alabama is no longer that of the 1960’s. He’s a pro-abortion candidate, sympathetic to the “democratic socialism” of the modern Democratic Party, who wants to flood the state with everything against our values.

Doug Jones is no moderate. Just weeks ago, he was marching throughout the state with AOC, Cory Booker, Ayanna Pressley, among other of the most radical leftists our country has to offer. That’s what he wants to bring to Alabama.

Leftism nationwide continues to take a turn for the worse, and if you think you’re safe from it here in ruby-red Alabama, you are mistaken. Take the fight for our school libraries, for example. Here in Alabama, there are libraries that are showing our kids pornographic material in their books, as well as planting the seeds of confusion regarding their “gender identity”.

Drag queen story hour isn’t just an issue in Portland; it’s happening right down the road. There was a drag queen middle school teacher in Auburn who went by the name “Colana Blue” and confessed to using podcasts to reach his students and teach them about LGBTQ ideas. After resigning amid backlash, he was later hired by Auburn University.

Did you know that Alabama is known as a “vacation cutting” state for female genital mutilation? That’s because it’s not a felony in Alabama, and it’s become one of the popular places for those to come to and mutilate their daughters’ bodies in the name of gender identity.

You see, this is the depravity of wickedness happening in our own backyard, and it’s all being perpetrated by the Left. Leftism will stop at no end to reach every corner of this nation, and we must stand united to stop it.

That’s the message moving forward after this nasty runoff cycle. The Republican Party has a very evil and wicked enemy across from us, and we would be foolish to take them lightly. A house divided against itself cannot stand, and it’s crucial that we quickly shake hands and move on after ruthlessly destroying ourselves to win a primary. We must put behind us the personal attacks, smears, and name-calling to unite against the Left in November.

This doesn’t just go for candidates; it goes for voters, too. I think what made this specific cycle especially vicious was the never-ending attacks by campaign supporters on social media. Every day, if you opened your phone, you would be flooded with endless attacks from grown adults burning every bridge possible so their candidate could win. It was unbecoming and simply middle school drama.

The voters on our side must unite and support each of our party’s candidates. Because if we don’t, that’s just more of an opportunity for the Democrats to gain a foothold. Democrats saw a 139% increase in voter turnout from 2022 to 2026, while Republicans saw a 25% decrease. Every vote counts and matters, especially when your enemy is rallying their support.

If you want to keep Alabama a strong Christian conservative state, it’s imperative that we bury the hatchet and move on from what took place these last few months. The Republican Party is a team, and we must look at what we have in common rather than what divides us.

Trust me, we have more in common than not. There was not a single candidate in our primaries who was a bad option. Even if your preferred candidate did not win, I promise you the candidate that did win is infinitely better than that of the Democrats.

Let’s remember that, and march forward together to keep this state red.

Justin “JP” Plott is the executive producer/co-host of “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” and co-owner of Rightside Media. You can find him on X @JPRightside. Watch “The Rightside with Allison and Amie Beth” every weekday from 10am-12pm CT at www.rightsidemedia.org.