Non-internal poll confirms Tuberville leading GOP Senate field as Sessions mulls bid

Sean Ross 1 year ago

Another poll conducted this month showed former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville with a double-digit lead among Alabama’s announced Republican U.S. Senate candidates.

The poll was conducted by Montgomery-based Cygnal from October 10-12 and had a sample size of 536 likely 2020 GOP primary voters.

Cygnal is a nationally recognized and awarded polling firm that was commended last year for having the most accurate polls nationwide leading up to the 2018 midterms. The poll was not commissioned on behalf of any of the candidates in the field.

Tuberville led the pack at 32%, followed by Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) with 18%.

Then came former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore (10.6%), Secretary of State John Merrill (8.6%), State Rep. Arnold Mooney (2%) and Stanley Adair (1%). Of the respondents, 27.9% were undecided.

Tuberville led solidly in all in-state media markets except Mobile — the area which Byrne represents in Washington, D.C. Byrne carried 53.3% of this district, compared to Tuberville’s 13.2%, Moore’s 7.5% and Merrill’s 2.6%.

In the Birmingham media market, which is by far Alabama’s largest, Tuberville garnered 39.7% of the vote. This was followed by Byrne at 12.1%, Moore at 10.8%, Merrill at 9.9% and Mooney at 1.7%.

The Huntsville media market broke down with Tuberville at 29%, Byrne at 14.1%, Moore at 10.6%, Merrill at 7.9% and Mooney at 4.1%.

Finally, the Montgomery media market (which also included the Dothan submarket) showed Tuberville at 33%, Moore at 12.2%, Merrill at 10.6%, Byrne at 10.1% and Mooney at 1.5%.

This poll came before the start of Mooney’s television advertisements could affect poll numbers.

Additionally, the results do not account for what the potential entry of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions into the race would mean for the field.

Yellowhammer News has learned that Sessions has been taking meetings and making calls regarding a run for his old Senate seat. He is now strongly considering mounting a candidacy.

Qualifying closes November 8. All of the announced candidates besides Moore have already qualified.

A previous Senate poll conducted by Cygnal from June 22-23 had the following statewide results: Tuberville led the field at 29.3%, followed by Byrne with 21.4%, Moore with 13%, Merrill with 11.8% and Mooney with 2.2%, while 22.3% of respondents were undecided.

All other polls of the current field, including internals and an Alabama Farmers Federation-conducted poll, have shown Tuberville leading. His lead has grown with time.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

Sean Ross 6 hours ago

Alabama Republicans win all contested statewide, congressional races

Every Republican running in an Alabama congressional or statewide race in Tuesday’s 2020 general election won.

This included huge wins for President Donald J. Trump and Republican U.S. Senatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville.

In Alabama’s First Congressional District, Republican nominee Jerry Carl defeated Democrat James Averhart.
Former State Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) beat Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall in AL-02.

Keep reading 179 WORDS

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03) won against Democratic challenger Adia Winfrey, while U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04) trounced Democrat Rick Neighbors.

U.S. Reps. Mo Brooks (AL-05), Gary Palmer (AL-06) and Terri Sewell (AL-07) were are all unopposed in their respective districts.

Another impressive electoral performance was Public Service Commission President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh (R-AL) blowing out her Democratic challenger and barely trailing Trump’s statewide vote percentage.

Additionally, State Rep. Matt Fridy (R-Montevallo) was elected to the Court of Civil Appeals. Presiding Judge Mary Windom and Judge Beth Kellum were reelected to the Court of Criminal Appeals, while Judge Bill Thompson was reelected to the Court of Civil Appeals; Associate Justices Greg Shaw and Brad Mendheim were also elected to fresh terms on the Supreme Court of Alabama. All aforementioned judges are Republicans who ran in uncontested general election races.

After U.S. Senator Doug Jones’ (D-AL) defeat, there will be no statewide elected Democrats in the Yellowhammer State.

View all unofficial election results from the Alabama Secretary of State here.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

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Henry Thornton 7 hours ago

Barry Moore trounces opponent in AL-02

Former State Rep. Barry Moore received the support of over 60% of his district Tuesday night, notching a decisive win to earn a place in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Once thought to have a slim chance to win the GOP primary, Moore proved Alabama political insiders wrong with an avowedly grassroots campaign in which he often stressed his early and ardent support for President Donald Trump.

The Associated Press called the race for Moore at 9:24 p.m. CT on Tuesday night. He defeated Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall.

The former state lawmaker will represent Alabama’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. AL-02 contains the Montgomery suburbs and the Wiregrass region in the southeast corner of the state.

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“First let me say, as I always do, let’s give the Lord the glory,” began Moore, who often discussed his faith on the trail, on Tuesday night.

Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) chose not to seek reelection in 2020, leaving the district open for Moore to take.

Moore thanked Roby for her 10 years serving the district in his remarks Tuesday night, adding he was ready to “take up the mantle” and get to work.

Moore takes the stage around one hour and 57 minutes in the Facebook livestream:

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95

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Henry Thornton 7 hours ago

Jerry Carl steamrolls to victory in AL-01

MOBILE — Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl has a new title: Congressman-elect.

The Republican nominee in Alabama’s First Congressional District was leading 67 to 31 over Democrat James Averhart when the race was called by the New York Times at around 10:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday night. Carl declared victory shortly after learning of the Times’ projection.

Alabama’s newest congressman from the Gulf Coast took in the results at Old Majestic Brewing in downtown Mobile, which was packed with his supporters.

“This has been a long road, we’re excited about what we are going to able to do in D.C.,” said Carl when his victory first appeared imminent.

“It is done, we won it,” he asserted shortly after the race was called.

Keep reading 290 WORDS

Alabama’s First Congressional District is dominated by Mobile and Baldwin Counties, but also includes Washington, Clarke, Escambia and part of Clarke County to the north. The district was vacated by Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope), who mounted an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate.

The journey to victory was not short for Carl. He had to overcome two well-known opponents and over a million dollars from Washington, D.C.-based interest groups spent opposing him during the primary.

The general election was never as competitive as the primary in AL-01. Averhart, a military veteran and community organizer, never raised much money, and Carl cruised to victory as expected.

In his speech, Carl gave profuse thanks to his campaign manager Zach Weidlich.

“This young man has been a rockstar. He ran my whole campaign,” the congressman-elect remarked.

Emotion crept into Carl’s voice when he spoke about his reason for getting into politics, which he said was when his son began to serve a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

“We’ve got a veterans community here in South Alabama that I am so proud of. I am so excited to be able to work for them,” Carl remarked.

Projects Carl said he would work to achieve in Washington were a new bridge over the bay and increased investment from Airbus.

Carl said he had spoken with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) multiple times in the last week, and looked forward to serving in the Republican caucus when his term begins in January.

Though he won as a Republican, Carl was not partisan in his remarks on Tuesday.

“We’ve got to move forward as Americans,” he urged.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@yellowhammernews.com or on Twitter @HenryThornton95

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Sean Ross 8 hours ago

‘Senator Coach’: Tommy Tuberville routs Doug Jones in Alabama

MONTGOMERY — The 2020 general election was held across the country on Tuesday, and Tommy Tuberville has defeated U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race.

Tuberville, the Republican nominee, was up double digits in all publicly released independent polls in the contest.

Jones, Alabama’s incumbent junior senator, outspent the challenger by a huge margin. As of the most recent data reported to the FEC (as of October 14), Jones raised $25,258,418.06 in his reelection bid, spending $24,851,769.65. The Democrat did not face a primary challenger, meaning he only had to focus on the general election when it came to campaigning.

Meanwhile, Tuberville raised $7,226,009.13 and spent $6,730,151.08. It should be noted much of this was for a heavily contested primary and then primary runoff.

Keep reading 579 WORDS

Unofficial election results for Alabama can be followed here.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m.

National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chairman Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) released a statement congratulating Tuberville on his victory.

“Congratulations to Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville on his landslide victory in Alabama,” said Young. “Coach Tuberville will be a staunch advocate for conservative values and Alabamians, and I look forward to working with him to advance the Republican agenda in the Senate.”

UPDATE 10:45 p.m.

Tuberville fired up the crowd in his victory speech, after being introduced by Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL) and campaign co-chair Alabama House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville.)

“Tonight, the liberals of California, New York and Washington, D.C., learned the hard way that Alabama’s Senate seat cannot be bought,” Tuberville remarked. “If you allow me to quote my opponent’s many campaign ads, they can all go to hell and get a job as far as I’m concerned.”

He added, “I want to thank Doug Jones for his hard work and effort, but it’s time to go home. Sometimes you end up on the wrong side of the score board, and it was a big score board loss for him.”

During his speech, Tuberville took a call from Vice President Mike Pence while on stage. Pence addressed the crowd via speakerphone.

“As the media has pointed out, I didn’t get here the normal way,” the senator-elect commented following the call from Pence. “I’m not a career politician, and I’m not from the swamp. I’m an outsider who believes in conservative values.”

Tuberville said his election is evidence that ordinary Americans who love their country and want to give back can be elected to public office. He encouraged people to “step up,” “stick your neck out” and “be a leader.”

“We need people to do this,” he stressed. “If Tommy Tuberville can stand up here tonight, you can stand up here, too.”

Tuberville subsequently pledged to represent the majority of Alabamians as the state’s junior senator-elect. He framed the next few years as a crossroads for our nation, with a choice between socialism and embracing the American Dream.

“I know which path I want to go,” he noted. “I’m going to fight like heck against Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, AOC — all these fringe liberals in Washington, D.C., as we march toward the shining city on a hill — that’s what Ronald Reagan called it.”

Tuberville concluded with three promises to the people of Alabama.

“First and foremost, I’ll be guided by our shared values, conservative values,” he said. “And I will always vote for the majority of people in the state of Alabama and not for a party like Doug Jones did.”

“I’m going to work every day to serve your needs and keep your trust and make you proud that I’m your representative,” Tuberville continued. “I work for you. Your representative in Washington, D.C.”

“And finally, each time that I step on the Senate floor — and you’re going to like some of my speeches, I promise you that… I will be mindful of the words when I walk onto that Senate floor of 2 Corinthians 3:17, which reads, ‘Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ With God’s blessing and your support, I’ll serve you well as your United States Senator. And together, we can ensure our nation remains the greatest nation ever on the face of this earth,” he concluded.

This is breaking news and will be updated.

Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn

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Trent Baker 12 hours ago

Live blog: Election Day 2020

Polls close in Alabama at 7:00 p.m.

Yellowhammer News will update this live election blog with results and news as they come in.

Keep reading 316 WORDS

As you await results, see how some of the state’s political leaders and opinion leaders predicted Election Day would turn out.

For radio coverage from Yellowhammer contributor Jeff Poor at Mobile FM Talk 106.5, tune in here.

For radio coverage from Yellowhammer contributor Dale Jackson at Huntsville’s WVNN, tune in here.

Update 11:48 p.m.:

Alabama Republicans win all contested statewide, congressional races

Update 11:25 p.m.:

Barry Moore trounces opponent in AL-02

Update 11:05 p.m.:

Jerry Carl steamrolls to victory in AL-01

Update 10:40 p.m.:

Carl declares victory.

Jerry Carl (@CarlForAlabama) has declared victory in AL-01.

“It’s done. We’ve won it.”

Says he is ready to get to work in January. pic.twitter.com/Lw7D7RhVSD

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 10:36 p.m.:

NYT calls AL-01 for Carl.

The New York Times has called the AL-01 race for Jerry Carl. He is about to declare victory to his assembled supporters. pic.twitter.com/CGPBKwMtcp

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 10:03 p.m.:

Jerry Carl up big in AL-01.

59% of the vote in and the Times has Carl approaching seventy percent of the vote in AL-01. A call feels like it must be imminent. pic.twitter.com/d3LnLJPUrh

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 9:45 p.m.:

Incumbent PSC President Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh reelected.

Thank you, Alabama!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸#Elections2020 #ElectionDay #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/bcd9qeoV5H

— Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh (@TwinkleforAL) November 4, 2020

Update 9:40 p.m.:

Vice President Mike Pence thanks Alabamians during Tuberville watch party: “Thank you for delivering a great victory to President Donald Trump and thank you for sending a great new senator to Washington, D.C.”

Update 9:34 p.m.:

AP calls AL-02 for Barry Moore.

AP calls it for Barry Moore in AL-02. https://t.co/FtbDBurlEH

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 9:33 p.m.:

Tuberville at watch party: “Alabama’s Senate seat cannot be bought.”

Update 9:27 p.m.:

Read Yellowhammer’s story (which will be updated as the night continues) on Tuberville’s victory here.

Update 9:20 p.m.:

Tuberville reacts to his victory.

Thank you, ALABAMA! We’ve got our United States Senate seat back! #MAGA #ALSen https://t.co/EqHMcFjMOp

— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) November 4, 2020

Update 9:13 p.m.:

AP calls it for former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.

.@TTuberville has won Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, per AP #alsen #alpolitics
A lot of votes out still but it’s not close pic.twitter.com/RdmUZnwmuN

— Sean Ross (@sean_yhn) November 4, 2020

Update 9:06 p.m.:

AP calls races for incumbent Representatives Mike Rogers (R-Saks) in AL-03 and Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) in AL-04.

BREAKING: Republican Mike Rogers wins reelection to U.S. House in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District. #APracecall at 9:04 p.m. CST. #Election2020 #ALelection https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 4, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican Robert Aderholt wins reelection to U.S. House in Alabama's 4th Congressional District.

— Lydia Nusbaum (@LydiaNusbaum) November 4, 2020

Update 9:03 p.m.:

Tuberville headed towards a sweet victory?

Alabama counting like molasses, but just a matter of time for Doug Jones. Trump called long ago & Tub leading big. #ALSen

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 4, 2020

Update 8:51 p.m.:

Montgomery County property tax vote passes.

BREAKING: The Montgomery County Property tax vote has passed. @wsfa12news pic.twitter.com/TyjgaEtdK2

— Ashley Bowerman WSFA (@AshleyWSFA) November 4, 2020

Update 8:37 p.m.:

Jones struggling early in Madison County.

Tuberville has opened up a lead over Jones in Madison County (home of Huntsville).

Jones probably needs to win Madison to stay competitive.

It is the biggest county he won in 2017. pic.twitter.com/TryM2kCffM

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 8:23 p.m.:

An early look at the statewide amendments numbers:

3 and 4 both have large leads for passage as well. pic.twitter.com/wiewLCktbr

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 8:19 p.m.:

For those wondering, ALGOP chair Terry Lathan shows masks are being worn at Tuberville’s watch party.

Great!!! With @SteveMarshallAL winning with @TTuberville #alpolitics https://t.co/KuGmIsdQLa pic.twitter.com/O7vJpIJ55m

— Terry Lathan (@ChairmanLathan) November 4, 2020

Update 8:12 p.m.:

Only 6% reporting, but Tuberville up early on incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).

6% of Alabama's votes have been reported and Tuberville has an advantage. pic.twitter.com/SYB3GxSFOx

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 7:52 p.m.:

Jerry Carl out to an early lead in AL-01

With 6% reporting @CarlForAlabama has opened up a big lead in AL-01.

per @FOX10News pic.twitter.com/pQjHjmsaVK

— Henry Thornton (@HenryThornton95) November 4, 2020

Update 7:40 p.m.:

Some big names from the state in attendance for Tommy Tuberville’s watch party in Montgomery.

Tuberville surrogates taking stage as results trickled in. @AlfaFarmers’ Jimmy Parnell speaking now pic.twitter.com/IuwTR21qes

— Sean Ross (@sean_yhn) November 4, 2020

Update 7:05 p.m.:

President Donald Trump already projected to win Alabama.

BREAKING: Donald Trump wins Alabama,@AP Projects

— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) November 4, 2020

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