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Report: Group seeks Alabama Republican Party censure of Richard Shelby

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala.

 

According to a story from Politico’s Alex Isenstadt, a group is seeking a censure resolution from the Alabama Republican Party’s executive committee against Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) for declining to support Roy Moore in last month’s special election against Doug Jones.

Jones defeated Moore by a 1.7 percent margin, nearly 23,000 votes, to become Alabama’s junior U.S. Senator.

“This week, three Moore supporters submitted a resolution to the Alabama Republican Party executive committee calling for Shelby to be censured,” Isenstadt wrote. “It argues that Shelby ‘publicly encouraged Republicans and all voters to write in a candidate instead of voting for the Republican Candidate Judge Roy Moore,’ and that his ‘public speech was then used by the Democrat Candidate in robocalls to sway voters to not vote for Judge Roy Moore.'”

According to Isenstadt, the effort is being financed by Dallas investor Christopher Ekstrom. Isenstadt describes Ekstrom as “a prolific GOP donor who has contributed nearly $300,000 to conservative and anti-establishment causes since 2012, according to federal records.”

Shelby’s decision to publicize his decision not to vote for Moore last month was used by Jones’ campaign in online, radio and TV ads against Moore.

According to the bylaws set by ALGOP’s executive, the rule governing support of candidates is as follows:

“Denying Ballot Access: This Committee reserves the right to deny ballot access to a candidate for public office if in a prior election that person was a Republican office holder and either publicly participated in the primary election of another political party or publicly supported a nominee of another political party. The provisions of this Rule shall apply for a period of six years after such person so participated. (This rule does not include all of the reasons for denying ballot access.)”

Shortly before the election, ALGOP party chairwoman Terry Lathan described Shelby as “a very good and supportive friend to the Alabama Republican Party,” adding that he was “a staunch conservative on issues.”

Jeff Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and works as the editor of Breitbart TV. Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeff_poor.

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