Notorious State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) says he still intends to primary U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) in 2020.
Yellowhammer News was the first to report on Rogers’ intentions in the wake of his viral abortion comments during the Alabama legislature’s 2019 regular session.
Now, with the session over with, Rogers has had time to think more about the potential candidacy and, at least so far, he has not been dissuaded from running against Jones.
While at the Alabama Democratic Conference’s (ADC) meeting Friday in Montgomery, Rogers spoke with a tracker and said financial considerations would probably decide his potential campaign’s fate.
“Well, I haven’t filed with the [Federal Election Commission] yet,” Rogers said when asked if he still intends to primary Jones. “But I am going to do it.”
Rogers then added that he was trying to reach a certain monetary threshold of campaign contribution commitments before making the final announcement on his candidacy and filing with the FEC. He mentioned Jones’ “war chest,” which has almost entirely been stockpiled with out-of-state contributions and donations from overseas, as the obstacle to a Rogers victory.
Speaking of the need for funding, Rogers emphasized his commitment to being “a credible candidate” if he does run. He has previously said he would run to win, not just to make a statement.
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Rogers has previously challenged Jones to a public debate, but the junior senator from Alabama has ducked public questions on the potential primary challenger.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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