MONTGOMERY — Former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville decisively won Alabama’s GOP U.S. Senate primary runoff on Tuesday, and Republican officials quickly rallied around his candidacy after the race was called.
With 100% of precincts reporting, Tuberville won 333,890 votes (60.74%) compared to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions receiving 215,831 votes (39.26%).
Tuberville won 64 of the state’s 67 counties, only losing Sessions’ native Wilcox County and longtime home of Mobile County, as well as Madison County in North Alabama.
The former Auburn coach even won Tuscaloosa County — home to the University of Alabama — and vote-rich Baldwin County, where Sessions hoped to pick up supporters who voted for Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) in the March primary.
‘Your message of change is loud and clear’
Tuberville held his election night watch party at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center in downtown Montgomery on Tuesday.
Before speaking to assembled supporters, friends and family members gathered to witness the historic occasion, Tuberville spoke over the phone separately with Sessions and President Donald Trump, whose endorsement of Tuberville helped secure the victory.
In his remarks on stage, after entering the room to a rendition of “America the Beautiful,” Tuberville had kind words for both Sessions and Trump.
“Thank you, Alabama!” Tuberville said to begin his victory speech. “Thank you for your trust, your confidence — your message of change is loud and clear.”
He then congratulated Sessions and Sessions’ supporters for a “hard-fought campaign.”
“This is a great country we live in. I just talked to Senator Sessions, and he was awesome,” Tuberville advised. “He said, ‘Coach, I’m all in.'”
“I want to thank him for his service and what he’s done for many years for this state and for this country,” the former coach added.
Later in his speech, Tuberville complimented Trump as “the best president in my lifetime.”
‘Doug Jones’ Alabama’
The Senate candidate subsequently recounted his extensive travels thus far to just about every town in the Yellowhammer State, saying the stories he has heard along the way from Alabamians have touched his heart.
“I promise that your voices and all the voices of the state of Alabama will be heard on the floor of the United States Senate,” Tuberville emphasized.
He contrasted this pledge with the current officeholder Tuberville will try to unseat in November’s general election.
“Democrat Doug Jones is running for reelection with the slogan of ‘One Alabama.’ Well, you can make no mistake about it — what Doug really means is ‘One Liberal Alabama,'” Tuberville remarked. “In Doug Jones’ Alabama, you take your marching orders from Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and bartender AOC … In Doug Jones’ Alabama, the Second Amendment is a dream, it’s just a thought, it’s not in the Constitution to them. By God, they’re not taking our guns.”
“In Doug Jones’ Alabama, you vote against conservative judges, people that believe in the Constitution, believe in this country,” he continued. “He voted against Brett Kavanaugh. Are you kidding me? We have got to have conservative judges in this country to uphold the rule of law. In Doug Jones’ Alabama, you don’t work for your state of Alabama, you don’t work for the United States of America. You spend the first three years trying to impeach the best president we’ve ever had — and he voted to impeach him. In Doug Jones’ Alabama, the rule of law is a mob rule. Think about that. It’s not law enforcement, it’s mob rule. And in Doug Jones’ Alabama, politically correct is the name of the game. I am so sick of that.”
Tuberville said, “Doug Jones’ Alabama is not the conservative state that we love and embrace and defend. It’s a liberal fantasy, a liberal fantasy is what Doug Jones believes in. He believes in funding Planned Parenthood but defunding the police. Folks, we can’t make it, we cannot make it without our great law enforcement. It is time we have a senator who represents Alabama values, not New York values, not Chicago values, not liberal Democrat values. We need a senator that believes in our values. It’s our mission, it’s our movement, it’s our moment to reclaim Alabama’s Senate seat from Biden, Schumer and Pelosi and put it firmly back in the conservative column. And that effort begins right here, right now.”
‘Hard road ahead’
“We’re going to need everyone on deck. This is going to be hard,” Tuberville advised of the general election fight now in front of him. He noted it will be a “hard road ahead.”
Thankfully for the GOP nominee, leaders in his party were quick to unite behind his candidacy on Tuesday night.
President Trump tweeted out his congratulations.
Wow, just called! @TTuberville – Tommy Tuberville WON big against Jeff Sessions. Will be a GREAT Senator for the incredible people of Alabama. @DougJones is a terrible Senator who is just a Super Liberal puppet for Schumer & Pelosi. Represents Alabama poorly. On to November 3rd.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 15, 2020
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chairman Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) stated, “As a true political outsider, Tommy Tuberville has what it takes to stand up for the people of Alabama, conservative values and President Trump – and most importantly, defeat Doug Jones. I look forward to another victory for Tuberville in November and working with him to build on President Trump’s and our Republican Senate Majority’s record of accomplishment.”
Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) said in a statement, “I want to congratulate Tommy Tubberville on his victory Tuesday night. I believe come November we will see this Senate seat go back into the Republican column. I know he and I both will also be working hard to see that President Trump is re-elected.”
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan released a lengthy statement, as follows:
It’s great to be an Alabama Republican! Our voters have spoken and they have chosen an outstanding U.S. Senate nominee for the November 3rd General Election, Coach Tommy Tuberville. Even under difficult circumstances with the COVID-19 situation, Alabamians were deeply engaged and determined to participate in our voting process.
Tommy Tuberville is a true Washington outsider and has gained the trust of Alabama Republican Party voters to represent them and help President Trump ‘Drain the Swamp’. He will fight for the will of the majority who have been ignored since 2017. His conservative positions on the issues and support of our president will be welcomed when he defeats Doug Jones in November. Alabama is the highest approval rated state for President Trump. The combination of Coach Tuberville and President Trump’s popularity in our state puts us in a very strong position to flip this seat back to the GOP.
We are greatly appreciative of Jeff Sessions and his lifetime of commitment to conservative policy and service – not just to Alabamians but to all Americans. He is a true patriot in every sense of the word and our nation is stronger because of his willingness to take a stand on the issues and fight for the will of Alabamians. Senator Sessions has earned his place in history as a true conservative warrior.
We would also like to thank Secretary of State John Merrill and the election teams around the state who worked so diligently in providing heath care protection to the voters in today’s elections.
Together, we are unstoppable on November 3rd. Alabamians have that date circled in red and plan to end the tenure of liberal Doug Jones. While we know a battle is ahead, his voting record will be in the spotlight – voting to impeach our president and not to seat Justice Kavanaugh, voting against building our nation’s security walls and tax cuts just to name a few. We look forward to doing to Doug Jones what he and his left wing buddies failed to do to President Trump – end his time in office.
You can watch Tuberville’s full runoff victory speech here.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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