OZARK – By most indicators, Rep. Martha Roby (R-Montgomery) should easily defeat her Democratic Party opponent Tabitha Isner in next month’s general election.
She’s battle-tested given she faced a crowded primary field and then handily won her party’s nod in the primary runoff against her congressional predecessor Bobby Bright.
Roby is also running in a congressional district that has been very good to Republicans in midterm elections. With the exception of Roby’s 2010 midterm win against then-incumbent Bright, the GOP candidates, Roby and former Rep. Terry Everett, have won their midterm races by double-digit outcomes going back to 1994.
Despite these favorable metrics, Roby has hit the ground campaigning in her district. She told Yellowhammer News her campaign was taking her re-election efforts very seriously.
“We aren’t taking anything for granted,” she said in an interview at the Dale County GOP October meeting. “We’ve spent the last many months traveling up and down the district making sure that we’re reaching out to voters all across the 15 counties that I represent. We’re in this. Our campaign structure is still in place. We’re making phone calls, doing all that we can to get out the vote.”
“This is a very important election – not just in Alabama, but all across our great country so that we can maintain our majorities and continue with the momentum that we have in the House and the Senate, alongside the Trump administration to get these conservative priorities done for the American people,” she added.
Part of Roby’s strategy could be to run up the score in Alabama’s reliably Republican Wiregrass region. Dale County GOP chairman Dave Madden told Yellowhammer News his county, one that President Donald Trump carried by a 73-23 percent margin over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, was no exception to the Wiregrass trend.
Madden cited its proximity to Fort Rucker as a reason.
“The Republican Party is very strong in Dale County,” Madden said. “All of our offices are held by red candidates. Of course, we’re the home of Fort Rucker, and a lot of retirees are here. The party is very strong in Dale County.”
Madden said immigration policy along with judicial appointments were the most critical issues on the minds of Dale County Republicans.
“I would think that talking to the people I talk to that immigration is on top of the list,” he added. “The Kavanaugh appointment, of course, fired everyone up. It is extremely important, as is future judicial appointments. I think that’s at the forefront of everyone’s mind, also.”
One question raised during Roby’s appearance was who she might support to replace outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.). Thus far, there the two most prominent possibilities have been House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Freedom Caucus founding member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
Roby indicated should the GOP maintain its majority in the House of Representatives, she would support McCarthy, who she described as a “great friend” to Alabama.
“We have to win the majority first,” she said. “It’s very important that we maintain the majority. Look, I’ve supported Kevin in the past. Kevin is a great friend to the state of Alabama. He’s been here more than once. I have a terrific relationship with him. He’s a fantastic conservative Republican. I think he would serve the House well as Speaker of the House.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and is the editor of Breitbart TV.
