Crowded Field Vies for U.S. Senate Seat
Wednesday was the deadline for candidates to qualify to run for U.S. Senate in this year’s special election. The grand total? Nineteen candidates.
There are 11 Republicans:
-Senator Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Robert Bentley
-Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore
-Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks
-State Sen. Trip Pittman
-Christian Coalition of Alabama President Randy Brinson
-Hoover businessman Dom Gentile
-Birmingham businessman Bryan Peeples
-Prattville attorney Karen Haiden Jackson
-Pelham physician James Beretta
-Mary Maxwell
-Joseph Breault
Gordon Harvey, Jacksonville State University history professor, says three things will dominate the the Republican primary.
“Trump, God and Robert Bentley,” Harvey says. “Who’s closer to God, who’s closer to Trump, and who is far away from Bentley.”
That’s because Bentley resigned after allegations of an affair and pleaded guilty to ethics violations. Harvey says that could be a problem for the man Bentley appointed, Luther Strange.
“Strange has, for lack of a better term, the Bentley stain all over him,” says Harvey. “I think all the competitors in the Republican primary are going to try to hang Bentley around Luther Strange’s neck.”
A Virginia-based conservative super PAC has announced a $2.6 million dollar ad buy in support of Strange, and Harvey says that gets to another theme he sees emerging: is Washington money electing a senator, or are the people of Alabama?
For Democrats there are eight names to consider
-Former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones.
-Michael Hansen, the executive director of the environmental advocacy group GASP
-Marketing consultant Jason Fisher
-Engineer Charles Nana
-Florence pastor Will Boyd
-Vann Caldwell
-Brian McGee
-Robert Kennedy Jr.
Jacksonville State’s Gordon Harvey says while the Democratic primary has some colorful candidates, Alabama is such a conservative state, the Republican primary is essentially the election. He predicts a runoff.
The primary election is August 15. A runoff would be in September. The general election is December 12th.
Massacres in eastern Congo cast doubt on U.S. mediated peace deal
Rwanda backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo killed hundreds of villagers in July, according to Human Rights Watch, raising doubts about Trump backed peace process.
One civilian injured in crash with D.C. National Guard military vehicle
The military vehicle, which is designed to withstand explosive attacks, collided with a "civilian vehicle" just after 6 a.m. on Wednesday in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Trump vows to expand his review of U.S. museums. Can he do that?
The White House said that after the administration eliminates "woke" culture from the Smithsonian, it would expand to other museums around the country. Would that be possible?
Dependent on foreign sales, U.S. wheat farmers hoping longtime partners stick with them
As President Trump's tariffs kick in, American companies that rely on imports are worried about rising costs and passing them onto consumers. But some U.S. exporters are worried too.
On ‘Se Amaba Así,’ Buscabulla fight to keep romance alive
The Puerto Rican duo test the limits of their vulnerability on their sophomore album, plus they perform live in the studio.
The legacy of civil rights martyr Jonathan Daniels
Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of Daniels’ killing at the hands of an Alabama county official. Today, the Episcopal Church venerates Daniels as a saint and martyr. For the anniversary, Episcopalians from around the country gathered for an annual pilgrimage to the site of his death in Hayneville.
