BIRMINGHAM — It is officially now within the 72-hour window for when Alabama Republican voters head to the voting booth to select their preference for who should represent the GOP on the general election ballot on November 3 against incumbent Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook).
Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions spent the last Saturday before the Tuesday primary in areas south of downtown Birmingham, where he is expected to do well. First, he met with voters at the Jefferson County Republican Party’s pre-GOP primary pancake breakfast event in Vestavia Hills, where he also talked to members media, including with the Associated Press and LA Times.
Following that event, Sessions made a stop at Lloyd’s Restaurant, a long-standing North Shelby County institution, for a meet-and-greet event, where he made his late-primary pitch.
“A United States Senate seat is a very serious thing,” Sessions said. “There are two basic aspects of it. One is you need to protect this state’s financial interests — make sure we get our share of the pie that comes out of Washington.”
Sessions emphasized that Jefferson, Shelby, Walker and St. Clair Counties were at the “core” of Alabama’s economy. He noted Interstate 22’s completion in Alabama (also known as Corridor X), which stretches from just southeast of Memphis, Tenn. to Interstate 65 just north of Birmingham, proclaiming it as a benefit to the local Birmingham economy, as well as northwestern Alabama’s economy. Sessions explained how making it possible occurred during his tenure on the Senate Transportation Committee, and hinted that the Northern Birmingham Beltline could be next.
“You also want a senator from Alabama who understands our values, who believes in them, who was raised with them,” Sessions said while pointing out he along one attendee were raised near Camden in Wilcox County, along with Gov. Kay Ivey. “We were raised with good values, just like Alabamians are. It’s part of you — church, school or home — and I think those values are exactly what America needs right now. I advocated them without apology and have done so the entire time I’ve been in the Senate.”
Sessions voiced his frustration with the “career politician” label given to him by his opponents.
“It offends me, irritates me to have people say, ‘You’re just a career politician. In effect, you’ve sold out. You’ve quit working. You’re part of the establishment. You’ve lost contact,’” he said. “Well, I went to every county, every year — 67 counties in this state as a senator. I know this state. I’m proud of this state. I don’t apologize one bit about it. And if you think I’ve gone sorry, lazy and have sold out — don’t vote for me. I’m going to tell you — I did not. And if you took a poll of sophisticated leaders in Washington, they would say, ‘Sessions had stuck firm to his beliefs and his constituents.’ Many of them would say that, and probably a few that wouldn’t like me.”
If elected to another stint in the U.S. Senate, Sessions offered a glimpse into what voters could expect.
“I’m not going to be a potted plant,” he said. “I feel like I can be more effective now than I was before, and I intend to be more effective if the Lord lets me than I was before.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.
