Since announcing his candidacy his last week for U.S. Senate, there has been questioning whether or not Secretary of State John Merrill is capable of maintaining his role as Alabama’s chief election officer as a candidate given a potential conflict of interest.

Merrill has dismissed those claims and noted that there was no concern about a conflict of interest when he was running in 2018 for reelection to his Alabama secretary of state post.

During an appearance on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” on Friday, Merrill also referenced Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brooks) and his 2017 special election win. According to Merrill, Jones is the “poster child” for “fair, safe, secure elections” in Alabama.

“Look, Doug Jones is the poster child for fair, safe, secure elections in the state of Alabama,” Merrill said. “If it were not for our office and what we’ve done in working with our local election officials to make sure the elections were fair, safe and secure, Doug Jones would not be the senator from the state of Alabama. But the people of Alabama wanted their voice heard and they elected him and that’s why his election was properly certified.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.