POLITICAL NOVICE TO FACE DEMOCRAT DOUG JONES IN NOVEMBER
by Sharon Rondeau
(Jul. 14, 2020) — A runoff contest between Republican Senate contenders Tommy Tuberville and former Alabama Senator and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been won by the former, Fox News reported Tuesday night via the AP.
President Trump supported Tuberville, declaring Sessions “a mistake” he made in his 2017 nomination of the nation’s top law-enforcement officer. Sessions, the earliest member of the U.S. Senate to endorse Trump, served as U.S. Attorney General from February 2017 through early November 2018, resigning the day after the midterm elections which gave Democrats a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Prior to his confirmation as attorney general, Session served in the Senate for 20 years. Prior to that, he was a U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for a dozen years.
Sessions recused himself from the Russia “collusion” investigation delegated to Special Counsel Robert Mueller after claiming that Justice Department ethics rules mandated it. Other legal analysts disagreed.
After more than two years of investigation, Mueller’s team was unable to corroborate the FBI’s allegations that members of the 2016 Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlin to alter the outcome of the election in Trump’s favor.
In May, Tuberville led Sessions “by more than 20 percentage points,” according to a poll conducted by Cygnal.
In the weeks leading up to the runoff election, Sessions and Trump sparred on Twitter, although Sessions claimed he continues to support Trump’s agenda.
Sessions said in a video on his campaign website that “Tuberville lives and votes in Florida.”
According to AL.com, Trump spoke with Tuberville and supporters on Monday evening.
Tuberville is a former athlete and football coach at several universities, retiring in December 2016. His quest for the U.S. Senate is his first foray into politics.
According to Fox News at 9:54 p.m. EDT, Sessions conceded the race to Tuberville, who will compete against incumbent Democrat Doug Jones.