Not in Alabama says state GOP chairman Terry Lathan about Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Doug Jones pulling off an upset in a special election on December 12.
Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden visited Birmingham, AL to rally support for Jones. While there was a lot of media attention given to Biden’s visit, Lathan told Breitbart News in an interview she believed voters would reject Jones for his affiliation with the Democratic Party given that party’s policy positions.
Early polls and Biden’s visit have given Alabama Democrats a cause for optimism in the election between Jones and Republican Party nominee former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Moore is coming off a hard-fought GOP primary victory in a bitter contest between him and Luther Strange, the current occupant of that Senate seat.
It has been awhile since a Democrat has won statewide in Alabama. The last high-profile victory for Democrats in Alabama came in 2006 for Jim Folsom, Jr., who defeated Strange for the lieutenant governor’s seat.
Two polls, one commissioned by Decision Desk HQ from Opinion Savvy and another from JMC Analytics, have Moore up only by single digits in a state Donald Trump carried by a 62-to-34 percent margin last November. JMC Analytics’ John Couvillon told Breitbart News earlier on Tuesday it wouldn’t be unprecedented for a Republican in Alabama to lose after a contentious primary campaign.
In the state’s 1998 gubernatorial election, Democrat Don Siegelman beat incumbent Gov. Fob James 58-to-42 percent after James had a difficult fight for his party’s nod with Winton Blount.
Lathan said that was a different era in Alabama politics and before the dominance of the GOP in state elections.
“The 1998 scenario is almost 20 years old with a new and strong dynamic of Republicans dominating our state,” she explained. “I don’t see that analogy being applicable now. What I do see is Alabama voters not tipping the balance of power toward the Democrats in the Senate to help [Elizabeth] Warren, [Chuck] Schumer, [Bernie] Sanders and the liberals. Since 2008, our nation has clearly moved away from their big government and socialist policies. The Democrats have lost 1,000 seats. America has spoken very clearly, and this Alabama senate race will mirror the Trump versus Clinton election in Alabama.”
As for the possibility of outside far-left groups coming to the Yellowhammer State to promote Jones’ candidacy, Lathan encouraged them so that Alabama voters would be able to familiarize themselves with the Democratic Party principles.
“I would encourage outside groups to come to Alabama that support the Democrat nominee — Planned Parenthood, MoveOn.org, who has already endorsed him, Hollywood elites and any Clinton available would be more than welcome to remind our voters who the Democrats are,” she said.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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