Tommy Tuberville
| Tommy Tuberville | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| U.S. Senator from Alabama From: January 3, 2021 – present | |||
| Predecessor | Doug Jones | ||
| Successor | Incumbent (no successor) | ||
| Information | |||
| Party | Republican | ||
| Spouse(s) | Suzanne Fette | ||
| Religion | Church of Christ | ||
Thomas Hawley “Tommy” Tuberville (born September 18, 1954, age 69) is one of Alabama's two incumbent U.S. Senators, serving as the senior senator of Alabama. He unseated Democrat Doug Jones by a landslide. He was formerly the head football coach for Auburn University from 1998 to 2008.
Contents
U.S. Senate campaign
Tuberville announced in April 2019 his run for U.S. Senate.[1] He unseated incumbent Doug Jones over a year later in November 2020.[2]
Initial primary
In the Republican primary held on March 3, 2020, Tuberville finished first place with 33.4% of the vote.[3] Other candidates who ran included Jeff Sessions, who finished second with 31.6%, and Rep. Bradley Byrne, who came third with just under 25% of the vote. Under Alabama law, since no one won a majority of the votes in the primary, a runoff was be held for the top two candidates.
Runoff
The Republican primary runoff election was initially set to be held on March 31, 2020, though due to the coronavirus outbreak, Alabama governor Kay Ivey delayed it to July 14, 2020.[4] Tuberville ultimately won over Sessions by a twenty-point margin,[5] and faced Sen. Jones in the general election.
Endorsements
Tuberville's Senate bid was endorsed by Donald Trump,[6] who has held a strong disdain for Jeff Sessions over incompetence as attorney general.
Conservative criticisms
Tuberville has blamed President Trump for veteran health care problems despite the latter's accomplishments with such.[7] The comment was strongly criticized by Republican then-candidate Arnold Mooney, who called on Tuberville to apologize for disregarding the major accomplishments.
Tuberville has been criticized for arguably being less tough on immigration than his primary runoff opponent Jeff Sessions.[8]
Conservative commentator Michelle Malkin has called Tuberville “some empty suit” who will “parrot U.S. Chamber of Commerce talking points.”[9]
General election results
Tuberville easily won the general election over Jones by twenty percentage points.[10]
See also
- Jeff Sessions, also running for U.S. Senate from Alabama
- Bradley Byrne, ran for U.S. Senate, eliminated in primary
- Arnold Mooney, ran for U.S. Senate, also eliminated in primary
References
- ↑ Tommy Tuberville announces U.S. Senate run
- ↑ https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30253791/former-college-football-coach-tommy-tuberville-wins-alabama-senate-seat
- ↑ 2020 Alabama primary results
- ↑ Gov. Kay Ivey delays primary runoff election until July 14
- ↑ Alabama U.S. Senate Runoff Race (GOP)
- ↑ Trump endorses Tommy Tuberville, the ex-football coach facing Jeff Sessions in Alabama’s GOP Senate primary
- ↑ Trump Can’t Get Our Vets Health Care, Republican Senate Candidate Tommy Tuberville Says. Challenger Arnold Mooney Says He’s ‘Dead Wrong’
- ↑ Opponents accuse Tuberville of supporting amnesty for undocumented immigrants
- ↑ Dale Jackson: Conservative activist Michelle Malkin backs Sessions for Senate, calls Tuberville an ’empty suit’
- ↑ Alabama U.S. Senate results
