In 2013, Hillyer ran in a special election in Alabama's 1st congressional district with a high-profile endorsement by former U.S. Senator [[Rick Santorum]] of [[Pennsylvania]] and finished fourth with nearly 14 percent of the vote in the Republican primary to fill the seat vacated by Jo Bonner (male),<ref name=natr/> who became vice chancellor for the [[University of Alabama]] at Tuscaloosa. Victory went to Republican [[Bradley Byrne]]. Hillyer continues to write columns and is a writer in residence at the University of Mobile.<ref name=natr/> | In 2013, Hillyer ran in a special election in Alabama's 1st congressional district with a high-profile endorsement by former U.S. Senator [[Rick Santorum]] of [[Pennsylvania]] and finished fourth with nearly 14 percent of the vote in the Republican primary to fill the seat vacated by Jo Bonner (male),<ref name=natr/> who became vice chancellor for the [[University of Alabama]] at Tuscaloosa. Victory went to Republican [[Bradley Byrne]]. Hillyer continues to write columns and is a writer in residence at the University of Mobile.<ref name=natr/> |