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United States Senate special election in Alabama (August 15, 2017 Democratic primary)
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September 26 Republican primary runoff August 15 Democratic primary August 15 Republican primary |
| First primaries: August 15, 2017 Runoff Election: September 26, 2017 General Election: December 12, 2017 Election Winner: Doug Jones (D) Incumbent: Luther Strange (R) |
| Cook Political Report: Toss Up[2] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss Up[3] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Toss Up[4] |
A special election for the U.S. Senate seat from Alabama was held in 2017. Seven Democrats competed for the seat. This page focuses on the Democratic primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here. For an overview of the contest between the nine Republican candidates, click here.
The U.S. Senate seat in Alabama became vacant when Republican Jeff Sessions left the office on February 8, 2017, in order to serve as United States Attorney General. Luther Strange (R), one of the candidates competing in the 2017 election, was then appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis and is the current incumbent. Republicans have held this seat continuously since 1997 when Howell Heflin (D), who was first elected to office in 1976, retired. National race-rating services are ranking this seat as "safe Republican" as of July 2017.
Former U.S. attorney Doug Jones won the Democratic primary on August 15, 2017, defeating Robert Kennedy Jr. and five other candidates. Because Jones received more than 50 percent of the vote, he advanced directly to the December 12 general election ballot without needing to participate in a primary runoff election.[5]
- Polls: Judge Roy Moore topped the Republican field in a Trafalgar Group poll with 37 percent support. Incumbent Sen. Luther Strange and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) followed with 24 percent and 17 percent, respectively. On the Democratic side, Robert Kennedy Jr., a former naval officer, nearly crossed the majority threshold with 49 percent support in an RRH Elections poll. Expected favorite former U.S. attorney Doug Jones trailed behind with 28 percent support. No other candidate received double-digit support.
- Spending: As of August 15, 2017, thirteen organizations had collectively spent more than $5.1 million on the race. Approximately 83 percent of that spending came from the Senate Leadership Fund to back Strange. No outside organization reported spending money on Democrats in the race.
- Policy: Brooks called for the filibuster to be eliminated in July, arguing that it "destroys the basic democratic principal of majority rule and obstructs passage of legislation." He also criticized Strange for co-signing a letter in April that advocated the preservation of the filibuster.
- Most recent endorsement: President Donald Trump reiterated his support of Luther Strange in an early morning tweet on August 15.
| Filing Deadline | Primary Voter Registration Deadline | Absentee ballot postmark deadline | Primary Election | Runoff Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Profiles of Jones and Kennedy Jr.
The Democratic candidates featured below received 20 percentage points or more in a public opinion poll in the four weeks before the primary election on August 15, 2017.
Doug Jones (D)
Doug Jones was appointed U.S. attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, by former President Bill Clinton (D) in 1997. Jones was the lead prosecutor in the reopened 1963 Birmingham church bombing case that killed four black girls during the Civil Rights Movement. His private practice involved white collar criminal defense and commercial litigation.[6]
"The national election was very disturbing, quite frankly, and I know a lot of people in this state voted overwhelmingly for President [Donald] Trump. But there were about 37 percent of the people who did not, and they need a voice too," he said a few weeks after announcing his candidacy.[6]
Jones identified increasing the minimum wage, prioritizing education as a job creator, encouraging renewable energy and conservation, abortion rights, and preventing discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions as policy priorities.[7]
Robert Kennedy Jr. (D)
Former naval officer Robert Kennedy Jr. entered the race as an unknown, although his famous last name helped spur him to top a public opinion poll in July for the Democratic primary with 49 percent support. He has no relation to the Kennedy political family. After serving nine years in the military, Kennedy earned his MBA from Duke University and worked in the casino and retail industries.[8][9]
A self-described fiscally responsible Democrat, Kennedy named improving the Affordable Care Act, public education, gun ownership rights, abortion rights, and combatting voter suppression as policy priorities.[10]
"I'm [a] different type of Democrat, and I'm a different type of candidate. I'm the best positioned of all the candidates in the entire field, whether Republicans or Democrats, to navigate through the bureaucracy," Kennedy said in an interview.[8]
List of Democratic candidates
In alphabetical order:
- Will Boyd - Minister
- Vann Caldwell - Talladega County constable
- Jason Fisher - Vice president of marketing firm
- Michael Hansen - Nonprofit executive
- Doug Jones - Former U.S. attorney
- Robert Kennedy Jr. - Vice president of marketing firm
- Nana Tchienkou - Business consultant
Withdrawn
Election results
| U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic primary, August 15, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democrat |  Doug Jones |
66.1% | 109,105 | |
| Democrat | Robert Kennedy | 17.7% | 29,215 | |
| Democrat | Michael Hansen | 6.7% | 11,105 | |
| Democrat | Will Boyd | 4.9% | 8,010 | |
| Democrat | Jason Fisher | 2.1% | 3,478 | |
| Democrat | Brian McGee | 0.9% | 1,450 | |
| Democrat | Charles Nana | 0.9% | 1,404 | |
| Democrat | Vann Caldwell | 0.8% | 1,239 | |
| Total Votes | 165,006 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State | ||||
Who was expected to make it through the August 15th Democratic primary?
Polls
| U.S. Senate special election in Alabama, Democratic primary | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Robert Kennedy Jr. | Doug Jones | Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||
| Emerson College August 10-12, 2017 | 23% | 40% | 37% | +/-7.6 | 164 | ||||||||||||||
| FOX10 News/Strategy Research August 7, 2017 | 40% | 30% | 30% | +/-2.0 | 2,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Raycom News Network/Strategy Research July 24, 2017 | 49% | 28% | 23% | +/-2.0 | 3,000 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Timeline
The timeline below summarizes the ten most recent noteworthy events in this election. For the complete list, please visit: Timeline of United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017.
Campaign finance
| Combined April and July Quarterly Reports for the Democratic Primary[11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Contributions | Expenditures | Cash on Hand |
| Will Boyd | $6,684 | $6,625 | $59 |
| Jason Fisher | $15,562 | $13,719 | $1,842 |
| Doug Jones | $158,418 | $57,228 | $101,190 |
| Robert Kennedy Jr. | $11,600 | $398 | $11,202 |
Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.
Media coverage
The candidates
- John Sharp, AL.com (June 16, 2017):
- "Robert Kennedy Jr. entered Alabama's 2017 special election to the U.S. Senate as somewhat of a mystery. State and local Democrats had never met him, even if they did recognize the name. But this Kennedy isn't that Kennedy. He isn't the son of the late U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. He is not related to the famous political family. ... Yet Kennedy, 47, chooses to continue to remain somewhat of a mystery. He won't discuss his current job, which he said he's been at for the past 3-1/2 years. ... Kennedy calls himself a 'conservative Democrat' who wants to 'lead by faith' and is a proponent of gun rights. He said he entered the Senate race to 'lead by example.'"[12]
- Ashley Remkus, AL.com (June 14, 2017):
- "Jones, a 63-year-old former U.S. Attorney for the northern district of Alabama, is most well-known for the prosecution of Thomas Blanton and Bobby Frank Cherry. They were convicted of murder for killing four young girls in the 1963 Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. Jones led the prosecution more than 40 years after the fatal bombing. 'I see Doug as bold and aggressive, but also willing to take a risk to be on the right side of history,' said Diane McWhorter, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author, who has written about race and the history of civil rights. 'Probably a lot of people wouldn't have taken on the church bombings case for fear of losing.'"[13]
Flipping the seat
- Kim Chandler, Associated Press (August 4, 2017):
- "The Deep South state has shifted firmly to the red column in the 20 years since Alabama last sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. Democrats however are hoping a series of scandals involving Alabama Republicans has given them an opening, particularly if the GOP primary slugfest produces a polarizing nominee in the off-year election."[14]
- John Sharp, AL.com (June 30, 2017):
- "Eight Democrats running for Alabama's Senate seat believe the Republican alternatives to 'repeal and replace' of the Affordable Care Act could cause thousands of state residents to lose their health coverage. And they believe the GOP's plans, unpopular in national polling, will give their party a political opportunity to make a contest out of an election few pundits expect them to have any chance at winning. Alabama hasn't elected a Democrat to statewide office in more than a decade. Alabama Republican leaders, however, believe voters in this deep red state will reject Democratic attempts to push back against the GOP's reform efforts on Obamacare."[15]
Who is weighing in on this race, and what are they saying?
Endorsements
| Democratic candidate endorsements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Endorsement | Jones | Kennedy Jr. | |
| Federal officials | |||
| Former vice president Joe Biden[16] |  |
||
| Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.)[17] | |
||
| Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.)[18] | |
||
| Organizations | |||
| Alabama Democratic Conference[19] | |
||
State overview
Alabama has been represented by a Republican continuously since 1997 when Howell Heflin (D), who was elected to office in 1976, retired. The last elected official to hold the seat was Jeff Sessions (R), who vacated the office after he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as attorney general on February 8, 2017. Luther Strange was appointed to fill the vacancy.
Demographics
In 2016, the district had a population of approximately 4,860,000 people, with its three most populous cities being Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile.[20][21]
The state has a median household income of $43,623, which is roughly 20 percent lower than the national average: $53,889. It also has a greater rate of individuals in poverty compared to the national average: 18.5 percent to 13.5 percent.[20]
State history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated Alabama's U.S. Senate race as safely Republican. Incumbent Richard Shelby (R) defeated Democratic challenger Ron Crumpton in the 2016 general election. Shelby defeated John Martin, Shadrack McGill, Jonathan McConnell and Marcus Bowman in the Republican primary on March 1, 2016. Crumpton defeated Charles Nana in the primary race for the Democratic nomination on the same date.[22][23][24]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Shelby Incumbent |
64% | 1,335,104 | |
| Democratic | Ron Crumpton | 35.9% | 748,709 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.2% | 3,631 | |
| Total Votes | 2,087,444 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Richard Shelby Incumbent |
64.9% | 505,586 | ||
| Jonathan McConnell | 27.6% | 214,770 | ||
| John Martin | 3% | 23,558 | ||
| Marcus Bowman | 2.5% | 19,707 | ||
| Shadrack McGill | 2% | 15,230 | ||
| Total Votes | 778,851 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ron Crumpton |
56.1% | 153,897 | ||
| Charles Nana | 43.9% | 120,526 | ||
| Total Votes | 274,423 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State |
||||
2014
On November 4, 2014, Jeff Sessions won re-election to the United States Senate. He ran completely unopposed in both the primary and general elections.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jeff Sessions Incumbent |
97.3% | 795,606 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 2.7% | 22,484 | |
| Total Votes | 818,090 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State | ||||
See also
- Special elections to the 115th United States Congress (2017-2018)
- United States Senate
- Jeff Sessions
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Race ratings from outside sources are their initial ratings for the 2018 election.
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2018 Senate Race Ratings for December 7, 2017," accessed December 12, 2017
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "Alabama Senate: It’s a Toss-Up," accessed December 12, 2017
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "Senate Ratings," accessed December 12, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "Live Election Results: Alabama Senate Special Primary," August 15, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 AL.com, "Birmingham lawyer and former Clinton appointee Doug Jones seeks Democratic nomination for Senate," June 14, 2017
- ↑ Doug Jones, U.S. Senate, "Priorities," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 AL.com, "'Mystery' Senate candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. running as a 'conservative Democrat,'" June 16, 2017
- ↑ Kennedy for U.S. Senate, "Meet Robert Kennedy Jr.," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ Kennedy for U.S. Senate, "The Issues," accessed July 31, 2017
- ↑ FEC.gov, "Alabama," accessed July 25, 2017
- ↑ AL.com, "'Mystery' Senate candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. running as a 'conservative Democrat,'" June 16, 2017
- ↑ AL.com, "Birmingham lawyer and former Clinton appointee Doug Jones seeks Democratic nomination for Senate," June 14, 2017
- ↑ ABC News, "In red-state Alabama, Democrats won't cede Senate race," August 4, 2017
- ↑ AL.com, "Health care issue keeps hope alive for Democrats in Alabama Senate race," June 30, 2017
- ↑ Bloomberg, "Joe Biden Endorses Candidate in Alabama Senate Race," August 11, 2017
- ↑ AL.com, "Civil rights icon John Lewis endorses Doug Jones in Democratic Senate race," August 8, 2017
- ↑ 12 WSFA, "Terri Sewell, AL's only Democrat in Congress, endorses Senate candidate," August 4, 2017
- ↑ US News, "Democratic Conference Endorses Jones for Senate," August 2, 2017
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 AL.com, "Huntsville projected to be largest city in Alabama in less than 10 years," November 29, 2015
- ↑ Census.gov, "QuickFacts: Alabama," accessed July 11, 2017
- ↑ The New York Times, "Alabama Primary Results," accessed March 1, 2016
- ↑ Alabama Republican Party, "2016 Qualified Alabama Republican Candidates," accessed November 10, 2015
- ↑ Alabama Democrats, "Qualified Democratic Candidates as of November 6, 2015," accessed November 10, 2015
