There’s nothing intrinsically to wrong in a primary challenge to a sitting incumbent, even within the GOP – so far. But when the reason given is “insufficient loyalty to the President,” then an odor begins to arise. Roll Call reports:
State Rep. Barry Moore said his he made his decision to run after Roby denounced Trump, Dothanfirst.com reported.
“When Representative Roby came out against Trump I had so many people come to me,” he said.
Roby won re-election in 2016 with less than 50 percent of the vote in the reliably Republican district [Alabama #2]. A protest write-in effort got 11 percent of the vote after Roby called on Trump to step aside in light of the “Access Hollywood” tape revealing Trump making crude remarks about women.
So has Rep. Roby battled the President’s priorities? Is she standing in front of the Presidential train, determined to stop it at all costs? Is that what has enraged her announced opponent, Mr. Moore? FiveThirtyEight has the damning data:
Source: FiveThirtyEight (5/19/2017)
That’s right, she’s 100% behind Trump – and that’s just not good enough for Mr. Moore. Yep, that smell is RINO poo. From the magnificently incoherent Dothanfirst.com (from which I selected the most coherent):
“The thing I liked about Donald Trump was that he was real,” said Rep. Barry Moore. “He wasn’t polished and he wasn’t perfect but he was the person for the moment to stand against Hillary Clinton he was the man we needed.”
“He just needs a few more people who are true conservatives,” said Rep. Barry Moore. “I think I’ve proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am that person.”
Or you’re just a power-hungry guy who sees a crack in Rep. Roby’s armor and won’t hesitate to kick it open, rather than consider that perhaps her position is that of civilization, while his is … distasteful, and probably disqualifies him from such an honored position as a Congressional Representative.
Electoral History of Alabama District #2
Data: Ballotpedia
The above is the electoral history of the 2nd district of Alabama, dating from 2012; the district changed in 2011 during a redrawing of the districts in response to changes in population. The “Write-Ins” don’t specify a name, and perhaps a melange were specified, but it appears, based on the 2014 election, Rep Roby was significantly damaged. Can Mr. Moore overthrow her based on this rather ridiculous premise and still win the general election? Or do the Democrats have a strong candidate waiting in the wings? Stay tuned. The charge of the RINOs continues unabated.
Incidentally, prior to the redrawing, the Alabama 2nd district was sometimes competitve, although only one Democrat actually emerged victorious, dating back to 1990.
[5/21/2017 EDIT for a typo]
