The Republican Senate Candidates?

Yesterday, we mentioned Bradley Byrne, the only announced Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2020. We also stated that of those semi-announced, he's the most promising. Several of our regular readers commented and most were not in favor of any of the Republican candidates. No one is perfect, but it's sad that our state can't muster any better material for the Republican party.

We're going to look at those who are rumored to be potential candidates, but we also want to note that we hope each voter selects the best candidate...not one simply because he/she has an "R" or a "D" after the name. We know that one of our bloggers has stated he will always support the Republican candidate no matter what, and we are certainly willing to publish reader/blogger opinions on either side of the political table. 

Here's the lineup:

Bradley Byrne (Announced): We've been asked to point out his involvement in the Drummond Coal scandal a few years ago. Was he bought and paid for to help the industrial giant escape responsibility in the toxic boondoggle? Rest assured that if Byrne is the Republican nominee, we'll be looking at this in more depth.

The following are "rumored" candidates on the Republican side:

1. Will Ainsworth - The new lieutenant governor has been in office only a few months. Does he want to leave so soon? His basic answer to any question seems to be "vote for me, I'm not a baby killer." His party lifestyle will really get a boost if he should go to Washington, but the welfare of the average Alabama citizen won't.

2. Robert Bentley - Do we even have to say more? How many want Rebekah Mason as de facto senator? Haven't we had enough adultery in D.C.?

3. Roy Moore - Here's another alleged candidate that needs no introduction. He now has more personal lawsuits in state courts than most of us have eggs in the fridge. Anyone examining his statements on women, gays, and bova (yes, we mean cattle) would think the man should be put out to pasture with Sassy.

4. Jim Ziegler - Jim is a colorful character who has some good ideas for money management, but his past support for Roy Moore included disparaging remarks about the "purity" of women over the age of 15 or so. Sorry, Jim, you lost us there...forever. 

5. John Merrill - Our current secretary of state looks almost as good as Byrne on paper. He's done well to recover from some ancient personal scandal, but his recent reckless statements concerning Sen. Doug Jones would seem to betray a lack of temper in his emotions that we don't need in Washington. Everyone knows that belligerent pols belong in Cherokee.

6. Mo Brooks - Mo didn't fare that well in his last attempt to upgrade his political status. He also was a loyal supporter of Roy Moore after the disgraced former judge won the party's nomination. He should have taken his cue from Sen. Shelby and stayed out of it. It's not that we dislike Mo; we simply find him to be the epitome of the Peter Principle. 

There are, of course, three or four others, including Jeff Sessions, who have stated they have no current plans to run. Note the word "current" in that statement. Should they change their minds, we will add them to the list.

As for now, we still believe Bradly Byrne is the most likely candidate to beat Democrat Doug Jones. Are we committed to Byrne? Or to Jones? No. We are committed to the best candidate for Alabama, no matter who he or she may be, and that can't be determined until the nominations are a fait accompli. 

We're the Alabama "A" Team - Just Don't Ask Us What the "A" Stands For.