“If our next senator does anything aimed at helping the people of Alabama, it will be more than Senator Shelby has done,” said Ron Crumpton, who easily won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Crumpton will be facing five-term Sen. Richard Shelby in the general election this fall.
Many issues influenced Crumpton’s decision to run for office, but most importantly he is “tired of seeing Republicans, who do not represent the issues important to many Alabamians walk into federal office unopposed,” he explained.
The issues he is referring to are security of access to food stamps for children and veterans, preserving social security for seniors, and addressing the fact that “more than one in four Alabama children are living in poverty.’’
Alabama is well known to be a very strongly conservative state sitting comfortably in the Bible Belt. This state has not elected a Democratic governor since 1998, a Democratic senator since 1994, and a Democratic presidential candidate hasn’t won the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976.
This conservative tendency presents Crumpton with a significant challenge in running against a Republican. Crumpton, a Pelham resident, has had experience with politics for many years lobbying in the Alabama Legislature. This insight into our state’s politics allows him be optimistic about his situation “While it is a hurdle, being a Democrat this year is not the hurdle it has been in the past,” he explains. “The Alabama Republican Party is riddled with corruption and hypocrisy. We have a governor who is accused of using his office for personal gain, killing an investigation into a fellow Republican and more. Many Republicans in this state are suffering from buyer’s remorse when it comes to the Alabama GOP. Plus, I have never seen such an anti-incumbent sentiment in Alabama that will only benefit my campaign.”
Richard Shelby has a powerhouse of funding with over an estimated $9 million in his pocket, according to Open Secrets. To take on this kind of challenge Crumpton will have to rely on his message, and the ability raise funds through the general public.
Crumpton accuses Shelby of not working for Alabamians saying he “sponsors legislation that would remove regulations on the Wall Street Banks and put our economy at risk, and he sponsors a flat tax that would reduce the tax burden on the rich by balancing the budget on the backs of the middle class.”
He plans to contrast with his opponent by insuring proper funding for education, increasing job accessibility and raising the minimum wage. After sustaining an injury earlier in his life Crumpton became an advocate for patient’s rights. This led him to authoring the “Alabama Medical Marijuanna Safe Access Act,” which was eventually killed, and he has stated he is also strongly in favor of ending the so-called “war on drugs.” A policy that leads to “800,000 Americans being arrested for simple possesion,” Crumpton said.
Since the beginning of 2016, Alabama has been in the news for issues regarding our politics. The state is in this shape because “people tend to vote for the most visible candidate,” according to Crumpton. To get out of this we have to “quit looking at the R or D by their name and look at the issues.”
By Nathan Howell
