Tuberville Tops Sessions in Fundraising for the Senate Race
Glenn Stephens,
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Tommy Tuberville (Source: Alabama Daily News) and Jeff Sessions (Source: Gage Skidmore via flickr)
Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville is leading former Sen. Jeff Sessions in fundraising in the final weeks of their Republican runoff campaign for the Senate seat Sessions once held, according to reports they filed this week with the Federal Election Commission.
The reports, covering the period of April 1 to June 24, show Tuberville took in $652,390, compared to $439,374 for Sessions. Still, Sessions had a cash balance of $500,331, compared to Tuberville’s $448,204.
Both candidates continue to aggressively raise campaign cash in the final days of the race.
Tuberville, making his first bid for public office, narrowly led a field of seven candidates in the March 3 GOP primary, but he fell short of a majority of votes cast. The two were scheduled to settle the issue in a runoff on March 31, but Gov. Kay Ivey postponed party runoffs until July 14 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The winner will try to unseat freshman Democrat Doug Jones, who defeated Roy Moore in a special election for the Senate seat in December 2017, on Nov. 3, Jones was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Sessions, who resigned from the Senate in 2017 after President Donald Trump appointed him U.S. attorney general, came into the race with $2.48 million left over from his previous campaigns for the Senate. He has raised $2.06 million during the current election cycle.
His net operating expenditures were $688,639 for the latest period and $4.44 million overall.
Tuberville has taken in $2.94 million in contributions since the campaign began, according to his FEC report. His net operating expenditures were $663,004 for the most recent reporting period and $2.74 million overall.
After a lull in campaign activity due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two have mounted aggressive ad campaigns mostly centering on one question: Who is the strongest, most loyal supporter of Trump.
Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump for president in 2016, and the president rewarded him with the office of attorney general. But their relationship soured after Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, and Trump forced him out of office in 2018.
The president endorsed Tuberville, tweeted bitter attacks on Sessions, and told an interviewer the appointment of Sessions was the most grievous mistake of his time in the White House.
That has not stopped Sessions from claiming his loyalty to Trump and saying Alabama voters will determine the outcome.
Contributors
Jeff Sessions
Contributors of $5,000 or more.
$10,000
Common Values PAC, Alexandria, VA; Continuing Americas Strength & Security, Baton Rouge, LA; Defend America PAC, Tuscaloosa; DVA/HC PAC, Mobile; Fund for a Conservative Future PAC, Washington, DC; Honeywell International PAC, Washington, DC; JONI PAC, Des Moines, IA; Making Business Excel PAC, Cheyenne, WY; Marsha PAC, Brentwood, TN; Nebraska Sandhills PAC, Alexandria, VA; Protective Life Corp. Fed. PAC, Birmingham; Radiance Technologies Inc. PAC, Huntsville; Reclaim America PAC, Alexandria, VA; Regions Financial Corp. Federal PAC, Birmingham; Rely on Your Beliefs PAC, Washington, DC; Republican Majority Fund PAC, Alexandria, VA; Torch Technologies Inc. PAC, Huntsville.
$8,400
Brett, John M., Orange Beach; Brett, William C., Gulf Shores, AL; Bryant, Paul W., Tuscaloosa; Maisel, E. B., Mobile; Miers, Gina S., Tuscaloosa; Nelson, Deborah R., Saraland; Robinson, William T., Orange Beach; Russell, Robert J., Birmingham.
$8,100
Drinkard, Roy H., Cullman.
$7,900
Sexton, William Britt, Decatur.
$7,800
Smith, Linda J., Huntsville; Templeton, Jean Wessel, Huntsville; Thornton, Steven, Huntsville.
$7,600
Rogers, Ed, Washington, DC.
$7,500
Airbus Group PAC, Herndon, VA; Arkansas For Leadership PAC, Alexandria, VA; Dakota PAC, Bismarck, ND.
$6,600
Maisel, N. W., Mobile.
$6,234
BL Harbert Employees PAC, Birmingham.
$5,600
Almon, Robert N., Tuscaloosa; Amos, Richard W., Huntsville; Ard, Gary, Mountain Brook; Baker, Leslie M., Winston-Salem, NC; Barbour, Haley, Yazoo City, MS; Bashinsky, Joann F., Birmingham; Booth, Barry L., Spanish Fort; Brett, Thomas E., Orange Beach; Burkes, Herbie, Centreville; Collazo, Carmen A ., Huntsville; Collazo, Francisco, Birmingham; Collazo, Francisco J., Huntsville; Collazo, Francisco L., Madison; Collazo, Rosana, Scottsboro; Cooper, Charles, Bonita Springs, FL;
Cutrona, Danielle, Washington, DC; Delponte, Reggie D., Newport Beach, CA; Corum, Van, Huntsville; Doherty, Don P., Waynesboro, MS; Drummond, Segal E. Jr., Mountain Brook; Fine, Joseph Lloyd, Montgomery; Forney, Elizabeth, San Diego, CA; Forney, Scott, San Diego, CA; Fuller, Michael D., Mountain Brook; Gorrie, Miller M., Birmingham; Hammer, George S., Samson; McKibbens, Anna Laurie Bryant, Tuscaloosa; McMahon, John J. , Birmingham; McMickle, John, Washington, DC;
Methvin, Thomas J., Montgomery; Miley, O.B. II. Muscle Shoals; Otis, William, Falls Church, VA; Parker, Tim , Tuscaloosa; Pulliam, Chad B., Killen; Remington, James A., Henrico, VA; Robinson, William T., Orange Beach; Russell, June F., Mountain Brook; Scott, Isaac, Opelika; Scott, Rhonda, Opelika; Siff, Andrew M., Arlington, VA; Smith, Wayne T., Nashville, TN; Stedman, Betty Ann, Houston, TX; Stewart, Richard L., Birmingham; Strange, Luther J., Birmingham; Upton, Jason, Guntersville; Welch, Stewart H., Birmingham; Wilson, Daniel M., Huntsville; Wilson, William B., Montgomery.
$5,500
Carothers, Dr. William Russell, Winfield.
$5,300
Danley, Christopher D., Chevy Chase, MD; Hollyhand, Doug, Northport; Zell, Samuel, Chicago, IL.
Alabama Power Co. Federal PAC, Birmingham; Bailey, William C., Arab; Baron, Robert, Huntsville; Bense, Kevin, Birmingham; Blue Cross Blue Shield of AL PAC, Montgomery; Bradley Arant Boult Cummings PAC, Birmingham; Branch Banking & Trust PAC, Winston-Salem, NC; CHS PAC, Franklin, TN; Citizens For Prosperity In America Today PAC America, Alexandria, VA; Dearborn, Ricky Allen, Alexandria, VA; Durham, Joseph E., Madison; Dynetics Inc. Political Action Committee, Huntsville;
Free State PAC, Lawrence, KS; Freedom Fund PAC, Washington, DC; General Atomics PAC, San Diego, CA; Kirkpatrick, Michael A., Huntsville; Kretzschmar, Richard W., Huntsville; Lessmann, Kurt M., Madison; Let’s Get To Work PAC, Monroe, NC; Luquire, Hans, Montgomery; McCarter, Angela Gunderman, Huntsville; Miller, Don W., Huntsville; Next Century Fund PAC, Alexandria, VA; Pitts, D. Frank, Madison; Raytheon PAC, Lexington, MA; Ripps, Harold W., Birmingham; Roberts, Richard Y., Fairfax, VA; Strategy PAC, Beverly, MA; Suntrust PAC, Richmond, VA; The Travelers Companies Inc. PAC, Hartford, CT; Thornton, Steven L., Huntsville; Vulcan Materials PAC, Birmingham.
Tommy Tuberville
Contributors of $5,000 or more.
$10,000
Drummond Company Inc. Political Action Committee (Dpac), Birmingham; Bronczek, David, Memphis, TN; Lomangino, Anthony, Garden City, NY; Mcinnis, John M. III, Gulf Shores; McInnis, Shelley Freeman, Gulf Shores; Neville, Connie, Kingshill, VI; Neville, William, Kingshill, VI; Watson, Gail P, Dothan; Watson, John H., Dothan; Whatley, Steve W., Anniston.
$8,100
Woltosz, Walter, Auburn.
$7,800
Shabel, Rodger, Decatur; Shabel, Vickie, Decatur.
$7,600
Willoughby, Van, Cullman.
$7,500
Burford, Michael D., Wellington; M B Properties LLC, Wellington; Thomas, John T., Toledo, OH.
Adkinson, Clay, Defuniak Springs, FL; Aldag, Edward K. Jr., Birmingham; Alvarez, Karen, Huntsville; Alvarez, Michael, Huntsville; Andrews, James R., Gulf Breeze, FL; Andrews, Jeff, Duluth, GA; Andrews, Patricia W., Duluth, GA; Breland, Louis, Huntsville; Brooks, Jeff D., Birmingham; Burford, Todd, Birmingham; Carr, Bradley, Alexandria; Chandler, James, Huntsville; Covington, Coates, Lincoln; Davis, Jay, Atlanta, GA; Devilbiss, Edwin, La Valle, WI; Doddridge, Kaye, Three Forks, MT;
Dunlap, Robert H., Batesville, MS; Espy, Shirley, Atlanta, GA; Gaby, Barbara, Duluth, Ga; Gaby, Richard, Duluth, Ga; Govil, Sanjay, Potomac, MD; Green, Joni R. PMP, Brownsboro; Griffin, David B., Nashville, TN; Guess, Chris, Birmingham; Guess, Julie, Birmingham; Hayden, Marilyn, Barrington, IL; Henderson, Reynolds, Santa Rosa Beach, FL; Hillman, Roberta W., Aspen, CO; Isbell, Linda, Cullman; Isbell, Mike, Cullman; Kellett, Carol, Atlanta, GA; Kent, Brock, Cullman; Kent, Sarah, Cullman;
Kent, William, Midland, TX; Leone, Douglas, Los Altos Hills, CA; Martz, James Garrett, Huntsville; McDougle, Tony, Florence; McKinney, Chester Jr., Muscle Shoals; McKinney, Jenny D., Killen; Mitchell, Hugh, Mountain Brook; Perkins-Leone, Patricia, Los Altos Hills, CS; Pirnie, Leslie O’Gwyn, Pike Road; Pirnie, Robert, Pike Road; Rappuhn, Allan, Killen; Remington, James, Henrico, VA; Satter, Muneer A., Chicago, IL;
Scott, William M., Auburn; Signature Utility Services LLC, Birmingham; Spriggs, Kevin, Spanish Fort; Stephens, Warren A., Little Rock, AR; Strother, J. Barron, Santa Rosa Beach, FL; Taylor, Billy, New Market; Taylor, Catherine B., Dallas, TX; Templeton, W. M., Dallas, TX; Ward, Jennifer, Mobile; Williamson, Sallie S., Greenville; Williamson, Warren J., Greenville.
Albers, Charles E., Sarasota, FL; Allen, R.K., Talladega; Ballard, Brian D., Tallahassee, FL; Ballard, Kathryn, Tallahassee, FL; Build Political Action Committee of the National Association of Home Builders, Washington, DC; Corr, Byran A. Sr., Rosemary Beach, FL; Griffin, Roxie, Nashville, TN; Hall, John G., Dothan; Huck Pac, Little Rock, AR; Melt LLC, Atlanta, GA;
National Cotton Council of America Committee for the Advancement of Cotton, Cordova, TN; Norris, Robert G., Holly Pond; Saiia, Jody, Birmingham; Steiner, Russell, Bayou La Batre; Swaid, Christy J., Birmingham; Thompson, James Vincent, Atlanta, GA; Thorne, Larry, Auburn; Wintersteen, Jim McIlhenny, Mill Valley, CA; Wood, Bobby R., Corinth, MS; Wood, Myra Ann, Corinth, MS; Young, Lindsey Rene, Birmingham.
The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism, which publishes BirminghamWatch, joins a record number of 267 nonprofit newsrooms as participants in the national NewsMatch 2020 campaign. This year-end fundraising effort, extending from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 and supported by national foundations, provides the opportunity to match one-time gifts and new monthly gifts.
According to a statement from the Institute for Nonprofit News, the 35% increase in participants compared to the 2019 NewsMatch campaign reflects the fact that the nonprofit news field continues to grow. In the first nine months of 2020, despite economic downturn and the decline of traditional media outlets, INN has accepted 60 new members, a 25% increase over last year.
INN joins the News Revenue Hub and The Miami Foundation in helping to make this annual giving campaign possible. NewsMatch 2020 is currently supported by Democracy Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Facebook Journalism Project, the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, the Inasmuch Foundation, the Independence Public Media Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, the Present Progressive Fund at Schwab Charitable, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation. Additional contributions for the matching fund will be accepted through December.
The NewsMatch 2019 campaign turned an initial pool of $3.37 million into a $43.5 million payout to news nonprofits across the country, according to INN. Individual gift caps and overall match caps vary according to the number of participating newsrooms and funders.
Donors who wish to support AIIJ and its publication, BirminghamWatch, can do so at any time. Gifts through Dec. 31 may be matched as part of NewsMatch 2020.
WASHINGTON – Voting 246 for and 140 against, the House on Nov 20 passed a bill (HR 8294) that would authorize $3.5 billion over five years to expand federally funded apprenticeship programs. While the bill would prepare workers for jobs in traditional industries such as manufacturing, transportation and construction, it also would fund instruction and on-the-job training for specialized fields such as early childhood education, advanced health care and green energy. The House also rejected a Republican-backed alternative to the plan.
The Senate, meanwhile, approved President Trump’s nominee to the U.S. Court of International Trade and rejected his nominee to the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors. Read more.
Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission was so fast you would have thought commissioners were trying to beat a deadline.
In a sense, they were. As they have for months, commissioners continued their efforts to dole out federal funds related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The light agenda included 18 resolutions from county manager Tony Petelos to distribute Cares Act funds to help cities, towns and entities in the county address needs of citizens that arose from COVID-19. Petelos said the items that were moved to Thursday’s meeting agenda leave just a few who have not gotten requested money. “We’ll have those next meeting,” Petelos said. Read more.
District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn welcomed Birmingham residents to “the new era of shared micromobility” Tuesday after the council approved deals with two bike- and scooter-sharing companies. Read more.
The Birmingham City Council approved the rezoning of Carraway Hospital and several adjacent properties Tuesday, clearing the way for Corporate Realty’s long-planned mixed-use redevelopment of the abandoned campus. Read more.
Following the release of a new dashboard, state education officials are optimistic about the number of coronavirus cases in Alabama schools. But challenges remain. Read more.
Help is on the way for remote learners who have had little to no access to Wi-Fi. Meeting in Bessemer Thursday, the Jefferson County Commission amended the Cares Act Coronavirus Relief Fund subgrant agreement with the Jefferson County Board of Education to award an additional $4,648,600 to expand broadband capacity to reach students taking classes virtually. Read more.
If no states had issued stay-at-home orders to their residents as the novel coronavirus swept across the country this past spring, the U.S. could have had 22% more deaths and 220% more people infected than if there had been a nationwide stay-at-home order, researchers at UAB have projected. Read more.
Individuals from 25 to 49 years old make up the biggest percentage of Alabamians who have contracted COVID-19, but adults who are 50 and older account for almost 95% of the deaths from the disease, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported Thursday.
While people age 65 and up made up 16.8% of those who have contracted the coronavirus, they accounted for more than three of every four deaths. People aged 50 to 64 accounted for about 18% of the deaths. Read more details about who is getting and dying from COVID in Alabama.
Vestiges of segregation still thread through the systems and processes with which we engage throughout our lives, influencing Black Alabamians in large and small ways, including economic opportunities and lifetime wealth, relationship with law enforcement, health care and even projected lifespan. BirminghamWatch has an ongoing effort to analyze how these sometimes unrecognized vestiges of segregation are playing out in people’s lives today. Read stories in The Legacy of Race series.
The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism, which publishes BirminghamWatch, joins a record number of 267 nonprofit newsrooms as participants in the national NewsMatch 2020 campaign. This year-end fundraising effort, extending from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 and supported by national foundations, provides the opportunity to match one-time gifts and new monthly gifts.
