2018 Special Election Elected 50 – 48
It is two weeks before the elections in Georgia 05 and South Carolina 06. Whether Democrats win or lose in these races, the Republicans have been put back on their heels in the four Congressional Special Elections. So far, though, Democrats have not won. Moral victories have their charms, but actual wins are better.
Here is another federal special election — one for people who love long shots, one for people who are willing to invest a little bit of money with a hope of getting a lot back. This is a US Senate special election.We have been captivated by the Congressional special elections in districts where Republicans were accustomed to winning by 20 or 30 points. Jim Thompson lost Kansas 04 by 6 (He has already said he will try again in 2018.). Rob Quist lost the Montana Congressional election by 6 points. Jon Ossoff is tied in the polls in Georgia. Archie Parnell is competitive in South Carolina. Ossoff and Parnell have elections on June 20. If you want to make a donation to either or both of them, you can at: https://electjon.com/ or https://archieparnell.com/.
There is another special election coming up — for a US Senate seat in Alabama. At first thought, a victory seems impossible. Think again. Winning here would have a bigger impact than winning any of the Congressional seats. It would have a bigger impact than winning both seats on June 20. It would have a bigger impact than if it had been possible to sweep all of the Congressional Special Elections. Democrat Doug Jones (http://www.dougjonesforsenate.com/) could be the right man at that right time for Alabama. He has a primary. But he is so probable a winner in the primary that early support for him is the right thing. The primary is on August 15, The runoff will be on September 26. The General Election will be on December 12. The Republicans are in farcical disarray which is why there is a special election at all. The new governor, formerly the Lt. Governor, could have allowed the appointed Senator to remain in office until the 2018 election, but set a special election instead.
The incumbent, Luther Strange, is the former attorney general for Alabama, He was appointed by the Alabama Governor shortly before the Governor was impeached amidst a sex and financial abuse scandal. Strange has claimed that he was, then that he wasn’t, then that he actually had been investigating the legal violations of the Governor who appointed him as Senator.
Strange is the favorite (and the favorite of Mitch McConnell and the NRA) but is vulnerable enough so that there are several Republican challengers: among them, the suspended Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, the state Rep who started the impeachment process against the former Governor, a US Congressman devoted to the Tea Party, and the head of the Alabama Christian Coalition running against the “corruption, self-dealing, and venality of politicians...”
Doug Jones is a distinguished attorney in Birmingham. His practice includes white collar criminal litigation and civil litigation. Since 2004 he has served as the appointed master for the environmental clean up of PCB’s in the Anniston, Alabama area.
Doug Jones is a founding member of Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration — with goals that are exactly the opposite of Attorney General Sessions goal to jail almost everyone. Jones ispresident-elect of the National Association of Former US Attorneys. He is famous in Alabama and, to a degree, nationally for his tenure as US Attorney in Alabama, to which he was appointed by President Bill Clinton.
Five months after taking office as US Attorney, Doug Jones received national attention when a bomb exploded at a Birmingham women’s health clinic, killing a police officer and maiming a nurse. While he was US Attorney, he coordinated the task force (the FBI, local police, and other law enforcement) that eventually led to Eric Rudolf being captured and pleading guilty to several bombings including the Birmingham bombing and the Atlanta Olympic bombing.
Specially authorized to act in state court, Doug Jones was the successful prosecutor of the remaining perpetrator who could be brought to trial for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in which four young black girls were killed. Jones brought the Ku Klux Klansman back to Alabama from Texas and tried and convicted him for the killing of the four young girls who died in the church.
Doug Jones(http://www.dougjonesforsenate.com/) deserves to be considered among the distinguished American prosecutors. He can recall then Deputy Attorney General, Robert Mueller, taking a particularly close interest in the Birmingham Church case.
Jone has prosecuted murderers who opposed the Civil Rights movement and murderers who opposed the women’s rights movement. As a private attorney, he has sought redress against those who have polluted the earth. The current political mess in Alabama is a farce. When Jones dealt with Alabama politics, he was dealing with tragedy.
If we can’t get excited about funding this long shot to become the US Senator from Alabama, I don’t know what we can become excited about. This election will happen in December, 2017. Doug Joneshttp://www.dougjonesforsenate.com/needs momentum and financial support now.
