By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Friday, July 7, 2017, State Senator Trip Pittman (R-Montrose) reported that his campaign for US Senate has raised $302,545 in contributions for the second quarter of 2017, according to data provided to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Sen. Pittman said in a statement, “The people of Alabama need someone with integrity. I am running to shake up Washington, not to be part of the problem. Alabama needs to select their next Senator, not the Washington money crowd or a disgraced former Governor. I am 100 percent committed to this race, and have no interest in any other elected office. “While I’m the only candidate from south Alabama, I’m traveling the entire state, and our message of promoting free enterprise and personal responsibility is resonating. I pledge to work as hard these next five weeks as I have in the last five. At the end of the day, the only real endorsement that matters to me is that of the voters on August 15th.”
Pittman is one of 18 candidates running in the August 15, Special Major Party Primaries to fill the Senate vacancy created when US Senator Jeff Sessions was confirmed as US Attorney General.
Since entering the race, Pittman has raised funds from over 200 unique contributors, with over 90 percent of those coming from inside the state of Alabama.
Pittman said that while serving in office at the State level, he has repeatedly refused money from outside special interests, and made an early decision to uphold that standard in this election. His report to the FEC includes just one PAC donation from the University of South Alabama.
He was initially reluctant to enter the US Senate race as he thought that Senator Del Marsh (R-Anniston) was going to run for the office and he did not want to run against his friend; but then on the last day of qualifying Marsh announced that he was not going to run so Pittman announced that afternoon; because Pittman says that he believe that the people of Alabama needed another choice.
Pittman was born in Birmingham and has a farm in Blount County. He spent most of his life except for four years at the University of Alabama in south Alabama. Pittman’s father and grandfather had equipment company. After a few years of selling equipment for another company he started his own heavy equipment dealership.
Pittman has a wife and three grown children.
Pittman said that he spent the first part of his life starting his business and raising a family. While traveling by plane in 2007 to view some equipment his airplane caught fire and then crashed. Pittman thought then that he was going to die; but survived the crash. After spending nine days in the hospital, Pittman asked himself what he was going to do with the rest of his life. God kept me alive for a reason. “I decided I was going to run for public office.”
When Sen. Byrne stepped down, Pittman ran even though more veteran politicians were in the race. Pittman won the Special Election to finish Byrne’s term; then has won two terms of his own.
Pittman recently stated that in the Alabama Senate, “I have been there balancing budgets. We have had to make cuts. They weren’t always popular.” Pittman said that he supported the Rolling Reserve Act, I fought Obamacare, I fought the expansion of Medicaid (it undermines the work ethic), and I fought illegal immigration. “There is a reason there is a naturalization process.” Pittman said that he was opposed to sanctuary cities and said that the law needs to be enforced everywhere equally.
Pittman emphasized, “I like Jeff Sessions and I support Jeff Sessions. This is a unique opportunity for the people of Alabama to elect a proven conservative. Because this is a Special Election, turnout will be low so the people who go to the polls are going to be more informed. They are going to be passionate and not just vote on name recognition. “This is a great opportunity to get someone who is more conservative. I appreciate your vote and your consideration for your vote on August 15.”
