By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Monday, December 7, former State Senator John Rice (R) endorsed Jonathan McConnell for the US Senate.
Former Senator Rice said in a post on Facebook, “Jonathan McConnell is an outstanding Patriot. I have known him most of his life. His family members are also upstanding and proud Patriots. This man has accomplished much in his life, being outstanding in all matters relevant. He was elected President of Auburn University SGA, served two tours in defense of his country in Iraq, graduated from University of Alabama Law school and built a multi million dollar, multi-national global anti pirate maritime defense company. And he is just getting started at the ripe old age of 33. I not only plan to help him in his ground game and raise money for him, but I am going to man up and pray for Jonathan McConnell and the USA.”
Rice is the President of the Alabama Foundation for Limited Government, and has been a spokesman for conservative causes in Alabama for decades.
McConnell commented on Sunday after President Obama addressed the nation, “The failure of the Obama/Clinton/Kerry foreign policy was laid bare Sunday evening. The President offered no new plan to deal with radical Islamic terrorists. Instead, all we saw was a President looking to exploit another crisis, disarm law abiding citizens, and strip them of their 2nd Amendment rights.”
McConnell said, “As a veteran of two tours in Iraq and founder of a security firm, I’ve seen firsthand the threat we face from Islamic terrorism. It is time for the United States to confront and eliminate the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, both at home and abroad.”
McConnell is seeking to unseat long time incumbent Sen. Richard Shelby in the March 1 Republican Primary. Senator Shelby is one of the most conservative members of the Senate, but McConnell attacked him for not opposing Obama enough: “Tonight also showed why Congress matters when it comes to national security. By voting to approve Secretaries Clinton & Kerry, Senator Richard Shelby has encouraged and enabled this Administration’s feckless foreign policy. Alabama deserves a Senator who will stand up to President Obama and not be a rubber stamp.”
Senator Richard Shelby, age 81, has represented Alabama in the US Senate since his election in 1986. Shelby is seeking a sixth term in the United States Senate. In addition to Shelby, McConnell faces former State Senator Shadrack McGill (R-Jackson County) and fellow political newcomers: John Martin and Marcus Bowman in the Republican primary. Ron Crumpton and Charles Nana are running as Democrats. The winner of each major party primary will face off in the general election next November.
