A recent poll by the Alabama Farmers Federation finds Tommy Tuberville and Jeff Sessions in a statistical dead heat for U.S. Senate.
The poll was conducted after Secretary of State John Merrill withdrew from the race and Sessions announced his candidacy; it found 35 percent of likely Republican voters favored Sessions while 31 percent said they would vote for Tuberville.
The Federation’s political action committee, FarmPAC, endorsed Tuberville early on. Farmer representatives from all 67 counties recommend endorsements on behalf of the organization’s 350,000 member families.
Federation External Affairs Director Matthew Durdin said the poll shows Tuberville maintains momentum despite Sessions’ late bid to reclaim his Senate seat.
“Coach Tuberville’s position as a political outsider who’s committed to fighting the entrenched Washington establishment while supporting Christian values, veterans, farmers and working families resonates with voters,” Durdin said. “He seeks to continue President Trump’s policies, which have resulted in record-low unemployment and economic growth.”
The poll shows Tuberville enjoys a stronger favorable rating at 4-to-1, compared to Sessions at 3-to-1.
The Federation poll had U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne in third place, with 12 percent of likely voters followed by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, 8 percent. State Rep. Arnold Mooney and Haleyville businessman and evangelist Stanley Adair each garnered 1 percent.
The ALFA poll contradicts a survey released by the Sessions campaign earlier in the week in which they claim Sessions leads Tuberville by over 20 points. The candidate-driven poll is seen as a vehicle to encourage Sessions’ donors and discourage those who support his opponent.
The wildcard in the Senate race is President Donald Trump, who has made his hostility toward Sessions, his former attorney general, well known. Trump has remained mostly quiet about the competition, not to agitate Alabama’s senior U.S. Senator Richard Shelby or Leader Mitch McConnell, who Trump needs should he be impeached in the House of Representatives.
ALFA’s numbers reflect closely the polls APR has seen recently.
