On Monday night, several candidates running in Alabama's March 5, 2024 Republican primary addressed the Butler County Republican Executive Committee.

Alabama's new 2nd Congressional District is split almost evenly between black and white voters, so the seat could shift from Republicans to Democrats. Local, state and federal Republican leaders are working hard to stop that, but first they must choose a candidate.

“With the new district lines, it is imperative that we have a strong Republican candidate in the 2nd Congressional District,” said Butler County Republican Party Chairman Cliff Burkett.

Candidates in attendance for Butler County included former Alabama state Sen. Dick Brubaker, current state Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), and Montgomery real estate attorney Caroleen Dobson. was.

“America is in a financial death spiral,” Albritton told a local conservative group. “With $34 trillion in debt, we can't afford to do something like this.” Albritton contrasted this with the state of Alabama's fiscal situation, which oversees the Senate General Fund Appropriations Committee. .

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“We have a balanced budget,” Albritton said. “We do things in a very conservative way, where we don't spend a penny. We are fiscally sound, but the United States is not. We have paid off our debt, but they are still borrowing. They spend all the money and then some.”

“I would like to do things differently,” Albritton said of his plan to restore fiscal restraint on federal spending.

Mr. Albritton also spoke about his residence in the area and how he maintains his homes in both Atmore (CD1) and Conecuh County (CD2), where he has lived for 36 years.

Dick Brubaker, a former state lawmaker and longtime auto businessman, is also running for the nomination, saying he believes in freedom, security and limited government, and that the federal government should “stay out of our pockets.” They should stay out of school and stay away from our society.” Just business. ”

“Government's main job is to guarantee our rights, not give them to us,” Brubaker said. “Our rights are God-given.”

Brewbaker also said the First and Second Amendments of the U.S. Constitution are under attack from Washington in Alabama, and the effects of failed Democratic policies are being felt in the state.

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“150 Americans die every day from Chinese-made fentanyl brought across our southern border,” Brubaker said. “We don't even know how many people are already in place because we haven't secured our borders. Last month we had 400,000 people. That's a city as big as Pittsburgh. It's not sustainable. .”

Brewbaker blamed the Biden administration's energy policies for high inflation, especially food inflation.

“Your financial security is at stake,” Brubaker said. “Because of energy policy. In fact, we were energy independent. He was in office for 10 minutes until he reversed that trend.”

“The president has been working for energy independence for 30 years,” Brubaker said. “We finally achieved it, and Joe Biden threw it away on day one.”

Caroleen Dobson brought deep connections to Alabama farmers and racing.

“I'm the first Republican to qualify in this race, but I'm not a politician,” Dobson said. “I grew up on a ranch. My grandmother taught school here in Greenville. My mom works at a hospital here in Greenville, so I spent a lot of time going back and forth to Greenville. I’m here.”

“We have to have a better country, and that's why I'm fighting for an America that's safer and more secure for our children,” Dobson said.

“We are now under invasion. Illegal immigrants are pouring across our borders. Crime, drugs and terrorist organizations are not the only big concerns, but also the huge number of illegal immigrants using social services. We are also concerned that taxpayers will destroy the economy. We need to bring everyone home, we have to erect barriers and adopt a Remain in Mexico policy.”

Freedom without opportunity means little,” Dobson continued. “We have to become energy independent,” Dobson said. “It's not just that our products are more expensive because of the higher costs of fertilizer and gas. But it's also because we can't rely on foreign sources for energy.”

Dobson said the new districts “will not be determined by primaries,” and that the fate of the conservative majority in the House of Representatives is at stake.

Related: Newly drawn 2nd Congressional District attracts wide range of candidates

Former state Sen. Brian Taylor also spoke to the group about his candidacy for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He reiterated that his opponent, Associate Justice Sarah Stewart, is “the most liberal justice on the Alabama Supreme Court.”

Taylor said Republicans recognize that “the courts are the last bastion of hope to protect the laws that lawmakers pass.”

“There is no need for judicial action in court,” Taylor said. “As Dick Brubaker once said, too many people think that the Constitution is the source of our rights. I would go a step further and think that judges are the source of our rights. Too many judges say, “Our rights are God-given.”

Mr Taylor claimed that Mr Stewart had recently made poor decisions in a medical malpractice case in which he upheld a High Jury verdict against a hospital for causing the death of a man.

Taylor said everyone agrees that Spring Hill was at fault, but “the jury verdict was outrageous. This was the highest jury verdict in the history of Alabama.”

“Too many judges don't have the fortitude to rule on conservative principles,” Taylor said.

Judge Cleve Poole also addressed the group and said he is running for re-election to Alabama's 2nd Judicial Circuit (Lounds, Butler, and Crenshaw counties).

The final Republican candidates for both CD2 and Chief Justice must face Democratic opponents in the November 5, 2024 general election.

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