Former attorney general warned not to run for Senate for fear of upsetting Trump
President's approval rating is higher in Alabama than anywhere else in the US
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Your support makes all the difference.Former attorney general Jeff Sessions is considering launching a campaign to reclaim his former Alabama Senate seat during the 2020 elections.
But he may not have the support of the most important Republican in politics: President Donald Trump. According to the Washington Post, more than a year after firing Mr Sessions, Mr Trump continues to harbour antipathy towards his former attorney general.
Mr Trump dismissed Mr Sessions just one day after the 2018 midterm elections that saw Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives. Sessions had been the focus of Mr Trump’s rage for months after Mr Sessions recused himself from the investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia, leading to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Meuller.
Mr Trump was vocal about his disapproval of Mr Sessions even before he fired him. In June 2018, Mr Trump took to Twitter saying: “The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself...I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined…”
Members of the Alabama Republican establishment who spoke with the Post worried that a lack of support from the President would undermine Mr Sessions’ candidacy.
Congressman Bradley Byrne), who is also running in the Republican primary, has said he will not step aside if Mr Sessions decides to enter the race.
“The president is very angry with Jeff. I think the president will be very vocal against him,” Byrne told the Post.
Mr Trump’s approval rating is higher in Alabama than in any other state, according to a recent Morning Consult poll.
Alabama is a Republican stronghold and Mr Sessions served as Senator for 20 years.
The Republican nominee--whoever they are--will be running against incumbent Senator Doug Jones, the first Democrat to be elected as an Alabama senator since 1986. Jones narrowly defeated Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who faced allegations of sexual misconduct.
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