By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Monday, November 2 Ron Crumpton announced that he is close to having raised enough money to pay the Alabama Democratic Party qualifying fee for the office of U.S. Senator. Beating a 30 year incumbent is daunting enough but doing it without some help from your friends and donors is probably impossible, which is why Crumpton issued an urgent plea a few weeks ago for more campaign cash.
Ron Crumpton told the ‘Alabama Political Reporter,’ “I will be qualifying this week.” This ends weeks of speculation on whether or not Alabama Democrats would even field a candidate against Republican incumbent Richard Shelby. The Democrats did not run a candidate against Alabama’s other Republican Senator, Jeff Sessions, in 2014.
Crumpton wrote in a statement on Monday, “I will admit, I had serious doubts about whether we were going to be able to raise the qualifying fee when I went to bed last night. While we had made serious progress, we were still well short of our goal. To be on the ballot, we are required to qualify with the state Democratic Party by November, 6. The fee to qualify for U.S. Senate is $3,480.”
Crumpton wrote, “At midnight we had managed to raise $2,235, which means we still needed to raise $1,245. While we can use in person donations up until the 6th, for us to have access to online donations, they must be made by Wednesday at 5, so time was running out. Thanks to a very generous donation we received overnight, we are only $745 short of making our goal, and my doubts have vanished. Our goal is in sight, we just have to reach out and grab it.”
Crumpton said that, “Richard Shelby has lived in the Washington bubble for the last 40 years, he lost touch with the people of Alabama and he no longer serves in our best interest. It is important for all Alabamians that Democrats have a candidate that will stand up, and call Richard Shelby on the transgressions he has or would commit against the people of Alabama.”
Crumpton charged, “He is currently leading an effort that would repeal Dodd-Frank, which is legislation put in place after the banking crisis to prevent the banks from jeopardizing our economy again. We need a Senator who will stand to protect our economy, we don’t need one that is a shill for the Wall Street elite.”
Crumpton told the ‘Alabama Political Reporter’ that the early primary means that there will be a longer focus on the general election in Alabama this year than in previous years.
Ron Crumpton is well known in Montgomery circles for his outspoken advocacy of marijuana legalization. Crumpton ran in 2014 for State Senate in Senate District 11. The seat was previously held by Senator Jerry Fielding from Sylacauga who was elected in 2010 as a Democrat; but ran for re-election in the GOP Primary where he was unseated by Rep. Jim McClendon (R from Springville). McClendon then bested Crumpton in the Republican landslide 2014 election.
Senator Richard Shelby was first elected to the Senate in 1986. Shelby is seeking a sixth term in the United States Senate.
This is the last week to qualify to run for public office as a Republican or a Democrat in the 2016 elections.
