Moore beats Carl in Alabama battle of GOP House incumbents
Freedom Caucus member opposed Ukraine aid, campaigned with Jordan and Geene
Rep. Barry Moore defeated fellow GOP Rep. Jerry Carl in the primary in Alabama’s 1st District Tuesday, bringing to a close a contentious member-vs.-member election.
Moore led Carl by more than 3 percentage points when The Associated Press called the race at 11:49 p.m. Eastern time with an estimated 95 percent of the vote counted.
A Republican in his second term, Moore campaigned as a loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump, touting his votes against supplemental funding for Ukraine and his support for a border wall.
Moore and Carl were put into the same district after the Supreme Court ordered the state to redraw its map to give Black voters a second district where they could influence the election of a representative. That sharply changed the makeup of the 2nd District Moore currently represents, including moving his hometown into the 1st District, which Carl currently represents.
The newly-drawn 1st District is one of the nation’s most conservative, meaning the two Republicans were both running to the right. Moore, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, campaigned with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a co-founder of the group, earlier this year and with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former member, during the campaign’s final weekend.
Carl, also in his second term, also ran to the right during the primary, but is considered a more pragmatic member of the party. A member of the House Appropriations Committee, Carl had support from other appropriators including Committee Chair Kay Granger of Texas and Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack.
A former county commissioner and entrepreneur, Carl emphasized the work he did to bring funding back to the southern Alabama region during his time in Congress.