Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL running as a political outsider, faces Representative Barry Moore in the Republican Senate primary runoff in Alabama on Tuesday.
Here are five things to know about Mr. Hudson, 40, of Gardendale, Ala., a Birmingham suburb, who trailed Mr. Moore by about 14 percentage points in the May primary for the seat that the Republican senator Tommy Tuberville is vacating.
1. He has called for “next-generation conservative warriors.” Mr. Hudson describes himself as an alternative to the Republican establishment. In an interview, he called Mr. Moore a “career politician,” and said voters were looking for a candidate “who has got new ideas, fresh ideas.” His platform calls for a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, as well as 12-year term limits for them.
2. He is trying to overcome President Trump’s intervention in the race. Mr. Hudson says that he has no major points of difference with the president and that he has voted for Mr. Trump every time he has been on the ballot. But the president endorsed Mr. Moore in early January, and joined a virtual rally for the representative last week. Mr. Hudson said of the Senate seat, “This position belongs to the people of the state of Alabama, and it’s their endorsement that matters.”
3. He is a law enforcement officer and was a sniper with the Navy SEALs. Mr. Hudson served for six years of active duty with the Navy. He ran unsuccessfully for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022 and was the first candidate to join the Senate race. Now he works part time as an investigator for the Blount County sheriff’s office, and also runs the Covenant Rescue Group, which he says trains local law enforcement agencies on fighting human trafficking.
4. He has put his faith at the center of his campaign. Mr. Hudson, the son of a pastor, describes himself as a “Christian conservative,” and says the most “important thing” to him is being a “born-again believer in Jesus Christ.” He has also focused on some cultural issues, including the participation of transgender girls in girls’ sports, saying in one advertisement that the “woke agenda has to be stopped at all costs.”
5. He is seeking to pull off an upset. Mr. Hudson trailed far behind in some early polls of the race, but managed to make the runoff by drawing more votes than the Steve Marshall, the state’s attorney general. Some opinion polls have shown Mr. Hudson in the lead going into the runoff. “He’s gotten attention by not being a regular politician,” said Michael Lowry, a Republican pollster in Alabama, adding, “The electorate is just tired of the choices they’ve been given.”
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