Shelby's retirement tees off GOP scramble for Alabama Senate seat
By Julia Manchester - 02/08/21 08:26 PM EST Longtime Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby’s (R) retirement is setting up what is expected to be a contentious Republican primary in 2022.
A number of names have already been floated for the seat, including Reps. Mo Brooks and Gary Palmer, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and Shelby’s former chief of staff Katie Boyd Britt.
Additionally, former Alabama congressional candidate Jessica Taylor and former President Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia, Lynda Blanchard, have been suggested as possible contenders.
The six-term senator’s announcement on Monday comes just weeks after Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R) also said that he would not seek another term.
While the race for control of the Senate will be a nail-biter in 2022, with a 50-50 partisan split in the chamber and Vice President Harris able to cast tie-breaking votes, Alabama is likely to stay in Republican hands. Shelby’s seat remains “solid Republican,†according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
However, the race to fill the seat could give insight into the future of the Republican Party in a post-Trump world.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/537920-shelbys-retirement-tees-off-gop-scramble-for-alabama-senate-seat