By Zach Hester, Reporter • zach@southerntorch.com

MOBILE, Ala. — Last week, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne officially entered the 2020 race for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Doug Jones. Jones has already declared his intentions to seek a first full-term in the Senate.

Byrne, who has represented Alabama’s 1st congressional district since 2014, announces his intentions on Wednesday, February 20 during a live event in Mobile. Prior to his service in the U.S. House of Representatives, Byrne was Chancellor of Alabama’s Department of Postsecondary Education, a member of the Alabama State Board of Education and a member of the Alabama State Senate. He is the first Republican to officially enter the race for the seat.

As U.S. Senator, Byrne promises to stand on conservative principles. For more information on the issues that Rep. Byrne stands for, visit his website at bradleybyrne.com.

As Democrats hope to flip control of the Senate in 2020, plenty of national attention will be focused on what is expected to be a tough race in Alabama. In the 2017 special election when Jones won over Republican Roy Moore, it was estimated that more than $50 million was spent during the race.

“Senator Jones simply doesn’t match up with the people of the state of Alabama,” Byrne said in an interview to NBC15 in Mobile. “The people of Alabama are going to reject him in 2020.”

Southern Torch will continue to update on the state of the race as we head into the 2020 election season.