MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Republican Party is expanding its ‘Sore Loser’ standing rule to prohibit individuals who run against a Republican nominee in general elections from serving on ALGOP committees.
The bylaw change was proposed and adopted during a recent state party Executive Committee meeting and is a response to a situation in Lauderdale County last summer during an Alabama House race.
“A situation arose in Lauderdale County where someone serving on a Republican executive committee and on a Republican’s women club ran for public office,” explained Andrew Sorrell, State Auditor of Alabama and member of the state Republican Party Executive Committee.
“The individual did not win the primary, and then proceeded to run as an independent against our nominee in the general election, costing invaluable time in campaign resources which could have been saved.”
Sorrell was referring to the race for the State House District 2 seat, where on the May 24, 2022 Republican Primary election, Ben Harrison and Jason Black received 3,290 and 3,115 votes, respectively, sending them both off to a primary runoff election. Another candidate, Kimberly Butler, was just 14 votes shy of Black, but after learning that about 70 voters in District 2 were assigned to the wrong district, she asked the state GOP to hold a new election.
The party refused, which led Butler to instead run a write-in campaign.
By doing so, Butler is not permitted to qualify as a Republican Party candidate for six years under existing Alabama GOP bylaws. The new bylaw also removes candidates like Butler from state GOP committees.
“The individual continued for a time to serve on the executive committee, and Republican’s women (club) while they were actively campaigning against our nominee as a write-in candidate in the general election,” Sorrell continued. “It was the opinion of the Bylaws Committee that the ‘Sore Loser’ standing rule be expanded such that anyone who runs against our nominee automatically loses their membership on Republican committees and clubs.”
In a voice vote, Republicans overwhelmingly voted to support the bylaw change, which goes into effect immediately. The Alabama GOP joins the ranks of the Republican National Committee in trying to curb party dissent, who in February rolled out a new requirement for presidential candidates to participate in the first debate; a pledge to support the eventual nominee.