U.S. Rep. Martha Roby has been forced into a runoff in Alabama’s Republican primary after challengers blasted her 2016 criticism of Donald Trump.
Roby faces Bobby Bright in a July runoff in Alabama’s conservative 2nd district — where Trump loyalty has been a central issue.
Roby is a four-term incumbent. In campaigning for Tuesday’s primary, she emphasized her record and working relationship with the White House.
In 2016, Roby criticized Trump after a 2005 recording surfaced of him making lewd comments about women, saying the behavior made him an unacceptable candidate and suggesting he step away from the presidential ticket.
Bright is a former Montgomery mayor who represented the district for two years as a Democrat before losing in 2010 to Roby. He ran an ad with footage of Roby’s Trump comment.
Tabitha Isner has won the Democratic primary in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district.
Isner defeated Audri Scott Williams. She will face the Republican nominee in November.