By TODD STACY, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A new Alabama Forestry Association poll shows a dead heat in south Alabama between Jeff Sessions and Tommy Tuberville in the Republican runoff for U.S. Senate.
Forestry is supporting Sessions in the race.
The group’s survey of likely Republican voters in Alabama’s 1st and 2nd Congressional districts shows the former U.S. Attorney General and the former Auburn football coach tied with 41.99% saying they will support each candidate. According to the poll, 16% remain undecided.
In the 1st District, which includes Sessions’ home turf of Mobile, he leads Tuberville 45.2% to 39.6%. In the 2nd District, which encompasses the southeastern corner of the state, the results are reversed with Tuberville leading 44.4% to 38.75%.
The group did not survey the state’s other five congressional districts. The two south Alabama districts only amount to about 28% of the state’s voting population, but could play an outsized role in the upcoming July 14 runoff due to each also featuring a hotly contested runoff for the GOP nomination for Congress.
In the 1st District, former State Senator Bill Hightower faces Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl. In the 2nd District, Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman faces former State Rep. Barry Moore.
The Forestry Association said it also surveyed those races and will release the results soon.
See the survey results HERE.
Other recent statewide polls have been mixed. A survey from Cygnal, which is not working for either candidate, showed Tuberville leading by a whopping 23 points. A internal survey conducted by Sessions’ pollster On Message showed a much smaller gap of only six points between Tuberville and Sessions.
The two candidates finished close in the March 3 primary, with Tuberville winning 33.39% of the vote to Sessions’ 31.65%. Congressman Bradley Byrne finished third with 24.89%. Since then, President Donald Trump has intervened in the race, endorsing Tuberville and repeatedly attacking Sessions on Twitter.