Most Alabamians want Tuberville to end hold military hold: Poll
A majority of Alabama voters say Sen. Tommy Tuberville should end his months-long hold on military nominations over new Department of Defense policies concerning abortion, according to a poll exclusively released Wednesday to AL.com.
The Public Policy Polling Survey of 577 Alabama voters commissioned by the liberal veterans’ advocacy group VoteVets also found Tuberville’s tactic of stalling the military promotions is hurting the senator’s popularity with voters.
Since February, Tuberville has blocked the promotions of general and flag officers over new Department of Defense policies expanding abortion access, including reimbursing female military members for travel associated with obtaining abortions if the procedure is illegal in the state they are stationed in.
Tuberville has claimed the DOD policies are illegal and can only be authorized by Congress.
While a slim majority — 54 percent — of respondents agree with Tuberville’s position that the DOD policies should be reversed, 58 percent of those polled said the senator “has made his point and should now allow senior military promotions to move forward,” the poll found.
Another 36 percent of respondents said the senator “should continue to block all senior military promotions endlessly,” while 13 percent were unsure of what Tuberville should do.
Respondents who cast ballots for Donald Trump in 2020 — who comprised 58 percent of the poll’s sampling — were split on Tuberville’s block, with 41 percent supporting the senator’s move and 40 percent saying he should stand down.
Nearly three in four voters said the promotions of military officers “should be free from politics.” Tuberville’s hold is freezing the nominations of more than 300 officers, including President Biden’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A plurality of voters — 45 percent — said they view Tuberville less favorably since learning of his tactics, while 26 percent said they view him more favorably. Another 23 percent said the hold hasn’t made a difference in their opinion of Alabama’s senior senator while 6 percent said they were unsure.
A majority of voters — 55 percent — said they believe Tuberville’s hold hurts national security, while 25 percent said it has no impact on national security. Another 9 percent said the senator’s move helps national security while 11 percent were unsure.
Biden and other Democratic leaders have claimed the hold is affecting military readiness while Tuberville has dismissed those allegations, saying the Biden administration’s “injection of liberal and woke policies into the U.S. military” is “the real threat to military readiness.”
In a fact sheet Tuberville’s office dubbed “The Real Threat To Readiness: Joe Biden’s Extreme Agenda,” the senator cited the discharge of 8,000 soldiers for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and DEI programs for impacting readiness. He also claimed “liberals’ divisive anti-American rhetoric and identity politics” caused military recruitment shortfalls under Biden.