U.S. Rep. Barry Moore’s vote on Wednesday against a partial federal funding package occurred one day after he defeated fellow Republican Congressman Jerry Carl in a bruising primary battle in Alabama’s 1st congressional district.

Moore, in a statement, said the $460 million spending plan handed victories on climate change and other issues to President Joe Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

But Carl had a different take. He explained his “Yes” vote illustrated pride in securing federal funds for his home district that included, among other things, $4 million for the Mobile International Airport for fire and rescue service improvements, $6 million for workforce development in South Baldwin County and millions of dollars more for pipes, road works, and other infrastructure improvements throughout the district.

“I’m proud to deliver results for Alabama and bring our tax dollars back home to reinvest in our communities,” Carl said in a news release.

The House overwhelmingly approved the spending plan in a bipartisan vote that included a 6% budget cut to the FBI. The New York Times reported on Friday that of the $654 million lawmakers agreed to cut from the agency, $622 million came from eliminating money for the construction at the bureau’s campus at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

Take care of district

The philosophical juxtaposition, which got drowned out during a campaign bombarded with negative ads focused on nationalized issues, is worrying coastal officials who are long used to bring-home-the-bacon congressmen in a district that relies heavily on federal appropriations for infrastructure work, environmental mitigation projects, defense spending, tourism, and more.

Moore, the sole Alabama congressional “No” vote on the defense spending package in December, vowed on the campaign trail that he does not support earmarks out of concern over the national debt. He also said he believes that by shoring up foreign spending in Ukraine and elsewhere will help pay for massive infrastructure projects back at home, such as the $2.7 billion Interstate 10 Mobile River & Bayway project.

“We will be represented by someone from the Wiregrass who has been clear that he sees it as not his job to take care of the needs of this district,” said Mobile Chamber president & CEO Bradley Byrne, who was the 1st district congressman from 2013-2021, before the district was redrawn last fall to split the City of Mobile from Baldwin County and to include all of Baldwin with portions of Mobile County with the rural Wiregrass region into a highly-conservative 1st district.

Previous congressman in the 1st district had been more business-friendly or moderate Republicans like Byrne and Carl, Jo Bonner, Sonny Callahan, and Jack Edwards. Mobile County was also the benefactor of appropriations secured for years by now-retired U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, whose name is on a building at the University of South Alabama and whose bust is on display overlooking the Mobile River.

“We have become used to this district being supported by a congressman who worked hard in this district,” Byrne said. “That’s not Congressman Moore’s philosophy. If he doesn’t pay close attention to this district, he can count on getting an opponent. On the other hand, if he pays attention to it, it makes the odds of having an opponent in this part of the district much lower.”

Defending Moore

A Moore spokesperson, in a statement to AL.com Thursday night, said the congressman will work hard for his new constituents in Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties – despite those counties overwhelmingly backing Carl during Tuesday’s primary.

Moore, of Enterprise, won with massive support from the six rural counties that make up the Wiregrass in Southeast Alabama. In Coffee County, for instance, Moore secured over 83% of the vote.

“Congressman Moore has extensive experience in helping communities with economic development and helped bring Airbus to Mobile while serving in the State House,” his congressional office said in a statement. “As a small business owner for the past 20 years, he’s very aware of the challenges created by unnecessary government regulations and high taxes and has fought to streamline processes and cut through the red tape that companies face.”

The statement also included an assurance to coastal Alabama officials that he is not opposed to securing federal funds for infrastructure.

“He made it clear during the campaign that the coastal community can depend on his assistance in procuring federal funds for the infrastructure projects that spur job growth and economic development,” the statement reads. “Considering Congressman Moore, on average, received 10 points more from the counties he represented than Congressman Carl received from his, it should be obvious that Moore’s current constituents are very happy with the job he has done, and he plans on working just has hard for his new constituents in Baldwin, Escambia and Mobile counties.”

Indeed, Moore supporters believe the skeptics in Mobile and Baldwin counties need to give Moore a chance to prove himself.

“I have no reason to believe he will treat citizens on one side of the state any different from the other side of the state,” said J. Nicholas Bull, chairman of the Dale County Republican Party. More than 77% of the voters in Dale County backed Moore over Carl.

“He’s been very responsive to the needs of the people in the Wiregrass, especially our veterans and he has, in my opinion, done a good job of representing us and listening to our needs here,” Bull said. “I have no reason to believe that will change moving forward.”

Jonathan Gray, a Mobile-based campaign strategist and a spokesman for a political action committee supporting Moore’s campaign, said in the 30 years he has worked consulting campaigns in South Alabama, he can’t recall a politician receiving as much support as Moore got in a competitive political race as he did within the Wiregrass counties.

“I don’t know of anyone who has gotten 80% support in a contested race like this, and I think it speaks volumes of what people in the Wiregrass think of Barry Moore,” Gray said. “Why would people here not give him a little time?”

Overall, Moore got 3,649 more votes than Carl, winning 51.75 % of the vote, according to unofficial numbers from the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.

Mayors react

Some of the local officials in Baldwin County are open to doing just that, though they are hesitant in offering full-throttled support of their likely new congressman. Moore does have a general election opponent in Mobile Democrat Tom Holmes, though he will be the heavy favorite. The congressional district ranks as among the 10 most conservative in the U.S. House.

“I really liked Jerry Carl, and he’s been there for us,” said Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon. “But I do like Mr. Moore. He’s extremely conservative. He’s the kind of person that doesn’t pick favorites. I think he will come over and spend time in Mobile and Baldwin and be there for us. I think.”

Spanish Fort Mayor Mike McMillan, who is angling for federal support to secure a post office in the city and for improvements along the Spanish Fort Causeway, said he is concerned about the fast-growing coastal area “becoming forgotten” in Congress.

“I think it’s very important he does reach out to Baldwin County folks,” McMillan said. “We need to get warm and fuzzy with Mr. Moore like we did with Mr. Carl. It’s important he reaches out to us, and us to him as well. It’s a two-way street.”

The mayors in Daphne, Foley and Fairhope are also saying they look forward to working with Moore and his staff.

“Our infrastructure is severely taxed by our growth and some of the issues we deal with because of lack of border security,” said Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich, expressing that he was “cautiously optimistic” that Moore will understand “how important our economy” is to Alabama. The city, in the latest spending plan, is set to get $726,000 for a police department project, according to the Carl news release.

“It’s imperative the federal government helps local entities,” Hellmich said.

Still, skepticism looms among Republicans in the district’s two largest counties. And it could be a while before Moore acts on the district’s behalf – if he wins the general election, as expected, it won’t be until January 2025, before he’s representing the newly-drawn 1st district.

“Congressman Moore’s strategy was effective, and he won with a good margin,” said State Sen. Chris Elliott, R-Josephine, who represents a sizable potion of Baldwin County. “Now it’s time to govern. He has my full support. I appreciate his comments that he will help us in securing funding (on infrastructure projects). He has to prove it and make it happen. There is an election every two years (in Congress). We’ll see.”

Shifting viewpoints

Wiley Blankenship, who oversaw the business-friendly Coastal 150 PAC that backed Carl ahead of the election, said he’s heard from people concerned in the area about their likely new congressman not supporting efforts to secure federal support for the I-10 bridge, and that people are “nervous and scared to death” over Moore’s past statements of not accepting federal earmarks.

“If he doesn’t take that money and pass it down, then it will go somewhere else,” Blankenship said. “I see what he is saying in that ‘we don’t need that type of thing’ but … it’s so hard to get dollars to do what you need. The state only has so much money and the local people can only produce so much. If he doesn’t take it, that money will go somewhere else, to a Colorado or New York, and someone will be glad to take it and spend it.”

Gray said he believes Moore, once a hardline “No” against earmarks, has shown support as a “limited earmark person” by backing federal funds for some infrastructure projects.

“That’s what you want elected officials to do,” he said. “They come to the table with gut feelings on something and through and educated process, they through learning and they evolve. The best elected officials learn and educate themselves and grow and evolve whether it’s Barack Obama or George Bush or (Mobile Mayor ) Sandy Stimpon who we watch growth from his first year as mayor to the mayor he is today. It’s a different Sandy Stimpson. Same with Barry Moore. I have no reason to think he won’t come down here and listen to people.”

Byrne said he has hopes for Moore, even though he said each of the candidates remaining in the 2nd district contest – Democrats Shomari Figures, Anthony Daniels and Republicans Dick Brewbaker and Caroleen Dobson – have vocalized or expressed interest in supporting Mobile.

“I take them all for their word that they will take care of Mobile and Congressman Moore, who says that will not be part of his job,” Byrne said. “We will still put our needs and issues before him and ask him to be an advocate for our area. We won’t give up on him.”