U.S. Rep. Barry Moore continues to lean heavily on national Republican politics as he campaigns to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile who will collide in a March 5 primary showdown that represents a rare clash of sitting congressmen in Alabama.

Moore is hoping for a boost by an appearance Saturday from Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a colleague of his within the right-wing House Freedom Caucus. Greene will join Moore on a campaign swing that includes stops in Mobile, Stockton, Opp, and Enterprise.

“She is a leader in the fight to put America first who works tirelessly to secure our border, end (President Joe) Biden’s out-of-control spending, expose ‘Ukraine First’ politicians and stop our weaponized government from targeting Americans,” Moore said in a statement.

Carl’s supporters hope the Greene appearance turns off voters. Elected to Congress in 2020 to represent Northwest Georgia, Greene has built a national reputation out of controversy. But she is also popular among those on the far-right and is a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump.

“It’s a weird tactic to bring the circus to town,” said Wiley Blankenship, executive director of the Coastal 150 political action committee that consists of business leaders in the Alabama Gulf Coast. The group formally endorsed Carl on Monday.

I-10 criticism

Moore is also being criticized for pitching unrealistic approaches toward funding the biggest transportation project in Alabama: The Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge & Bayway project.

Moore, in short, says that projects like the I-10 Bayway should not be financed with tolling, and can be paid for by diverting money that is earmarked for the War in Ukraine.

Blankenship calls the position an “insult” to the people along the Alabama Gulf Coast who, for years, have wrangled over the limited options for financing the $2.7 billion project outside of controversial toll plans. The project is currently heavily leveraged on borrowing, and tolls are the option for paying down the debt.

Alabama state officials remain hopeful that federal grants can be secured to offset some of the financing. Those grants, though, come through the U.S. Department of Transportation and not through the Department of Defense.

“We need someone who is a fighter and can bring resources back home which Congressman Moore has stated that he is not going to do,” Blankenship said, referring to Moore’s recent track records that includes consistent “No” votes on defense spending and annual appropriation packages.

The Moore campaign said that the congressman has made it “very clear” of his support for infrastructure and national security bills. Moore was the sole “No” vote among the Alabama congressional delegation on the $886.3 billion National Defense Authorization Act in December.

“Washington has to stop sending tax dollars to corrupt politicians in Ukraine and instead focus on rebuilding our roads and bridges, and supporting our fighting men and women,” the Moore campaign said in a statement to AL.com. “Voters are smart enough to know that when Jerry brags about working on the toll bridge problem for 12 years without finding a solution, it’s probably time to let Barry … take a crack at it.”

Thomas Shaw, a political science professor at the University of South Alabama, said he believes Moore has done an effective job of acknowledging a local issue pertinent to voters in Mobile and Baldwin counties, the two largest counties within the 1st district.

“While these types of projects seem to directly contradict some of his Freedom Caucus ideas, he is at least finally addressing some serious local issues instead of staying just with the national issues,” Shaw said. “I think this might be the kind of appeal, particularly with Baldwin County residents, to move the undecideds into Moore’s camp.”

Emphasizing national issues

Moore’s backers say the emphasis of tying national issues to the 1st district is to respond to what the voters in one of the most Republican-leaning districts in the U.S. House are wanting.

“Marjorie Taylor Greene is not getting elected for her local prowess,” said Jon Gray, a Mobile-based political consultant who is a spokesman with Dare to Defend Our Rights PAC that supports Moore’s candidacy. “Neither is (Florida U.S. Rep.) Matt Gaetz. These people are getting elected in top conservative districts in the country by identifying the philosophical issues. It’s about how much money we need for the bridge. That’s not where (the voters) are.”

Gray also said that Coastal 150′s bolstering of local political endorsements has little impact on the outcome of a race. He said it should be unsurprising for anyone who follows politics to see that a local mayor or state representative is endorsing their incumbent congressman.

“Barry Moore is talking about national issues,” Gray said. “All of these guys are hanging their hat on what Carl has done for the district. But I haven’t seen polling in 20 years saying that (supporting a local project) is the No. 1 issue for a U.S. Congressman. Richard Shelby was the last guy who perfected it, but Shelby went into office in the 1980s.”

Carl’s campaign has embraced national issues as well, talking less about local projects like the I-10 bridge or funding to build ships at Austal USA in Mobile.

A Carl campaign spokesman said the congressman has gotten the endorsement from “over 53 conservative leaders from across” the 1st district because “he is the only candidate who has fought to fund and build Trump’s wall, secure our border, and deport” undocumented immigrants.

His campaign also said the Carl has “consistently” fought against tolling to build the I-10 bridge and bayway.

“There’s a big difference between Jerry Carl and Barry Moore,” a Carl campaign spokesman said. “Barry is in it for himself and Jerry Carl is in it to get something done for conservatives.”

PAC involvement

The final seven days of the campaign also comes as spending spikes among the outside groups. According to website Open Secrets, more than $1.6 million has been spent by super PACs to campaign either against Carl or Moore.

Gray said he believes the Carl camp went “100 percent negative” toward Moore because of polling that suggested he was trailing. The Carl campaign, in recent days, has attacked Moore for having tax liens in the past, something which Carl has also had.

Carl’s supporters are pointing to Club for Growth’s involvement in the race and opposing Carl, which the group did unsuccessfully during the summer of 2020, ahead of Carl defeating Republican Bill Hightower in a 1st district runoff race. A Club for Growth affiliate, School Freedom Fund, has spent close to $500,000 to run ads opposing Carl’s candidacy, according to Open Secrets.

“I guess the Club for Growth and the Freedom Caucus, they are groups that just give speeches and like the headlines and anytime the media sticks a mic in their face, they jump all over it and make bold statements that are hollow,” Blankenship said. “Why are they not out there trying to figure out how to get the price of my eggs lowered? Or gasoline prices lowered? These are things that matter to Alabamians. That’s where they need to be focused on, but they are just dividing the Republican Party.”

The Moore camp is questioning the involvement of Conservatives for American Excellence, a super PAC that has spent over $340,000 to campaign against Moore, according to Open Secrets. The group has received funding, according to the Moore camp, from donors to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Democratic President Barack Obama.

“Jerry’s supporters continue to show their true anti-Trump colors, whether it’s local groups bad mouthing Barry’s and President Trump’s friends like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Jim Jordan, or D.C. Swamp PACs being funded by Nikki Haley and Barack Obama supporters like Ken Griffin and Warren Stephens,” the Moore campaign said, urging Carl’s campaign to refuse the super PAC money.

The Carl camp has blasted the Club for Growth, calling the group the “original” anti-Trumpers. The Club was one of the groups that attempted in 2016 to derail Trump’s nomination. But it appears the Trump and Club for Growth members are on better terms, despite a Club-affiliated group attempting last year a negative TV ad campaign aimed at derailing Trump in the early primary states.

Another super PAC involved in the race is the South Alabama Conservatives PAC which has spent close to $600,000 to oppose Moore, according to Open Secrets. The group’s spokesman in the campaign has been political strategist Dalton Dismukes, and its main campaign ad – which began running in January – included a 30-second TV ad instructing viewers to follow a QR code linking them to the website politicianbarrymoore.com. The House Freedom Action Fund, which backs Freedom Caucus members, has spent over $200,000 to oppose Carl.

Deep red district

The congressional primary race is drawing some comparisons with the 1st district race between Bradley Byrne and Dean Young in late 2013, during a special GOP runoff election to replace former Rep. Jo Bonner. Byrne, who was supported by local business leaders from Mobile and Baldwin counties, was able to fend off Young, a darling among tea party conservatives.

Gray said the biggest difference within the past 11 years is the shift in the 1st district, from one that was a safe Republican district at a +15 advantage for Republicans. That placed it as the 75th most Republican district in the U.S. House, according to the Cook Political Report’s Partisan Voter Index (PVI).

After redistricting, the district is a +28 advantage for Republicans, placing it tied as the sixth most conservative district in the U.S. House.

“This is not a moderate district,” Gray said. “When Barry Moore is talking about funding a global crisis, that sounds like (Young) who ran for this seat a decade ago and lost by 4 points. Barry Moore has the right message for this district, and the Jerry Carl people are slinging mud trying to unravel it.”

Blankenship said the race boils down to who can represent the people living in South Alabama the best, and not who rails the best before TV cameras and microphones.

“(Moore) has told people he is not going to help them,” he said. “He has this noble idea that he will change America. I’m sorry, but you have to take care of Alabamians first. That’s what you get paid for, elected for. Carl is delivering.”