This is an opinion column.

Alabama’s new Democrat-friendly Second Congressional District has received expansive media attention over the last year, but the most competitive race in the 2024 election cycle is a little further south. Alabama’s new maps drew incumbent representatives Barry Moore (AL-02) and Jerry Carl (AL-01) into Alabama’s First Congressional District. Republican primary voters have a tough choice on their hands.

Let’s get the stupid out of the way first.

The political consultant class loves to treat voters like idiots, and this race is no exception. We will see candidates in various collared shirts. There will be guns…all the guns. Candidates will point at things while wearing hard hats, and ads will feature more trucks than at an F-150 convention. Unfortunately, Jessica Taylor is not running, so the likelihood that a rocket filled with money will make an appearance is minimal.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t some legitimate issues to discuss.

Barry Moore has not experienced political persecution like Donald Trump, but that’s clearly one of his campaign points. Thankfully for Moore, voter memories are short. Moore tied his early political career to former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard who was convicted of ethics violations in 2016. Hubbard was one of the most effective politicians in Alabama history because he was a political brawler. That wasn’t always well received.

In 2014, Moore was charged with providing false statements to a grand jury in relation to an alleged threat made by Hubbard through Moore to withhold economic development money for Enterprise, Alabama, if Moore’s 2014 primary opponent, Josh Pipkin, didn’t withdraw from the race.

Comparing statements in the indictment against Moore to Pipkin’s recorded conversations with Moore was a reasonable question to put before a jury, and Lee County jurors ultimately exonerated Moore. While I don’t envy Moore or his family having to endure a criminal case, this was not a case of a prosecutor from the opposing political party creating a case out of thin air.

The 2024 primary race will undoubtedly involve a slew of ads trying to connect each candidate with Donald Trump. Both candidates have endorsed Trump. Both challenged the certification of the electors for then President-elect Joe Biden in 2021. Moore was a particularly early supporter of Trump, and he took the extra step of supporting Trump for Speaker of the House. Arguing about which candidate is the Trumpiest of them all seems bizarre. Voters should expect any true supporter of Trump to have at least one Trump tattoo. Otherwise, how can we know they’re serious?

When it comes to voting record in the 118th Congress, Moore and Carl voted together 92% percent of the time. Alabama is conservative. Federal representatives in deeply Republican districts understand this reality. There isn’t going to be a lot of daylight between the two candidates in terms of policy. They’re both conservative. The campaign ads to the contrary by either candidate or affiliated PACs are playing fast and loose with the truth.

Committee assignments matter to congressional representation. Here Carl has the edge. Serving on the Appropriations Committee is significant for Alabama. With Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-04) seeking the committee chairmanship should Republicans hold their House majority in 2024, Carl’s presence gives Alabama an outsized influence on spending and fiscal policy. Carl’s second committee Natural Resources is also particularly relevant to Alabama’s coastal region.

Moore has an advantage in that the Judiciary Committee’s issues such as immigration, gun control, and oversight of the DOJ catch headlines. He’s also on the Agriculture Committee which is a staple for Alabama’s farms and forestry interests.

One of the underrated qualifiers for office is constituent connection. In that department, I’ll give the leg up to Moore for a few reasons. As a former congressional staffer, I’ve seen firsthand that the difference between a member’s success and failure is often whether he or she manages staff well to serve constituents. That typically requires connecting constituents with the people hired to serve them on the member’s behalf. Moore’s website lists his staff, their roles, and their locations. Carl doesn’t have any information about his team on his official website.

Connecting with constituents is also mission critical for members of Congress. Town halls, office hours, and clear guidance about when and where a member of Congress will be available is critical to representation. To that end, I checked out both official posted calendars. Moore’s calendar and events schedule is robust. Were I a constituent, I know where I can conveniently reach him or his team and when. Carl’s official calendar by contrast hasn’t had an appointment on it since March of 2022. Yes, I know that Carl has been out and about in the district, but exactly how should constituents find out about it if not his official House calendar.

Alabama voters have a tough choice this March because they’ll be sending one incumbent politician into an earlier-than-expected retirement. They’ll definitely wind up with a conservative, but it’s the small differences in style, policy interests, and constituent service that will decide who keeps his job in Congress.

More Cameron Smith columns:

Smith is a recovering political attorney with four boys, two dogs, a bearded dragon, and an extremely patient wife. He’s a partner in a media company, a business strategy wonk, and a regular on talk radio. Please direct outrage or agreement to [email protected] or @DCameronSmith on X or @davidcameronsmith on Threads.