Trump-backed Rep. Barry Moore heads to a runoff in Alabama GOP Senate primary

Rep. Barry Moore and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson will head to a runoff in the Alabama Republican Senate primary after no candidate secured a majority of the vote, NBC News projects.

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Moore, who is backed by President Donald Trump, and Hudson are set to face off on June 16 to advance to the general election. The winner of the runoff will be the heavy favorite in November in the solidly red state.

State Attorney General Steve Marshall missed the runoff in third place.

The Republicans are running to succeed Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a first-term Republican who is leaving the Senate to run for governor.

Trump reiterated his support for Moore on Truth Social on Monday , calling him “an America First Patriot who has been with me from the very beginning.”

“Barry Moore is a good friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next United States Senator from Alabama,” Trump wrote. “GET OUT AND VOTE FOR BARRY — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

Moore, a former state lawmaker, was first elected to Congress in 2020, running “to fight the lockdowns and stand with President Trump,” he said on his campaign website.

He has called for the arrests and prosecutions of elected officials in “lawless Democrat sanctuary” cities if they “obstruct federal immigration enforcement.” He railed against allowing transgender women and girls to play in women’s sports, and he said he wanted to “strip federal funding from anyone imposing this radical ideology on women and children.”

A staunch pro-gun advocate, Moore introduced a bill in 2023 to try to make the AR-15 the “National Gun of the United States.”

Hudson has campaigned as a political outsider and focused on his faith, often referring to himself as a Christian conservative. He ran unsuccessfully for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022.

He is also the CEO of two organizations: one that works with law enforcement to combat child trafficking and another that focuses on firearms instruction.

While he doesn’t have Trump’s endorsement, Hudson has still sought to tie himself to Trump. In a video launching his campaign last year, he said, “It’s time to send a warrior, not another politician, to stand with President Trump and put America First.”