AUBURN — On Wednesday, Attorney General and U.S Senate candidate Steve Marshall visited the Auburn University College Republicans to discuss his tenure as attorney general and his decision to run for the Senate seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who is running for governor.
Marshall opened the event by speaking about his background as a district attorney in Marshall County before being appointed state attorney general in 2017, when the position was vacated by Luther Strange, who had been appointed to the U.S. Senate. Touting his successful tenure in the position, Marshall noted various initiatives and successes, including the advocacy campaign for the passage of "Aniah's Law," which allows judges to deny bail to individuals charged with violent offenses.
He also spoke of his office's efforts to secure a more equitable settlement for the State of Alabama with companies that had been deemed responsible for the nationwide opioid crisis. According to the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Alabama previously ranked first within the nation for opioid prescription rates. At its peak, Alabama reached a rate of 143.8 prescriptions per 100 people in 2012. Last summer, 1819 News reported that Alabama had obtained around $730 million from various settlements.
During the conversation, Marshall responded to questions about the attorney general's role in managing state correctional facilities in reference to the HBO Documentary "The Alabama Solution," released last year. In the documentary, allegations of abuses within the prison system were directed towards Gov. Kay Ivey and Marshall. Marshall observed that a state commission manages prisons and that it had been a practice of Biden-era regulators to claim "systemic" problems in State correctional facilities where none existed in Alabama's case. Additionally, he commented that the documentary was filmed to highlight isolated instances over several years.
There were additional questions that followed, including one about the recent commutation of Charles "Sonny" Burton's death sentence by Ivey last month, a decision that Marshall opposed.
"It wasn't like he was the getaway driver. He was, again, an eight-time convicted felon who organized and planned the event," Marshall said, adding that he felt that it was important to take a stand for the people of Talladega County, where the murder in question took place. Marshall said he "respects" the governor's right to make that decision, noting it can't be an easy call.
When discussing his run for the U.S. Senate, the decision to enter the race was primarily a question of "How can we serve Alabama on this level?" He went on to discuss his success in fighting for the State of Alabama at the federal level in resisting vaccine mandates implemented by the Biden Administration. Marshall will face off against U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and retired Navy SEAL Jared Hudson on May 19 in the Republican primary.
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