A little over a week ago, I was running as a Republican in State Senate District 10 and was told by multiple sources that I was winning in the polls against incumbent Andrew Jones. That was before the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee kicked me off the ballot.
Not once has anyone at ALGOP been able to show me which bylaw I violated – because I didn't violate one. The vote to remove me wasn't even close to unanimous. There are good people on the Steering Committee who stood up for the rules and the voters of Senate District 10, and I'm grateful for every one of them.
Just yesterday, Alabama Republican Party chairwoman Joan Reynolds published an opinion piece taking a shot at me and my supporters, saying "some individuals who were denied access to run as Republicans are now publicly attacking the process itself." She referenced the Party's bylaws in a vague, generalized way without identifying a single rule I actually violated, effectively misrepresenting both the facts and the integrity of my campaign.
What she didn't mention is that my case was different from other candidates who were denied ballot access. I haven't broken any Party bylaw, yet the Steering Committee removed me anyway. Certain members told me and my lawyer directly that they had "discretionary powers" to kick me off regardless of how the bylaws are written. Additionally, certain members of that same steering committee are paid consultants on campaigns across the state, including my opponent's. This situation has created serious doubt about whether this process is dishonest.
Since getting kicked off, thousands of supporters from Senate District 10 have flooded ALGOP with calls, emails and messages demanding this mistake be corrected. These are loyal Republican voters, the very people the chairwoman claims this process is designed to protect.
Over the last decade, I have grown one of the largest College Republican chapters in our state; volunteered for President Trump in every election in which he has run; engaged directly with thousands of voters on behalf of Republican candidates; helped the secretary of state's office enforce the toughest voter ID law in the nation; and actively volunteered in my county party. My record reflects loyalty and long-term commitment to the Republican Party, and the voters in Senate District 10 know it.
I believe most Republican voters and volunteers in our state love this political party. They support the president and his agenda, and they want Alabama fighting alongside him. That's exactly why the way this process was carried out is deeply concerning.
"The rules matter. Integrity matters. And protecting the Republican primary process matters," the chairwoman said. I agree completely. But enforcing rules that already exist is very different from allowing a select group of party insiders and paid consultants to exercise unchecked "discretionary powers" against a candidate they simply don't want in the race.
I fully support efforts to prevent Democrats from infiltrating Republican primaries. Those protections are essential and should stay in place. But that's not what happened here.
Over 3,000 Republican voters in Senate District 10 have signed a petition and contacted Republican Party leadership requesting that my ballot access be restored. These are the same people the chairwoman calls "attackers." I find it shameful to target loyal Republican voters and volunteers simply for demanding a transparent and consistent process.
I've supported Trump since he came down that golden escalator. I still have the original yard sign, the original MAGA hat, and a personally autographed copy of The Art of the Deal. If there's one thing I've learned from the president, it's that the people deserve someone who will fight for them, and no matter how tough it gets, I'll never stop fighting for the people of Alabama.
Jesse Battles was a candidate for Alabama District 10 until last week when he was removed from the ballot with little to no warning.
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