FAIRHOPE — State Rep. Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) addressed mailers his team sent a cease-and-desist over during the Eastern Shore Republican Women's luncheon Thursday.
"You're not allowed to just make up things and make up lies and we have a cease and desist request that's been sent," Simpson said. "I anticipate there will be a lawsuit that follows. I'm not taking this stuff sitting down."
Alabama Values PAC sent the mailers to voters claiming Simpson has prioritized free college for illegals, legalizing bribes for elected officials, early parole for violent felons and higher taxes on firearms. The PAC admitted the issue involving college tuition was incorrect and claimed it was printed in error.
"You're entitled to your own opinion, but you're not entitled to just say whatever you want to and make up facts," Simpson continued. "The great news is when they evaluate my voting record, they can't challenge me on my voting record, so that's why they're making up my voting record, and they're not going through it. I'm proud of what I've stood for."
Simpson highlighted that in the Alabama Legislature, $1.5 billion in taxes has been cut in the last four years, and lawmakers have passed pro-life legislation and a bill to expedite adoptions. He said he has stood for crime victims, including a bill he drafted that allows the death penalty for anyone who is convicted of raping a child under the age of 12.
"That's going to be taken up in the Supreme Court," Simpson added. "We're going to send a message to overturn the courts. The courts that ruled that we couldn't do that, we're going to tell them, 'Yes, we can,' and we've got a good legal challenge to try to go through that."
Simpson also carried a bill in 2023 to increase the mandatory minimums on fentanyl traffickers.
"I am very happy to tell you that overdoses have decreased by 30% since that bill passed," Simpson said. "It's not just that bill. It's President Trump that was able to close the border. When you close the border, you stop the fentanyl from being able to come in here. It's the education that we're doing on fentanyl, trying to tell our kids and tell our teens this stuff is dangerous. Don't touch it. But we did put the hammer on people to be able to say, 'If you traffic fentanyl in Baldwin County and you traffic fentanyl in Alabama, you can be facing up to life in prison."
Simpson is facing a challenge from Danielle Duggar in the May 19 Republican primary.
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