Things have heated up in the race for the Republican nomination for Alabama's House District 85 (HD85), as campaign literature continues to flood mailboxes in the lead-up to the May 19 primary.
In HD85, State Rep. Rick Rehm (R-Dothan) surprised many in 2022 by defeating the 12-year Democratic incumbent, then-State Rep. Dexter Grimsley. This year, Rehm faces a challenger in his own party: former Henry County Probate Judge and Henry County Commission chairman David Money.
The pair exchanged blows in April, after Money’s campaign sent out multiple mailers accusing Rehm of being "bought and paid for by an out-of-state gambling interest."
Money’s fliers accused Rehm of being soft on crime, being pro-gambling, raising taxes and more.
On Monday, Rehm fired back, accusing Money of having no integrity and publishing blatant lies on the fliers.
“None of it is true, but one in particular item on it I wanted to address because it’s kind of hit me hard,” Rehm said. “It is completely false, and it challenges my work ethic.”
The claim Rehm took such umbrage at, which stated the incumbent House member had “missed 17% of votes when Republicans needed him.”
Rehm claims that the data he collected proved a stark difference between his actual voting record and what was claimed on the fliers.
“I had the clerk of the Alabama House of Representatives do an inventory, and out of four years now, we had 2,066 votes. I only missed 11 votes,” Rehm continued. “That comes out [to] like a half a percent. So, that’s some made-up stuff. I found it offensive.”
Rehm has consistently called Money's antics a desperate play from someone who's losing the race and has no record on which to run, which he reiterated in the closing to his exculpatory video.
“We are running a positive campaign,” Rehm stated. “We are talking about our achievements and what we’ve done. When it comes to integrity, you either have it, or you don’t.”
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