Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the 2016 presidential election drew mixed reactions across Alabama, and in Mobile the response played out on the streets as well as in the corridors of power.
A few days after the election, the Alabama Green Party held a ‘Rally Against Trump(ism)’ in Cathedral Square, drawing about 30 people. Organizer Tyler Henderson, chair of the Alabama Green Party, said most Alabamians who backed Trump did so because of an economic message, not the rhetoric critics condemned. He called on both supporters and opponents to speak out against bigotry and harassment directed at minorities.
Meanwhile, local and state leaders signaled that Alabama’s overwhelming support for Trump could translate into tangible benefits. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Mobile was among the first lawmakers to back Trump and was discussed for cabinet posts including attorney general, defense secretary or homeland security secretary. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne said Sessions would be a tremendous asset to the administration and that his appointment would help the Mobile area.
Byrne pointed to several ways a Trump White House could aid the region. He said progress on the long-planned Interstate 10 bridge over the Mobile River should continue under a Trump infrastructure push, and that Trump’s call to expand the Navy fleet would sustain the Littoral Combat Ship program that benefits Austal’s Mobile shipyard — with 26 of 52 planned ships built locally. Byrne also predicted a return to a more normal red snapper season.
Jimmy Lyons, president of the Alabama State Port Authority, said some concerns about Trump’s talk of trade protectionism had eased since the campaign ended, a welcome sign for a port city dependent on imports and exports.
Environmental groups along the Gulf Coast struck a more cautious tone. Mobile Baykeeper executive director Casi Callaway noted the Gulf’s restoration efforts would continue regardless of federal policy, but said local advocates would keep working for clean water and a healthy coast. Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, an early critic of the Clean Power Plan, stood to see that policy reconsidered.
In Baldwin County, voters turned out in record numbers. About 95,000 people cast ballots, with 77 percent backing Trump and 19 percent for Hillary Clinton. Probate Judge Tim Russell called it the largest turnout in the county’s history, though he was surprised that Election Day turnout fell to about 65 percent as rain lingered in south Baldwin and younger voters stayed home. Russell said the population growth and heavy turnout would mean he needs more funding for future high-profile elections.