Republican CD-1 nominee and former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl reiterated that he will not take part in any debates ahead of November’s general election for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, doubling down on a position he had already staked out with Democratic nominee Clyde Jones.
In an appearance on Mobile radio station FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” Carl said a debate would only benefit his opponent. “I’m not going to spend $1,300,000 to get my name ID for a no-name to get on my back and ride,” Carl said. “I have no intentions of doing a debate. If you look, there are so many races that the Democrats are so weak in, and that’s the first thing they’re screaming. He’s reading straight from the Democrat playbook, and you know he can sit and call me names all he wants to. That’s fine. I’m fixing. It’s not my first rodeo, but a debate is totally out of the question.”
Carl added that he sees no reason to elevate his opponent’s profile. “I have no intention of giving him free airtime based on my efforts that I’ve spent the last 15 years developing,” he said.
Carl earned the endorsements of President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan during his August Republican primary victory. The Mobile native faces Democrat Clyde Jones in the Nov. 3 general election.