John Wahl Calls Election ‘a Spiritual Battle’ at Trump’s Mobile Rally, Vows to Fight for Voters’ Rights

MOBILE, Ala. — John Wahl, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, told the crowd waiting for President Donald Trump in Mobile on Friday that the Nov. 3 election is “a spiritual battle” between “light and darkness,” and he pledged that he “will never stop fighting” for voters’ rights if elected.

Wahl addressed the audience at the University of South Alabama’s Mitchell Center during the afternoon program of speakers that preceded Trump’s arrival. His speech leaned heavily on themes of faith, freedom and opposition to socialism, and included a lengthy reflection on former President Ronald Reagan.

“Are you ready to hear from the greatest president in our lifetime, Donald Trump?” Wahl asked the crowd.

From party chairman to statewide nominee

Wahl chaired the Alabama Republican Party for five years before seeking statewide office. He won the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor in a June runoff, and Trump endorsed him.

In Alabama, the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor. The office presides over the Alabama Senate and is first in the line of succession should the governor’s office become vacant, making it one of the more influential posts in state government.

Wahl presented himself as an outsider to that world. “Don’t be afraid to fight for our future,” he said. “I don’t want to be a career politician. I’m a farm boy from North Alabama.”

“I want you to know that I love you and I respect every one of you,” he told the audience. “We are in a battle for the very heart and soul of this nation.”

‘This is a spiritual battle’

The centerpiece of Wahl’s remarks was his argument that the election is about more than politics.

“If we’re honest about it, this is not a political battle. This is a spiritual battle. This is a battle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between freedom and slavery,” he said.

Wahl then turned to the Democratic Party. “This is not the Democrat Party of our parents and our grandparents. This is a socialist movement, and socialism will destroy this country,” he said.

“Let me tell you a little bit about the Democrat Party. They don’t even know how to tell the difference between a man and a woman. These are not the people who need to be in control of our government,” Wahl said.

Invoking Ronald Reagan

Wahl told the crowd he likes to go back and watch Reagan’s speeches, and he paraphrased a passage that he said has stuck with him.

“He said, ‘Are we doing a good job teaching our children what it means to be American? Are we doing a good job teaching our children what it means to be free? Because freedom is precious, and freedom is rare,’” Wahl said.

Wahl drew a line from Reagan’s era to the present. “I realized that we’re fighting the same battle that Ronald Reagan was. Now, Ronald Reagan was fighting the battle of socialism from without. We’re fighting the battle of socialism from within,” he said.

Reagan, who served two terms as president from 1981 to 1989, frequently framed the Cold War with the Soviet Union as a contest between freedom and communism, and his speeches remain a common touchstone for Republican candidates.

Why he says he is running

Wahl said his campaign is rooted in his views on freedom and the role of government.

“I’m running for lieutenant governor for these reasons we’re talking about, because I believe in freedom,” he said. “They believe they know how to raise your children better than you do, and let me tell you, they don’t. They believe they know how to run the economy better than the free market. They don’t.”

He also addressed federal tax policy, pointing to the elimination of taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security income that Trump and other Republicans have promoted. “They want to take tax cuts away,” Wahl said of Democrats. “And my answer to them is no, not at all.”

‘Too big to rig’

Like other speakers on the program, Wahl urged the audience to vote and to bring others with them.

“I want you as patriots, people who love this nation, to get out and vote,” he said. “This election cycle, you hear it every cycle, right? This is the most important election cycle. Too big to rig.”

Trump used the same phrase later in the evening, telling the crowd he wanted so many people to vote that the election would be “too big to rig.” During his speech, the president also repeated his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Wahl closed with a personal pledge. “I will not lie down. I will not surrender, and I will never stop fighting for your God-given rights,” he said.

“So that’s my commitment to you today. I’m going to be your voice in Montgomery. I’m going to be your voice fighting for every single one of your rights, for the Constitution, and for the values that made our country what it is,” Wahl said.

A Republican team in Montgomery

Wahl described a vision in which he would serve alongside U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, the GOP nominee for governor, and Republican legislators.

“With Governor Tommy Tuberville, with Lieutenant Governor John Wahl, and with so many members of our State House and our State Senate in this room, we’re going to make Alabama the greatest state in this nation,” he said.

“I want to see our state leading the nation when it comes to conservative principles, when it comes to defending people’s rights and freedom, and when it comes to standing up with common sense,” Wahl said.

Tuberville, who won the Republican nomination for governor in a landslide in May, faces former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee, in November. Tuberville spoke later in the program, and Trump told the crowd that Alabama would elect him governor in 32 days.

A shared message from the stage

Wahl’s framing of the election as a fight over the country’s future was echoed by other speakers. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate seat Tuberville is leaving, said conservative Americans are in an existential battle for the nation’s future. Moore faces Democrat Everett Wess, a Birmingham attorney, in November.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt told the crowd that the difference between the parties’ candidates this year is “the difference in common sense and crazy,” and she argued that holding Republican majorities in Congress is “existential to the nation as we know it.”

Trump, for his part, asked voters to treat the midterms as if he were running. “This election, I want you to pretend I’m on the ballot,” the president said. “When I’m on the ballot, we win. When I’m not on the ballot, we get 44 percent. So this time, I want you to pretend I’m on the ballot.”

Katherine Robertson, the Republican nominee for attorney general and another candidate on the statewide ticket, told the crowd the rally was for Alabama Republicans in the midterms, “most especially” Marques, whose 2nd Congressional District race against U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures is considered the state’s most competitive House contest. Together, Wahl, Tuberville, Moore and Robertson make up much of the Republican slate Alabama voters will see at the top of their ballots.

The scene at the Mitchell Center

The rally program began in the late afternoon, with a lineup that included Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen, state Rep. Rhett Marques, former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, attorney general nominee Katherine Robertson, pastor Travis Johnson, U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and Tuberville.

Stadthagen, who was elected party chairman in March, sounded similar notes, telling the crowd that “here in Alabama, we know exactly what a woman is” and closing with a Bible verse.

Trump took the stage shortly after 6:30 p.m. after flying into Brookley Field aboard Air Force One. The Mobile stop was part of a tour of Republican-leaning states before the midterm elections; the president held a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on Thursday and has said he plans to visit 35 locations in the month before Election Day.

Not everyone in town supported the visit. About 200 protesters gathered during the day, and Democratic groups held their own events, including a town hall hosted by Jones in Baldwin County.

Political scientists said the choice of Alabama was likely driven by the president’s relative popularity in the state. “In Alabama, the perception is that he is a boost to their campaigns, and so that’s one of the reasons why he’s choosing Alabama, because here he’s wanted,” said Joseph Aistrup, a political science professor at Auburn University.

What voters should know

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. In addition to lieutenant governor, Alabama voters will choose a governor, a U.S. senator, members of the U.S. House and a range of state and local officials.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and voters must show an approved photo ID. Residents can verify their registration, look up their polling place and view a sample ballot through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office or their county board of registrars.