This Friday, Donald Trump will be in Mobile, Alabama, the place where his first campaign really started to gain traction after then-Alabama Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III threw his support to Trump on August 21, 2015. That, of course, did not end well for Sessions. Or for the country. Despite that history, it’s surprising Trump is coming to Alabama this close to the midterm elections. Typically, popular presidents spend their time in places where candidates from their party need a pre-election boost. Unpopular presidents, and Trump certainly is that with his polling numbers at historic lows for an incumbent heading into the midterms, stay home. Alabama has been Trump country for over a decade. Perhaps the hope is that it’s a place the president can return to for a feel-good moment, for one of those campaign-type events we’ve been told for years he uses to recharge his batteries, without doing too much damage—like the type Texas Ken Paxton was recorded saying Trump did to his campaign by visiting for his so-called midterm convention. But there’s just one problem if Trump is looking for a royal welcome. In the last couple of weeks, his poll numbers in ‘Bama have taken a dive. In 2024, almost 67% of Alabamians voted for Trump’s return to the White House. But in a very recent in-state poll, “only 48 percent of Alabama respondents approve of the way Trump is handling his job, a decline from 59 percent approval he had when he returned to the White House in January 2025.” And at least some Alabamians are preparing for this visit in a way that suggests the resistance is alive and well, even in Alabama.
Trump’s key ally in Alabama is Senator Tommy “Coach” Tuberville, who is running to be the state’s next governor. We discussed his candidacy, and more importantly his state residency, in this post: “Can You Be Alabama’s Governor If You Don’t Actually Live There?” There are lawsuits challenging whether Tuberville can even be on the ballot. Although they’re still ongoing, the courts have allowed him to stay on the ballot, for now. But there are still legal questions percolating. But Alabama voters aren’t giving Tuberville—or Trump—the pass they might have expected even a year ago. As of today, billboards in the Mobile, Alabama, area ahead of Trump’s visit draw attention to the fact that not one, but two, um, Florida men will be in the state on Friday. Alabamians banded together to express their opinion on the billboards. “Stay alert! Reports of suspicious Floridians in the area. Vote Democratic November 3.” It’s a good sign for what’s ahead that the resistance is alive and well in South Alabama. If people in the heart of Trump country are concerned about where this administration is taking the country, there’s hope. Whether it's cattle farmers who feel abandoned by the president they voted for repeatedly or people who don’t want their taxpayer dollars wasted by an administration that is using money in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) budget to run old Trump political ads, it seems that the issues of accountability and affordability are intersecting, and more Americans than ever, regardless of party, are beginning to see this administration for the corrupt threat to democracy that it is. We are just over a month out from Election Day. Many Americans are already casting ballots in the midterms. Polls are good for Democrats, but the only poll that really matters is when votes are counted on November 3. Turnout is critical and it’s also important to remember that not everyone around you may be registered to vote, and not everyone has a plan. That means there’s work for all of us to do; this is the time to do whatever you can do. Like the creative folks in Alabama, deliver a message designed to make people stop and think. Or turn to the person next to you and ask if they’re registered, and if they aren’t, help them figure out how to do it, while there’s still time. We can all do something, whatever that may be, right now. The way we win is by working on this as part of communities, large and small, that care about remaining a democracy. So play your part, and remember: be alert for suspicious Florida men. We’re in this together, Joyce You're currently a free subscriber to Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance . For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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