Representative Barry Moore of Alabama, a third-term congressman and longtime loyalist of President Trump, faces Jared Hudson in his state’s Republican Senate primary runoff on Tuesday.
Here are five things to know about Mr. Moore, 59, of Enterprise, Ala., who led by about 14 percentage points in the May primary for the seat that the Republican senator Tommy Tuberville is vacating.
1. He was an early endorser of Mr. Trump’s first campaign for president. Mr. Moore endorsed Mr. Trump at a rally in Mobile, Ala., in August 2015, two months after he entered the race. Mr. Moore, then a state lawmaker, told the crowd that he was impressed by Mr. Trump’s performance at a Republican presidential debate. “I saw a man that understood small business,” Mr. Moore said, adding, “I saw a man that loved this country.” Mr. Trump recalled that support when he endorsed Mr. Moore’s candidacy for Senate, saying on social media that the representative had “been with me from the very beginning.”
2. He has put Mr. Trump’s support at the center of his campaign. Mr. Moore’s website describes him as “Trump Conservative” and opens with a pop-up video featuring the president. Mr. Moore said in an interview last month that Mr. Trump’s support “moved the needle dramatically” in a race that was once led by the state’s attorney general, Steve Marshall, according to opinion polls. (Mr. Marshall fell just short of Mr. Hudson in May.) Mr. Moore said Mr. Trump’s endorsement “can’t be the only thing you run on, but it sure is important.”
3. He has aggressively fought questions about his military service. Mr. Moore’s service has come under scrutiny during the runoff race, with Mr. Hudson, a former Navy SEAL, questioning Mr. Moore’s description of himself as a veteran. Mr. Moore did not deploy overseas. But his campaign says he served three years in the Alabama National Guard and more than three years in the Army Reserve before he was honorably discharged. His campaign has posted a page to its website with documents about his service, including a card issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs that identifies him as a veteran. Alabama news outlets reported this month that they had received cease-and-desist letters after asking Mr. Moore’s campaign about his service. In an interview, Mr. Moore sought to downplay the letter, saying his campaign was trying to show it was “serious” about setting “the record straight.”
4. He has received support from the crypto industry. Mr. Moore’s campaign has benefited from a major investment by a crypto-backed super PAC. The organization, Fairshake, which has been involved in midterm races across the country, has spent more than $12 million to support Mr. Moore, said Geoff Vetter, a spokesman for the super PAC.
5. He ran a waste disposal company. Mr. Moore, who grew up on a farm, spent a quarter-century running a garbage hauling company, Hopper-Moore. His son Jeb runs it now. Mr. Moore says he started the company with an old truck and six trash cans.
