Chris Horn's AL 7 Killing Spree

Chris Horn went on a killing spree Tuesday night.

He killed any chance Robin Litaker has to defeat Terri Sewell in November. He killed the Republican Party’s best opportunity in decades to oust a Democrat from AL-7 and give Alabama a 100% Republican congressional delegation. He killed any political future he might have had in Alabama.

Horn was one of two Republicans, Litaker being the other, to qualify for the AL-7 primary. Despite Horn living in Huntsville in AL-5, the law allows candidates to qualify and run regardless of residency. While campaigning, Horn took pains to point out his family’s history in Birmingham and the Black Belt. Still, questions lingered. These questions were only fed by Horn at the Jefferson County straw poll in January when he said that he had “a decision to make.”

His decision was ultimately to drop out of the race. Unfortunately for all concerned, Horn waited until the ballots were already printed, leaving his name as a choice for voters on Tuesday.

As of this writing, Horn had received just over 52% of the vote to Robin Litaker’s not quite 48%.

Embarrassing doesn’t begin to cover it.

The Alabama GOP had no choice but to proclaim Litaker their nominee to run against long-term incumbent Democrat Terri Sewell. Sewell is a reliable Democrat vote in the House, and while she isn’t as liberal as some, her faithful allegiance to the Democratic platform and agenda puts her out of step with many Alabamians.

In a cycle where the incumbent Democrat President has an abysmal record on everything and a favorability rating somewhere below hemorrhoids, any Republican might have had a good choice at Sewell’s seat. With President Trump at the top of the ticket—as now seems likely—and with his growing popularity among Black voters, this could have been the year to put a Republican in AL-7.

Could have…but not now.

ALGOP Chairman John Wahl has now been forced to name as the AL-7 primary “winner” a candidate who didn’t even get 50% of the vote. How much enthusiasm will there be for any candidate with that record between now and November? More importantly, how much money would any candidate in that situation be able to raise, against an incumbent with deep DC and national Democrat pockets to draw on?

The horrible state of Joe Biden’s economy has made it difficult for everyone to raise money this cycle. Now Robin Litaker has to try to raise cash somehow, and losing to a withdrawn candidate will make it nigh-impossible for her to do it.

Perception is at least 90% of politics, and thanks to Chris Horn, Robin Litaker is now perceived as a loser and a lost cause. Unless she can reverse that perception quickly, it will become her campaign’s reality.

Two years ago, Chris Horn made a name for himself state-wide in the Secretary of State’s race. Unfortunately for him, he was running against two established candidates. He made a respectable showing, and could have used that as a stepping stone to successful runs in the future.

Now, he’s managed to smear egg on a lot of faces in the ALGOP, and that’s not the kind of thing that’s easily forgotten, much less forgiven. His poor decisions, from qualifying through lackluster campaigning to last-minute withdrawal, say things about his political judgment—none of them good. Should he ever try to run again, his reception will be tepid, at best.

March 5, 2024. That’s the day Chris Horn killed his political career. That he also killed Republican hopes across the state, and especially in the Black Belt, just adds to the tragedy.