One of the candidates looking to unseat U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., in the Republican primary is claiming fellow GOP challenger Jonathan McConnell urged him to drop out of the race and promise to reimburse his expenses if he did so.
John Martin, a Dothan former Army Ranger who filed to run in the March 1 primary, posted the allegations earlier this month to Facebook, describing the offer as “illegal.”
US Senate candidate John Martin has charged opponent Jonathan McConnell of offering him money to drop out of the Republican primary. If true, this would not be the first time McConnell has been accused with violating campaign rules.
The Auburn Plainsman in 2003 reported McConnell violated several campaign rules in his bid for Auburn student body president, including attempting to gather students’ student ID numbers and pins to cast votes for his campaign.
In 2003, SGA Sen. Michael Joffrion accused McConnell of violating seven campaign rules. The Auburn E-Board determined, “Of the seven violation categories outlined in Joffrion’s contention, E-Board found there was enough evidence to support six of the allegations,” wrote student reporter Brooklyn Noel.