Richard Shelby survived a primary challenged in his home state of Alabama Tuesday, ensuring that he will remain atop the Senate Banking Committee.
The Republican fended off a conservative challenge from Iraq War veteran and maritime security businessman Jonathan McConnell, with the Associated Press reporting shortly before 10:30 p.m. on the East Coast that Shelby would win with enough support to avoid a runoff.
With the primary win, Shelby is positioned to win a sixth term, one that would see him in office until age 88. Shelby’s age and long tenure in Washington were at issue in the primary campaign.
The immediate effect of Shelby’s victory will to unfreeze activity at the Banking Committee. While fending off McConnell, Shelby slowed committee activity to a crawl, holding only one hearing in 2016. The Obama administration and Democrats have criticized him for refusing to hold hearings on Obama nominees. The most prominent blocked nominee is Adam Szubin, Obama’s pick for under secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes at the Department of the Treasury, a position important for countering the Islamic State.
To survive in an anti-establishment environment — Donald Trump dominated the GOP primary in Alabama Tuesday — Shelby maintained a conservative voting record in recent months, leading the Senate in voting against Obama, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly.
The Banking Committee chairman also spent heavily on ads, many of them negative against McConnell, out of his nearly $20 million campaign chest.
