Former NFL and Alabama Player Launches Run for New Congressional District as a Republican
A former Alabama football player has become the 21st candidate to announce a run for a newly drawn congressional district in his home state.
Former Alabama and NFL defensive end Wallace Gilberry declared his candidacy Wednesday morning, becoming the eighth Republican to do so. There are also 13 Democrats running for the seat.
“I’m running because Joe Biden and the liberal politicians have let down my community and failed Alabama. Folks here at home are hurting and too many politicians don’t understand that — I see it every day,” he told Fox News.
“My mission is simple: we’ve got to fire Joe Biden, beat back the liberals who have held down the Black community for too long, put the people of Alabama first, and help President Donald J. Trump Make America Great Again.”
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama ordered new congressional districts on October 5 to “remed[y] racially discriminatory vote dilution that we found and the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed in Alabama’s previous plan,” according to a court filing.
The Second Congressional District of Alabama now runs from western to the eastern borders of the southern part of the state.
The district now sits just north of Gilberry’s hometown of Bay Minette in Baldwin County, where Gilberry played prep football at Baldwin County High School.
The court order, including the redrawn map, is available here.
“Out-of-touch, out-of-state Democrats wasted all kinds of time and money trying to buy themselves another seat in Congress because they take black folks for granted and think we will all just vote Democrat. Problem for them is that Alabama can’t be bought,” Gilberry told Fox.
“A black man is going to win this race — but it’ll be me, a conservative Republican who puts Alabama first,” he added.
Fox predicted that the new district would likely go to a Democrat in next year’s House elections, but that didn’t seem to faze Gilberry.
“I’m going to win this race by telling the truth and doing what’s right for Alabama, it’s pretty simple,” the nine-year NFL veteran told Fox.
Gilberry mentioned a number of issues in his comments to Fox, but elaborated on two: the anti-Americanism of the Black Lives Matter movement and the issue of men competing in women’s sports after claiming to be women themselves.
“BLM has way more in common with the KKK than they do MLK,” he told Fox. “While others were kneeling during the national anthem, my team was standing. We were united as a team, while others were focused on media attention and self-promotion — it was wrong then and it’s wrong now.
“I’ll always stand to honor those who keep us free,” he added.
As for men competing in women’s sports, Gilberry said it would eventually bring an end to women’s sports as they are currently known.
“Allowing men to compete against women, that’s ‘abolishment’ of women’s sports, plain and simple,” he said. “And we should never allow men into girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms. We have to protect women and girls; we can’t let a sex offender put on a wig and lipstick and say he’s a female.”
Riffing on Trump’s “America first” mantra — intentionally or otherwise — Gilberry said that he, unlike other candidates, would have Alabama’s welfare in mind if elected.
“My focus is on lifting up the people of Alabama. I’ve been blessed with incredible success, success that came from playing football. I’m running to have a platform to help create opportunities for young men who look like me that go beyond sports,” he told Fox.
“More jobs at local businesses, helping entrepreneurs thrive, keeping our communities safe. In order to do that we have to get rid of career politicians, get rid of Joe Biden, and elect people focused on putting the people of Alabama first.”
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