Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Ron Crumpton

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby may have decisively defeated four Republican competitors in the March 1 primary, but his Democratic opponent believes he has a good chance of dethroning the oft-called “King of Pork” in November.

Ron Crumpton, the 47-year-old Wilsonville native, addressed the Limestone County Democratic Party on Thursday and outlined why he believes Shelby is bad for Alabama. Crumpton defeated Charles Nana with 56 percent of the vote in the Super Tuesday primary, and now has his sights set firmly on Shelby.

“I wouldn’t have gotten in this race unless I thought I would win it,” he told members of the local Democratic Party during their monthly meeting at Mac’s Sports Bar and Steakhouse in Athens.

Prior to getting into politics, Crumpton worked in landscaping and irrigation services. After becoming disabled, however, his bio says he “entered college at Jeff State Junior College and continued to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in order to obtain the job skills necessary to remain a productive member of society.”

As a lobbyist in Montgomery, Crumpton has been outspoken on sentencing reform and has helped author bills to legalize medical and recreational marijuana use. He has also advocated for providing service dogs to patients who have multiple physical or mental handicaps and supports legislation that would prevent the abuse of special needs children and adults in care facilities.

Crumpton spent much of his time Thursday talking about his plans to improve the nation’s economic and educational standing. The following are points he outlined during his comments to local Democrats:

Why he’s running

“I was tired of seeing Republicans walk into federal office unopposed,” he said. “I was tired of seeing Democrats run to the right and get killed in the general election and I was tired of seeing Democrats run who wouldn’t stand up and be Democrats.”

Education

Crumpton described the nation’s education system as one of “haves” and “have nots.” He compared school systems like Mountain Brook, which has the highest per-pupil expenditure rate in the state, with poorer schools that have 10-year-old computers, no Wi-Fi access and failing infrastructure.

“We’re expecting our teachers to teach the skills of tomorrow using the technologies of the past,” he said.

Crumpton said his plan would call for a $90 billion investment into education, $65 billion of which would go to repairing dilapidated public schools. The other $25 billion would go toward upgrading technology and ensuring each school has access to Wi-Fi.

He also wants to ensure each child has the opportunity to attend college by raising Pell Grant amounts to $10,300 per year, per student, which would cover the average cost of tuition, books and fees at any public university in the U.S.

Income equality

For students who do not attend college, Crumpton said, they face a world of income inequality upon entering the working world. If elected to the U.S. Senate, he would advocate for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour and ensure equal pay for all employees, regardless of race or sex.

“Right now, a white female makes 78 cents on the dollar as compared to a white male. A black male makes 74 cents, while a black female makes 66 cents on the dollar,” he said. “A lot of people will say, ‘You can’t get rid of discrimination,’ but those numbers are ridiculous. We can get those numbers up to 90 percent across the board, and it would mean an additional $600 billion in wages for our economy each year. That’s what we spend on the defense budget and what it would cost to buy every NFL football team 13 times.”

Banking reform and tax breaks

Crumpton called Shelby’s role as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development into question. He chastised Shelby from wanting to release banks from regulations enacted after the 2008 recession and said he would fight to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act. The 1933 law prohibited commercial banks from engaging in the investment business.

“(The law) was torn down in the 1990s and was one of the main things that caused the crisis in 2008,” Crumpton said. “The new Glass-Steagle being pushed by Sen. (Elizabeth) Warren would solve a lot of problems in our economy.”

In speaking on tax breaks, Crumpton explained companies like General Electric and Boeing make billions of dollars each year and also get a tax refund through lucrative tax breaks. He believes small businesses should be afforded the same luxury.

“We we need to move money back into our economy,” he said. “Right now, it’s too easy in this market to push the little guys out.”

Criticism for Shelby

Crumpton asked how many saw Shelby’s television commercials, which claimed Shelby stands up to Obama each day and also visits each of the state’s 67 counties. Crumpton said there’s no way Shelby could be visiting each county in the state because poverty is still rampant in Alabama.

“The point of going to each of the counties is to talk to your constituents, talk about what their needs are and doing something about it when you get back to Washington,” he said.

Crumpton also criticized Shelby’s voting record as reported by the website opensecrets.org. He said the site ranked Shelby near the bottom of all senators in terms of sponsored bills.

“(The site) says he’s 97th, but he’s in a four-way tie for last place,” Crumpton said.

Support for Democrats

Mike Smith, chairman of the Limestone County Democratic Party, urged his fellow Democrats to not only support Crumpton, but all Democrats seeking office in November. He also asked them to simply read the news and stay informed on issues and scandals surrounding Gov. Robert Bentley, House Speaker Mike Hubbard and Chief Justice Roy Moore.

“The way to get people to vote Democrat in Limestone County is to educate them about what’s going on,” Smith said. “Educate yourself and talk to your neighbors and friends about it. … If you know what’s going on, it’s not a hard choice.”

For more on Crumpton, visit his website at crumptonforalabama.com.