Arnold Mooney
| Arnold Gaston Mooney, II | |
Alabama State Representative
for District 43 (Jefferson and Shelby counties) | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office November 5, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Mary Sue McClurkin |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1951 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Kelly McCarthy Mooney (married 1982) |
| Children | Arnold Gaston Mooney, III John Houston Mooney |
| Residence | Indian Springs Birmingham |
| Alma mater | Samford University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Religion | Southern Baptist |
Arnold Gaston Mooney, II (born c. 1951),[1][2] is a businessman from suburban Indian Springs in Birmingham, Alabama, who has since 2014 represented District 43 in the Alabama House of Representatives. A conservative Republican, his district encompasses Jefferson and Shelby counties in the north central portion of his state.
Education, business career, and personal life
Mooney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a Master of Arts from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He also studied at the School of Government and Business Administration at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He was from 1985 to 2012 the vice president of Colonial Properties Trust. Since 2012, he has been an associate broker for Southeast Commercial Partners. He is a member of Alabama Eagle Forum and the Alabama Policy Institute. He is a board member of the foundation for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is a past president of the charitable organization, the St. Andrews Society. He has been a fundraiser for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is a deacon at Meadow Brook Baptist Church in Birmingham; he is chairman of the personnel committee and the capital campaign to raise funds for a church sanctuary. Mooney and his wife, Kelly, have three grown children, Gaston, Houston, and Arrington Mooney.[3]
Early political career
Mooney was a staff assistant to conservative Democrat U.S. Senator James B. Allen, who died in office in 1978 and was known like Republican Jesse Helms of North Carolina for his mastery of parliamentary procedure. In 1984, Mooney managed the unsuccessful campaign of Republican former U.S. Representative Albert Lee Smith, Jr. (1931-1997), of Birmingham, who challenged the popular Democratic incumbent Howell Heflin.[3] In 2017, Mooney managed the campaign for Mo Brooks of Huntsville, a U.S. representative who unsuccessfully sought to succeed Senator Jeff Sessions in a special election held on August 15. Sessions resigned the position to become Attorney General of the United States in the Trump administration.[4] The top two vote-getters, Roy Moore, a former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and appointed interim Senator Luther Strange, the former state attorney general, competed in a runoff, which Moore won. Moore then faced a heated challenge from the liberal Democrat, former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, on December 12, ultimately losing by less than 2% of the vote.[5]
Alabama House of Representatives
In the Republican primary runoff election for House District 38 on July 15, 2014, Mooney defeated intra-party rival Amie Beth Shaver. The position opened when the incumbent Republican Mary Sue McClurkin, did not seek reelection. Mooney then ran unopposed in the November 4 general election in the heavily Republican district.[6] Mooney had been McClurkin's finance chairman in her three previous state House elections.[7]
Tenure
Mooney sits on these House committees: (1) Health, (2) Jefferson County Legislation, (3) Shelby County Legislation, and (4) Ways and Means General Fund.[3]
In 2015, Representative Mooney voted for the use of electrocution in executions. He voted against the requirement that animal shelters prepare monthly reports. He supported the establishment of public charter schools in Alabama, a measure which passed the House, 58–41. He supported the bill to permit the home schooled to participate in public school athletic events, a measure approved by the full House, 52–43. He voted against increasing the cigarette tax, which still passed the House, 52–46. In 2016, Mooney co-sponsored legislation to forbid the sale of fetal tissue or to permit its use in research, and he opposed dilation abortions in Alabama. He supported additional funding for new prison facilities, a measure which passed the House, 52–33. In 2017, Mooney voted to permit midwives to practice in his state, a measure which won House approval, 84–11. He voted to reduce the time for appeals from inmates on death row. He voted to prohibit alteration or removal of historic monuments, a measure which passed 72–29. He voted against the prohibition of judicial override of sentencing guidelines, which nevertheless passed the House, 78–19.[8]
2020 Senate run
It was announced in May 2019 that Mooney was running for U.S. Senate in the 2020 U.S. Senate election in Alabama to unseat Democrat Doug Jones.[9] He was endorsed by Sen. Rand Paul,[10] conservative radio show host Mark Levin,[11] in addition to ten members of the Alabama legislature.[12]
Republican primary
Mooney was eliminated in the Republican primary held on March 3, 2020, being able to garner only 1% of the votes casted.[13]
References
- ↑ Arnold G. Mooney, II. Linkedin.com. Retrieved on October 23, 2017.
- ↑ LinkedIn.com indicates that Mooney received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973; therefore, he is estimated to have been born in c. 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Arnold Mooney's Biography. Retrieved on October 23, 2017.
- ↑ Brooks appoints Mooney as campaign chair. Mobrooksforsenate.com (June 5, 2017). Retrieved on October 23, 2017.
- ↑ Alabama Election Results: Doug Jones Defeats Roy Moore in U.S. Senate Race
- ↑ Arnold Mooney. Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved on October 22, 2017.
- ↑ Mo Brooks taps state legislator to run Senate campaign. Al.com (June 5, 2017). Retrieved on October 23, 2017.
- ↑ Arnold Mooney's Voting Records. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 23, 2017.
- ↑ Rep. Arnold Mooney of Shelby County enters U.S. Senate race
- ↑ Rand Paul endorses Arnold Mooney for Alabama Senate seat
- ↑ Mark Levin endorses State Rep. Arnold Mooney for 2020 U.S. Senate — Roy Moore ‘had his shot and he lost’
- ↑ Arnold Mooney Racks Up Endorsements From 10 State Legislators
- ↑ United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)