Tuberville breaks DC self-quarantine policy to campaign

Alabama Republican Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville appears to have broken the D.C. policy requiring visitors from states with high coronavirus case counts to self-quarantine for 14 days. 

Tuberville defied the District’s requirement during a fundraising trip in D.C. this week, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. 

The Post cited a photo Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) posted to Facebook on Tuesday of the two men, neither in a mask, in the lobby of the Trump International Hotel. 

Alexandra Kendrick, president of High Cotton Consulting, a D.C- based fundraising operation, also offered in-person meetings with Tuberville while he was in D.C. from early afternoon Tuesday through Thursday, the Post reported. She reportedly emailed contacts shortly after Tuberville’s win earlier this month, when he defeated former Trump administration Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a GOP runoff. 

“We are accepting in-person meetings during that time frame. Let me know if you and your group are interested in sitting down with the NEXT Senator from Alabama. Just let me know and we will put you on the schedule,” Kendrick wrote, the Post reported, citing a copy of the email. 

The Hill reached out to the Tuberville campaign for comment. 

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) last week announced visitors arriving to the District on nonessential business from hot spot areas will need to quarantine for 14 days. Alabama is one of more than two dozen states on the list. 

Senate Democrats criticized Tuberville over his visit. 

“Just like when he opposed the statewide mask order from Alabama’s Republican governor, Tommy Tuberville is ignoring medical experts because he’s more focused on raising campaign cash in Washington than doing what’s right,” Helen Kalla, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told The Washington Post. 

Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach, beat Sessions in a runoff earlier this month. Sessions was running to reclaim his old seat.

Tuberville will face Sen. Dough Jones (D-Ala.) in November. Jones is considered the most vulnerable Democrat facing reelection in 2020. The Cook Political Report rates the race as “Lean Republican.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) issued a mandatory statewide mask order earlier this month as the number of coronavirus cases increased. 

Tuberville has voiced opposition to such mandates. He told AL.com earlier this month he supports people wearing masks but is against the government imposing such orders. 

“Surely to goodness, we can protect our own selves without the government dictating every move that we make,” he told the outlet. “So, no, I’m not for mandatory. But I am for wearing masks.”

The outlet also noted that Tuberville wore a mask during his watch party early on the night of his win when he spoke to supporters but did not wear one when he gave his victory speech or when he went into the crowd and posed for photos and for hugs, handshakes and high-fives. 

“I wore one beforehand. I just didn’t wear one afterwards,” he told the outlet when asked about why he disregarded social distancing and mask guidelines. “That’s the way it was. Again, I don’t want somebody telling me what to do. You had people all up there wanting to get autographs and take pictures. There’s probably times we need to do it. At that time, I just wasn’t wearing a mask.”