Less than a week before Tuesday’s runoff election in the 5th Congressional District primary, frontrunner Dale Strong received an endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
It’s the first national endorsement Strong or his opponent, Casey Wardynski, have received in the race – although both candidates have received announcements of support during their campaigns.
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In a press release announcing Strong’s endorsement, the Chamber said it “endorses pro-business candidates for federal office who will vigorously support public policy that will advance economic growth, create jobs, and promote fiscal responsibility.”
Strong is the longtime chairman of the Madison County Commission.
“Dale is a proven leader who has brought jobs and companies to north Alabama including Mazda Toyota, Blue Origin, Polaris and Space Command,” Moore Hallmark, vice president of Regional Affairs and Advocacy for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement making the announcement. “In Congress, Dale will lead the charge to fight for pro-business policies and against record inflation that hurts American businesses. He is a proven common-sense conservative that will work every day to improve his community and our nation.”
Strong received 45% of the vote in last month’s primary and Wardynski, former Assistant Secretary of the Army and Huntsville City Schools superintendent, finished second with 23% of the vote. The runoff winner will face Democratic nominee Kathy Warner-Stanton in the November general election.
“It is an honor to receive the U.S. Chamber’s endorsement,” Strong said in a statement. “We are seeing firsthand that record level inflation and the supply chain crisis are making it harder to feed our families. I have worked closely with chambers of commerce across our area because we cannot be successful unless we work together as a region. In Congress, I want to be part of that team in Washington and part of a new Conservative majority that will stop harmful policies and enact meaningful change.”
Strong has also received endorsements from the Alabama Fraternal Order of Police and the Alabama Farmer’s Federation’s FarmPac.
Wardynski has received endorsements from the House Freedom Fund, the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus – the conservative wing of the U.S. House of Representatives – as well as Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, Associated Builders and Contractors of North Alabama, Gen. Michael Flynn (who briefly served as former President Donald Trump’s national security adviser) and Joshua Whitehouse, Trump White House Liaison to the Department of Defense.
