Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Thursday that he will challenge Alabama Sen. Doug Jones in 2020 for Sessions' previously held Senate seat.
The big picture: Sessions' launch comes exactly one year to the day after he submitted his resignation at the request of President Trump. Sessions, who held the Senate seat from 1997-2017, is entering a crowded primary, as several Republican candidates vie to turn the Alabama seat red again.
Between the lines: Sessions could lose the primary. He has been warned that Trump, who soured on the attorney general for recusing himself during the Mueller probe, is likely to attack him.
- On his campaign website, Sessions defended his exit from the administration, stating: "When I left President Trump’s cabinet, did I write a tell all book? No. Did I go on CNN and attack the President? No. Have I said a cross word about President Trump? No."
- Sessions added: "As everyone knows, President Trump and I have had our ups and downs. But here’s the important part: the President is doing great work for America."
What to watch: Trump is expected to attend the University of Alabama v. Louisiana State University football game in Tuscaloosa on Saturday.
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