Jeff Sessions

Jeff Sessions

Republican Party

Prior offices

Attorney General of Alabama

---

U.S. Senate Alabama

Successor: Luther J. Strange III

---

U.S. Attorney General

---

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $7,080,031

Elections and appointments

Last election

July 14, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Huntingdon College, 1969

Law

University of Alabama, 1973

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army Reserve

Years of service

1973 - 1986

Personal

Religion

Christian: Methodist

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

float:right;
border:1px solid #FFB81F;
background-color: white;
width: 250px;
font-size: .9em;
margin-bottom:0px;

} .infobox p { margin-bottom: 0; } .widget-row { display: inline-block; width: 100%; margin-top: 1px; margin-bottom: 1px; } .widget-row.heading { font-size: 1.2em; } .widget-row.value-only { text-align: center; background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.value-only.white { background-color: #f9f9f9; } .widget-row.value-only.black { background-color: #f9f9f9; color: black; } .widget-row.Democratic { background-color: #003388; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Republican { background-color: red; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Independent, .widget-row.Nonpartisan, .widget-row.Constitution { background-color: grey; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Libertarian { background-color: #f9d334; color: black; font-weight: bold; } .widget-row.Green { background-color: green; color: white; font-weight: bold; } .widget-key { width: 43%; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; vertical-align: top; font-weight: bold; } .widget-value { width: 57%; float: right; display: inline-block; padding-left: 10px; word-wrap: break-word; } .widget-img { width: 150px; display: block; margin: auto; } .clearfix { clear: both; }

Jeff Sessions was the U.S. Attorney General. He assumed office on February 9, 2017. He left office on November 7, 2018.

Sessions (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Alabama. He lost in the Republican primary runoff on July 14, 2020.

Sessions served as the 84th attorney general of the United States. He was a member of President Donald Trump’s (R) administration. On November 7, 2018, Sessions submitted his letter of resignation at Trump's request. Sessions said, "I have been honored to serve as Attorney General and have worked to implement the law enforcement agenda based on the rule of law that formed a central part of your campaign for the Presidency."

Before serving as attorney general, Sessions served as a U.S. senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017 and the attorney general of Alabama from 1994 to 1996.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Sessions' academic, professional, and political career:

• February 9, 2017-November 7, 2018: United States Attorney General
• 1997-2017: U.S. Senator from Alabama
• 1994-1996: Alabama Attorney General
• 1981-1993: United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
• 1977-1981: Practiced law in Mobile, Alabama
• 1973-1986: U.S. Army Reserve, attained the rank of captain
• 1973-1975: Practiced law in Russellville, Alabama
• 1973: Graduated from University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa
• 1969: Graduated from Huntingdon College, Montgomery

Elections

2020

See also: United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020

United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Republican primary)

United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. Senate Alabama

Tommy Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones in the general election for U.S. Senate Alabama on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Tuberville (R)	60.1	1,392,076
		Doug Jones (D)	39.7	920,478
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	3,891

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,316,445
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michael Parrish (Unaffiliated)
• Marcus Jejaun Williams (Independent Conservative Democratic Party)

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Alabama

Tommy Tuberville defeated Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Alabama on July 14, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Tuberville	60.7	334,675
		Jeff Sessions	39.3	216,452

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 551,127
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Doug Jones advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Alabama.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Alabama

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate Alabama on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Tuberville	33.4	239,616
✔		Jeff Sessions	31.6	227,088
		Bradley Byrne	24.9	178,627
		Roy Moore	7.2	51,377
		Ruth Page Nelson	1.0	7,200
		Arnold Mooney	1.0	7,149
		Stanley Adair	0.9	6,608

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 717,665
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Chase Anderson Romagnano (R)
• John Paul Serbin (R)
• Marty Preston Hatley (R)
• John Merrill (R)

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Alabama, 2014

Sessions won re-election in the 2014 election for the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama. He ran completely unopposed in both the Republican primary on June 3, 2014, and the general election in November.

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions Incumbent	97.3%	795,606
	N/A	Write-in	2.7%	22,484
Total Votes				818,090
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

2008

On November 4, 2008, Jeff Sessions won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Vivian Davis Figures (D) in the general election.

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions incumbent	63.4%	1,305,383
	Democratic	Vivian Davis Figures	36.5%	752,391
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	2,417
Total Votes				2,060,191

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Jeff Sessions, click [show] to expand the section.

2002 On November 5, 2002, Jeff Sessions won re-election to the United States Senate. He defeated Susan Parker (D) and Jeff Allen (L) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Jeff Sessions incumbent 58.6% 792,561      Democratic Susan Parker 39.8% 538,878      Libertarian Jeff Allen 1.5% 20,234      N/A Write-in 0.1% 1,350 Total Votes 1,353,023 1996 On November 5, 1996, Jeff Sessions won election to the United States Senate. He defeated Roger Bedford (D), Mark Thornton (L) and Charles Hebner (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1996 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Jeff Sessions 52.5% 786,436      Democratic Roger Bedford 45.5% 681,651      Libertarian Mark Thornton 1.4% 21,550      Natural Law Charles Hebner 0.6% 9,123      N/A Write-in 0% 633 Total Votes 1,499,393

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Jeff Sessions did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

In the "Issues" section of his campaign website, Sessions published a booklet containing his plan, "Betting on America: Standing Up to China's Cold-Blooded Drive for Power." Read the plan here.

U.S. attorney general

Sessions served as attorney general from February 9, 2017, to November 7, 2018.

Senate confirmation vote

On February 8, 2017, the Senate voted 52-47 to confirm Sessions as attorney general. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) was the only Democrat to vote for Sessions.

Jeff Sessions confirmation vote, February 8, 2017
Party	Votes for a	Votes against d	Total votes
Democrats	1	45	46
Republicans	51	0	51
Independents	0	2	2
Total Votes	52	47	99

Nomination

The Trump transition team announced on November 18, 2016, that President Donald Trump intended to nominate Sessions to serve as attorney general. Sessions was an early supporter of Trump’s candidacy.

Reactions to Sessions' nomination

Nomination tracker
Candidate: Jeff Sessions
Position: U.S. Attorney General
Confirmation progress
a	Announced:	November 18, 2016
a	Hearing:	January 10-11, 2017
a	Committee:	Judiciary Committee
a	Reported:	February 1, 2017 11-9
a	Confirmed:	February 8, 2017
a	Vote:	52-47

• Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said, “Senator Sessions is a respected member and former Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee who has worked across the aisle on major legislation. He knows the Justice Department as a former U.S. attorney, which would serve him very well in this position."

• Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a member of the Judiciary Committee, said in a statement, “Senator Sessions has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee for many years so he’s well aware of the thorough vetting he’s about to receive. … While Senator Sessions and I differ on a great many issues, I am committed to a full and fair process."

Issues

Immigration

• On March 7, 2018, during a speech at the Annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day hosted by the California Peace Officers' Association, Sessions discussed federal immigration law. He said, "We are a strong, prosperous, and orderly nation. And such a nation must have a lawful system of immigration. I am not aware of any advanced nation that does not understand this fundamental tenet. And let no one contend that we reject immigration and want to 'wall off America' from all lawful immigration. President Trump and the American people know what’s happening. We admit 1.1 million immigrants lawfully to permanent legal status—green card status—every year, the highest numbers in the world. Indeed, at this unprecedented rate we will soon have the largest percentage of non-native born in our nation’s history with the percentage continuing to rise every year thereafter. Thus, the good and decent people of this country are right to insist that this country should end the illegality, create a rational immigration flow, and protect the nation from criminal aliens. It cannot be that someone who illegally crosses the border and two days later arrives in Sacramento, Dubuque, Louisville, and Central Islip is home free—never to be removed. It cannot be the policy of a great nation to up and reward those who unlawfully enter its country with legal status, Social Security, welfare, food stamps, and work permits. Meanwhile those who engage in this process lawfully and patiently and wait their turn are discriminated against at every turn. Most Americans get this. They are working hard to make ends meet, follow the rules, and try to keep their loved ones safe."

DACA

• During a press briefing announcing the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Sessions said, "Simply put if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and rule of law in America, the Department of Justice cannot defend this overreach."

Sanctuary jurisdictions

• On March 7, 2018, during a speech at the Annual Law Enforcement Legislative Day hosted by the California Peace Officers' Association, Sessions discussed California's immigration laws and the state's sanctuary jurisdiction status. His comments appear below.

• Sessions on the mayor of Oakland notifying residents that there would be an ICE raid: "The mayor of Oakland has been actively seeking to help illegal aliens avoid apprehension by ICE. Her actions support those who flout our laws and boldly validate the illegality. There’s no other way to interpret her remarks. To make matters worse, the elected Lieutenant Governor of this state praised her for doing so. Bragging about and encouraging the obstruction of our law enforcement and the law is an embarrassment to this proud and important state. Tom Homan, Acting Director of ICE has said that 'being a law enforcement officer is already dangerous enough, but to give the criminals a heads up that we're coming in the next 24 hours increases that risk. I watch [the mayor’s] statement when she said her priority is the safety of her community, but what she did has the exact opposite effect.' According to Acting Director Homan, ICE failed to make 800 arrests that they would have made if the mayor had not acted as she did. Those are 800 wanted aliens that are now at large in that community—most are wanted criminals that ICE will now have to pursue with more difficulty in more dangerous situations, all because of one mayor’s irresponsible action. So here’s my message to Mayor Schaaf: How dare you. How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of law enforcement just to promote your radical open borders agenda."

• Sessions on California enacting certain immigration laws: "In recent years, California has enacted a number of laws designed to intentionally obstruct the work of our sworn immigration enforcement officers—to intentionally use every power it has to undermine duly-established immigration law in America. California won’t let employers voluntarily allow ICE agents on their property. And California requires employers to give notice to employees before ICE inspects their workplace. When this law was before the California General Assembly, a Judiciary Committee report explicitly stated that its goal was to frustrate 'an expected increase in federal immigration enforcement actions.' ICE agents are federal law enforcement officers carrying out federal law. California cannot forbid them or obstruct them in doing their jobs. ... And just think about the situation it puts California employers in. They want to help law enforcement. They want to do their civic duty. We ought to encourage that. But your state attorney general has repeatedly said his office will prosecute these business owners. Let me quote: 'ignorance of the law is no excuse if you violate it' and 'you are subjecting yourself to up to $10,000 [in fines] for violations.'"

• Session on California impeding the work of ICE agents: "California has also claimed the authority to inspect facilities where ICE holds people in custody. Already this year, California has specifically and in a discriminatory manner targeted six facilities and demanded documents and other material from the Department of Homeland Security. California won’t let law enforcement officers like you transfer prisoners into ICE custody or even communicate with ICE that you’re about to release someone they’re looking for. Remember that California found these people dangerous enough to detain them in the first place, but then insists on releasing them back into the community instead of allowing federal officers to remove them. And rather than allow ICE officers to do their jobs at the jailhouse, they force these officers to conduct far more dangerous arrests elsewhere—where violent criminals may reside and where children can be caught in the crossfire. That’s not just unconstitutional, it’s a plain violation of federal statute and common sense. Importantly, these laws are harmful to Californians, and they’re especially harmful to law enforcement. That’s why the Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit yesterday against the state of California to invalidate these unjust laws and to immediately freeze their effect. Federal agents must be able to do the job that Congress has directed them to do."

• Session on not asking states to enforce federal immigration laws: "Contrary to what you might hear from the lawless open borders radicals, we are not asking California, Oakland, or anyone else to enforce immigration laws. Although we would welcome the positive assistance the majority of jurisdictions in America provide, ICE agents do incredible work every day. They will not be deterred. We are simply asking California and other sanctuary jurisdictions to stop actively obstructing federal law enforcement. Stop treating immigration agents differently from everybody else for the purpose of eviscerating border controls and advancing an open borders philosophy shared by only the most radical extremists. Stop protecting lawbreakers and giving all officers more dangerous work to do so that a few politicians can score political points on the backs of officer safety."

• On March 27, 2017, Sessions said that sanctuary jurisdictions would lose federal funding if they did not comply with 8 U.S.C. § 1373, which governs communications between government agencies and immigration services. He noted that any jurisdiction applying for a U.S. Department of Justice grant would have to certify compliance with this law. "The Department of Justice will also take all lawful steps to claw-back any funds awarded to a jurisdiction that willfully violates Section 1373," Sessions added.

Visa and immigration restrictions

• During his confirmation hearing on January 10, 2017, Sessions opposed a sweeping ban on Muslims entering the U.S. "I have no belief and do not support the idea that Muslims as a religious group should be denied admission to the United States," Sessions said. He added that religion could be considered when reviewing visa applications since some individuals' beliefs, he asserted, are at odds with protecting the safety of Americans.

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate

2017-2018

At the beginning of the 115th Congress, Sessions was assigned to the following committees:

• United States Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control
• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
• Committee on Armed Services
• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
• Committee on Environment and Public Works

2015-2016

Sessions served on the following committees:

• Armed Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on Seapower
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Chairman
• Budget Committee
• Environment and Public Works Committee
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and Wildlife
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Immigration and The National Interest, Chairman
  • Subcommittee on Oversight, Federal Rights and Agency Action

2013-2014

Sessions served on the following Senate committees:

• Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces
  • Subcommittee on SeaPower
  • Subcommittee on Airland
• Budget Committee Ranking Member
• Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
• Judiciary Committee
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Bankruptcy and the Courts subcommittee Ranking Member

2011-2012

• Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Airland
  • Subcommittee on SeaPower
  • Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Ranking Member
• Budget, Ranking Member
• Environment and Public Works
  • Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety
  • Subcommittee on Green Jobs and the New Economy
  • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Water and Power
• Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, Ranking Member
  • Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security

Key votes

Key votes (click "show" to expand or "hide" to contract)

114th Congress The first session of the 114th Congress enacted into law six out of the 2,616 introduced bills (0.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 1.3 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the first session. In the second session, the 114th Congress enacted 133 out of 3,159 introduced bills (4.2 percent). Comparatively, the 113th Congress had 7.0 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 18,117 out of 21,815 executive nominations received (83 percent). For more information pertaining to Sessions's voting record in the 114th Congress, please see the below sections. Economic and fiscal Trade Act of 2015 See also: The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, 2015 On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). TPA, also known as fast track authority, allows the president to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended by Congress. Congress casts a simple up or down vote on a trade agreement, and the legislation only requires a simple majority for approval. The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Sessions voted with 30 other Democratic senators against the bill. Trade promotion authority On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Sessions was one of five Republicans to vote against the bill. After, Senate Republican leadership honored a pledge to support trade adjustment assistance (TAA) by passing the measure as part of HR 1295 - Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 by voice vote. The House passed HR 1295 the following day, on June 25, 2015, and both TPA and TAA were signed into law on June 29, 2015. 2016 Budget proposal On May 5, 2015, the Senate voted to approve SConRes11, a congressional budget proposal for fiscal year 2016, by a vote of 51-48. The non-binding resolution will be used to create 12 appropriations bills to fund the government. The vote marked the first time since 2009 that Congress approved a joint budget resolution. All 44 Democrats voted against the resolution. Sessions voted with 50 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Defense spending authorization On November 10, 2015, the Senate passed S 1356 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 91-3. The second version of the $607 billion national defense bill included "$5 billion in cuts to match what was approved in the budget" and language preventing the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison. Sessions voted with 47 Republicans, 42 Democrats and one independent to approve the bill. On November 5, 2015, the House passed the bill by a vote of 370-58, and President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 25, 2015. On June 18, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1735 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 by a vote of 71-25. The bill "authorizes FY2016 appropriations and sets forth policies for Department of Defense (DOD) programs and activities, including military personnel strengths. It does not provide budget authority, which is provided in subsequent appropriations legislation." Sessions voted with 48 Republicans, 21 Democrats and one Independent to approve the bill. The House passed the bill on May 15, 2015. President Barack Obama vetoed the bill on October 22, 2015. 2015 budget On October 30, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314 - Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 by a vote of 64-35. The bill increased military and domestic spending levels and suspended the debt ceiling until March 2017. Sessions voted with 34 Republicans against the bill. It passed the House on October 28, 2015. President Barack Obama signed it into law on November 2, 2015. Foreign Affairs Iran nuclear deal See also: Iran nuclear agreement, 2015 On May 7, 2015, the Senate voted to approve HR 1191 - A bill to provide for congressional review and oversight of agreements relating to Iran's nuclear program, and for other purposes, by a vote of 98-1. The bill required President Barack Obama to submit the details of the nuclear deal with Iran for congressional review. Congress had 60 days to review the deal and vote to approve, disapprove or take no action on the deal. During the review period, sanctions on Iran could not be lifted. Sessions voted with 52 other Republican senators to approve the bill. Senator Tom Cotton (Ark.) was the only Republican who voted against the bill. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 On September 10, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 58-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Sessions voted with 53 other Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 follow up votes On September 15, 2015, the Senate voted for a second time to filibuster the measure to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal by a vote of 56-42. Sixty votes were needed to proceed to HJ Res 61 - the Hire More Heroes Act of 2015, the legislative vehicle the Senate was expected to use to disapprove of the Iran nuclear deal. Sessions voted with 51 Republicans and four Democrats to proceed to the measure of disapproval. The legislation was voted on for a third time on September 17, and it failed for a third time by a vote of 56-42. Hire More Heroes Act of 2015 fourth vote On September 17, 2015, the Senate voted to filibuster a vote on S.Amdt.2656 to S.Amdt.2640 by a vote of 53-45. The amendment proposed prohibiting "the President from waiving, suspending, reducing, providing relief from, or otherwise limiting the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Sessions voted with 51 Republicans and one Democrat to proceed to the amendment. Domestic USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 On June 2, 2015, the Senate passed HR 2048 - the Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015 or the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 by a vote of 67-32. The legislation revised HR 3199 - the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 by terminating the bulk collection of metadata under Sec. 215 of the act, requiring increased reporting from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and requiring the use of "a specific selection term as the basis for national security letters that request information from wire or electronic communication service providers, financial institutions, or consumer reporting agencies." Sessions voted with 29 Republicans, one Democrat and one independent against the legislation. It became law on June 2, 2015. Loretta Lynch AG nomination On April 23, 2015, the Senate voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as United States Attorney General by a vote of 56-43. All 44 Democratic senators voted to confirm Lynch. Sessions voted with 42 other Republican senators against Lynch's confirmation. Cyber security On October 27, 2015, the Senate passed S 754 - the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 by a vote of 74-21. The bill proposed procedures that would allow federal agencies and private entities to share information about cyber threats. Sessions voted with 42 Republicans, 30 Democrats and one independent in favor of the bill. Immigration On October 20, 2015, the Senate voted against proceeding to a vote on S 2146 - the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act by a vote of 54-45. The bill proposed withholding federal funding from "sanctuary jurisdictions" that violate the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and other federal immigration laws. In addition, the bill proposed increasing "penalties for individuals who illegally reenter the United States after being removed" and providing "liability protection for State and local law enforcement who cooperate with Federal law enforcement." Sessions voted with 51 Republicans and two Democrats in favor of proceeding to the bill. 113th Congress The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. The Senate confirmed 13,949 out of 18,323 executive nominations received (76.1 percent). For more information pertaining to Sessions's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections. National security John Brennan CIA nomination Sessions voted against the confirmation of John Brennan as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 7, 2013, with a vote of 63 - 34. Most Democrats supported the nomination, while Republicans were somewhat divided with roughly one-third supporting the nomination. Drones filibuster See also: Rand Paul filibuster of John Brennan's CIA Nomination in March 2013 On March 6, 2013, Senator Rand Paul (R) led a 13-hour filibuster of President Obama's CIA Director nominee, John Brennan. Paul started the filibuster in order to highlight his concerns about the administration's drone policies. In particular, Paul said he was concerned about whether a drone could be used to kill an American citizen within the United States border, without any due process involved. Paul and other civil liberties activists criticized President Obama for not offering a clear response to the question. A total of 14 senators joined Paul in the filibuster -- 13 Republicans and one Democrat. Sessions was one of 30 Republican senators who did not support the filibuster. The day after the filibuster, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a letter to Paul, responding to the filibuster. Holder wrote, "Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on U.S. soil? The answer to that is no." Economy Farm bill On February 4, 2014, the Democratic controlled Senate approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. It passed the Senate with a vote of 68-32. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that will kick in when prices drop; however, cuts to the food stamp program cut an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Sessions voted with 22 other Republican senators against the bill. 2014 Budget On January 16, 2014, the Democratic-controlled Senate approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The Senate voted 72-26 for the 1,582 page bill, with 17 Republicans and 55 Democrats voting in favor of the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and left the Affordable Care Act without any drastic cuts. Sessions voted with 25 other Republican members against the bill. Government shutdown See also: United States budget debate, 2013 During the shutdown in October 2013, the Senate rejected, down party lines, every House-originated bill that stripped the budget of funding for the Affordable Care Act. A deal was reached late on October 16, 2013, just hours before the debt ceiling deadline. The bill to reopen the government, H.R. 2775, lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The final vote on H.R. 2775 was 81-18, with all 18 votes against the bill from Republican members. Sessions voted with the Republican Party against the bill. No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 Sessions voted against H.R.325 -- No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013. The bill passed the Senate on January 31, 2013, with a vote of 64 - 34. The purpose of the bill was to temporarily suspend the debt ceiling and withhold the pay of members of Congress until a budget could be passed. The vote largely followed party lines with Democrats overwhelmingly supporting it and many Republicans in opposition to the bill. Immigration Mexico-U.S. border Sessions voted for Senate Amendment 1197 -- Requires the Completion of the Fence Along the United States-Mexico Border. The amendment was rejected by the Senate on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 39 - 54. The purpose of the amendment was to require the completion of 350 miles of fence described in the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status may be granted. It would also require 700 miles of fence be completed before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be changed to permanent resident status. The vote followed party lines. Social issues Violence Against Women (2013) Sessions voted against S.47 -- Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. The bill was passed by the Senate on February 12, 2013, with a vote of 78 - 22. The purpose of the bill was to combat violence against women, from domestic violence to international trafficking in persons. All 22 dissenting votes were cast by Republicans. Previous congressional sessions Fiscal Cliff Sessions voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. The bill was passed in the Senate by an 89 - 8 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

2016 presidential endorsement

✓ Sessions endorsed Donald Trump for the Republican primary in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

See also: Endorsements for Donald Trump

Possible 2016 Republican vice presidential candidate

See also: Possible vice presidential picks, 2016

Sessions was mentioned in 2016 as a possible Republican vice presidential candidate. Click here for the full list of those who were floated by politicians and news outlets as possible running mates.

Immigration

Sessions endorsed Donald Trump's immigration plan at a campaign stop with Trump in Mobile, Alabama, on August 21, 2015. He said to Trump, "I’m really impressed with your plan. I know it will make a difference and this crowd shows a lot of people agree with that."

National security

Letter to Iran

On March 9, 2015, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) wrote a letter to Iran's leadership, warning them that signing a nuclear deal with the Obama administration without congressional approval constituted only an executive agreement. The letter also stated that "The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time." The letter was signed by 47 Republican members of the Senate. Sessions was one of the 47 who signed the letter. No Democrats signed it.

Members of the Obama administration and of Congress reacted to the letter. Vice President Joe Biden said of the letter, "In thirty-six years in the United States Senate, I cannot recall another instance in which senators wrote directly to advise another country — much less a longtime foreign adversary — that the president does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them."

Voting Rights Act

In 2014, Sessions said that Congress did not need to update the Voting Rights Act by restoring federal oversight of elections in a handful of states. Part of the legislation used to decide which states needed to have federal oversight was ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. Sessions said that legislation to write a new formula to decide which states needed monitoring was unnecessary. He said, "The Supreme Court only struck down a small part and there remains very powerful provisions... to stop any form of discriminatory voting actions. To pass a law in the U.S. Congress that provides penalties only to some states and not to others can only be justified for the most extraordinary circumstances. And the justification no longer exists." Civil rights groups in favor of the legislation claimed that it was critical in order to detect and prevent discrimination before it affected voters.

Federal judgeship

In 1985, former President Ronald Reagan nominated Sessions to a seat on the United States District Court in Alabama, but the Senate Judiciary Committee refused to move forward with his confirmation vote due to accusations of racial insensitivity.

According to ABC News, "At the time, Sessions had recently prosecuted three civil rights workers for voter fraud, alleging that 14 ballots had been tampered with. Known as the Marion Three, the civil rights workers were acquitted and cited by civil rights groups opposing Sessions’ nomination as evidence of his alleged racial animus."

In addition, Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Figures, a black man, "alleged that Sessions repeatedly displayed racial insensitivity around him." Figures said, "I was regularly called 'boy’ [by Sessions].” When asked if he asked Sessions to stop, Figures said, "Senator, I felt that if I had said anything or reacted in a manner in which I thought appropriate, I would be fired. I always felt that my position was very tentative around Mr. Sessions."

Sessions denied the charges of racial insensitivity, but he was denied a confirmation vote.

Campaign finance summary

---

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

---

Jeff Sessions campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2020	U.S. Senate Alabama	Lost primary runoff	$2,535,574	$5,359,763
2014	U.S. Senate (Alabama)	Won	$1,712,253	N/A**
2008	U.S. Senate (Alabama)	Won	$6,370,595	N/A**
2002	U.S. Senate (Alabama)	Won	$6,353,585	N/A**
Grand total			$16,972,007	$5,359,763
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Sessions' net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $3,399,062 and $10,761,000. That averages to $7,080,031, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican senators in 2012 of $6,956,438.47. Sessions ranked as the 22nd most wealthy senator in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Sessions' calculated net worth increased by an average of 23 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Jeff Sessions Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$2,490,451
2012	$7,080,031
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	184%
Average annual growth:	23%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Sessions is a ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Budget. Sessions received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Lawyers/Law Firms industry.

From 1995-2014, 22.22 percent of Sessions' career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Jeff Sessions Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$18,104,653
Total Spent	$14,713,522
Ranking member of the United States Senate Committee on Budget
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Lawyers/Law Firms	$1,106,152
Retired	$851,319
Health Professionals	$773,423
Real Estate	$686,618
Insurance	$604,627
% total in top industry	6.11%
% total in top two industries	10.81%
% total in top five industries	22.22%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Sessions was a rank-and-file Republican as of July 2014. This was the same rating Sessions received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Sessions most often voted with:

• Richard Shelby
• Joe Manchin

Sessions least often voted with:

• Susan Collins
• Charles Schumer

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Sessions missed 126 of 6,002 roll call votes from January 1997 to September 2015. This amounts to 2.1 percent, which is worse than the median of 1.6 percent among current senators as of September 2015.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Sessions paid his congressional staff a total of $2,339,784 in 2011. He ranked 19th on the list of the lowest paid Republican senatorial staff salaries and ranked 25th overall of the lowest paid senatorial staff salaries in 2011. Overall, Alabama ranked 50th in average salary for senatorial staff. The average U.S. Senate congressional staff was paid $2,529,141.70 in fiscal year 2011.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Sessions ranked 15th in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2013.

2012

Sessions ranked 22nd in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2012.

2011

Sessions ranked 12th in the conservative rankings among U.S. senators in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Sessions voted with the Republican Party 86.8 percent of the time, which ranked 25th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of July 2014.

2013

Sessions voted with the Republican Party 87.9 percent of the time, which ranked 26th among the 45 Senate Republican members as of June 2013.

2016 Republican National Convention

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016

Sessions was a district-level delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Alabama. He was bound by state party rules to support Donald Trump at the convention.

Delegate rules

See also: RNC delegate guidelines from Alabama, 2016 and Republican delegates from Alabama, 2016

At-large and congressional district delegates from Alabama to the 2016 Republican National Convention were elected directly by voters in the state primary election. 2016 Alabama GOP bylaws required delegates to vote at the convention for the candidate to whom they pledged an oath on their qualifying form for all ballots—unless that candidate released them to vote for another candidate or two-thirds of the delegates pledged to a particular candidate voted to release themselves.

Alabama primary results

See also: Presidential election in Alabama, 2016

Alabama Republican Primary, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes	Delegates
Donald Trump	43.4%	373,721	36
Ted Cruz	21.1%	181,479	13
Marco Rubio	18.7%	160,606	1
Ben Carson	10.2%	88,094	0
John Kasich	4.4%	38,119	0
Jeb Bush	0.5%	3,974	0
Chris Christie	0.1%	858	0
Carly Fiorina	0.1%	544	0
Lindsey Graham	0%	253	0
Mike Huckabee	0.3%	2,539	0
Rand Paul	0.2%	1,895	0
Rick Santorum	0.1%	617	0
Other	0.9%	7,953	0
Totals		860,652	50
Source: AlabamaVotes.gov

Delegate allocation

See also: Republican National Convention, 2016 and 2016 presidential nominations: calendar and delegate rules

Alabama had 50 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, 21 were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's seven congressional districts). Alabama's district-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate had to win at least 20 percent of the vote in a congressional district in order to have received any of that district's delegates. The highest vote-getter in a district was allocated two of the district's three delegates; the second highest vote-getter received the remaining delegate. If only one candidate met the 20 percent threshold in a district, he or she won all of the district's delegates. If no candidate won at least 20 percent of the vote, then the 20 percent threshold was discarded. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the vote in a district, he or she received all three of that district's delegates.

Of the remaining 29 delegates, 26 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; a candidate must have won 20 percent of the statewide vote in order to have received a share of the state's at-large delegates. If a candidate won more than 50 percent of the statewide vote, he or she was allocated all of Alabama's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Loretta Lynch	U.S. Attorney General 2017-2018	Succeeded by William Barr
Preceded by Howell T. Heflin	U.S. Senate - Alabama 1997-2017	Succeeded by Luther Strange

[show]

Alabama's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Katie Britt (R)

Tommy Tuberville (R)

Representatives

District 1

Jerry Carl (R)

District 2

Barry Moore (R)

District 3

Mike Rogers (R)

District 4

Robert Aderholt (R)

District 5

Dale Strong (R)

District 6

Gary Palmer (R)

District 7

Terri Sewell (D)

Republican Party (8)

Democratic Party (1)