Alabama's coastal city mirrors the partisan split over Venezuela, with Republicans praising 'law enforcement' operation while Democrats call it unconstitutional.
Protesters with the ground Indivisible Mobile gather along Government Boulevard on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, to protest the Trump administration's involvement in Venezuela .Along Government Street in Mobile on Tuesday, a group of protesters waved signs opposing President Donald Trump’s military action in Venezuela , echoing demonstrations that have A day earlier, Republican hopefuls for office this year gathered inside a small hall to pitch their platforms, while rallying behind Trump’s decision.
What played out in Mobile in the past two days underscores a widening political divide nationwide. Republican candidates have largely backed Trump’s military aggressiveness amid backlash from Democratic politicians and progressive activists who question its constitutionality. The split in Mobile illustrates the polarized views of Trump’s decision to send the military into Venezuela, detain its leader Nicolas Maduro, pledge to oversee the rebuilding of the country’s infrastructure and threaten similar activities in other countries. “In terms of everyday, working-class people, the voters whether they are Republican or Democrat, I’ve heard a majority of them, if not all, say that they oppose this war and they oppose the bombing of innocent civilians and the kidnapping of sovereign heads of another country,” said Elijah Stitt, 21, of Mobile who joined approximately 20 people for the morning protest in downtown Mobile. Joshua McKee, an U.S. Army Special Forces veteran and a 2026 candidate for the 1st congressional district seat in Alabama, speaks during a candidates meet and greet on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at The Grand Hall in Mobile, Ala.A day earlier, Republican congressional candidate Joshua McKee of Robertsdale struck a markedly different tone, urging critics of the president to stand behind the administration. McKee is running this year for Alabama’s 1“This isn’t a full-scale war,” said McKee, who once was a Green Beret and a 25-year U.S. Army Special Forces veteran. “There won’t be anything going on with Cuba, Mexico or anywhere else. I believe those are talking points to attack Trump. We need to be supporting our president.”The competing viewpoints mirror early polling following the military operation launched Saturday, which resulted in the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The operation has been described as one of the most aggressive actions by the U.S. government against a foreign leader in decades. The action was praised in recent days by Republican Alabama Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt. They said the operation underscored an “America First” approach toward foreign affairs, with Britt slamming Democrats for not having the “moxie” to do a similar operation in the past. Kyle Sweetser, a Mobile Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Tuberville – who is running for governor this year – said he feels Congress needs to be more involved to rein in the Trump administration.“The Republican Party’s widespread support for the Trump administration’s intervention in Venezuela, despite the lack of congressional approval, represents a troubling abandonment of constitutional principles and representative government,” said Sweetser, a former Trump supporter turned critic. “It’s hypocritical, given Trump’s campaign promise of ‘no new wars’ and in light of the fact that within the last month, he pardoned another head of state for the very actions he has invoked to justify military action in Venezuela.”illustrates the partisan divide: 65% of Republicans approve of the U.S. military action in Venezuela to remove Maduro, while the same percentage of Democrats disapprove. When it comes to governing the country until a new Venezuelan government is established, 74% of Democrats oppose while 65% of Republicans are in support. Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University and a longtime observer of Alabama state politics, said that since Trump enjoys a “very high level of support” among the GOP’s core voters, Republicans running for office in Alabama this year are likely to back his military involvement despite past anti-interventionist platforms by the MAGA base. “It is important to remember that Trump’s base seems to stick with him,” Brown said. “They are not ‘fair weather’ political associates. He has now been excused repeatedly by his core supporters for political transgressions which would have buried the political fortunes of most other candidates/officeholders.” “Some conservatives, including Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and conservative media commentator Megyn Kelly, have raised doubts in recent days about the action. But none of that criticism is coming from Alabama where Republican Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt have expressed support for capturing Maduro, while swiping back at critics including Democrats.congressional district seat, which is heavily favored to remain Republican in 2026, the GOP candidates are all backing Trump. The district is heavily Republican, encompassing portions of Mobile County and Baldwin County, and stretching through rural counties in the Wiregrass. McKee said he believes Trump is “fighting to restore strength and common sense.” He said he supports the continued U.S. involvement in the country until a new democratically elected leader is installed. Austin Sidwell, a businessman from Fairhope and a candidate for the 1st congressional district seat in 2026, speaks during a Mobile County GOP candidates meet and greet on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, at The Grand Hall in Mobile, Ala.Austin Sidwell, a businessman from Fairhope who also spoke at the candidates meet and greet, said he believes it’s “great to get back to an America” that can enter a country, exert its dominance and then leave. Sidwell echoed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s description of the Venezuela operation as a “law enforcement” action. “They got a narco-terrorist out of the country,” Sidwell said. “He rigged his election. We’ll be there to aid them until they go about their way to get their elections set up and to get the proper president in there.” Sweetser, the Democrat running for Senate, said he finds Rubio’s characterization of the military operation as a “law enforcement” mission as “deeply concerning and unconvincing.” “This framing appears to be a convenient excuse to sidestep the Constitution’s clear requirement for congressional authorization in matters of war,” he said. “It’s a nail in the coffin for the kind of principled conservatism Rubio once represented, and it risks setting a dangerous precedent for the future abuses of power.”“Make no mistake – Maduro is responsible for the deaths of countless Americans and must pay for his crimes in court,” said state Rep. Rhett Marques of Enterprise, who is running for the congressional seat and has Britt’s endorsement. “I am grateful to President Trump for once again turning promises made into promises kept as he fights to protect Americans from the flood of deadly drugs that poured into our country under the embarrassing weakness of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Our communities, our streets, and our families are safer because of the strong leadership of the Trump Administration.” Former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile, who is seeking to reclaim the congressional seat, echoed the support for the president. “President Trump has the authority to pursue and arrest international drug traffickers wherever they seek to evade justice,” he said. “I support the arrest and the accompanying efforts to help stabilize that country and uphold the rule of law.” Protesters with the ground Indivisible Mobile gather along Government Boulevard on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, to protest the Trump administration's involvement in Venezuela.Maura Mandyck, the organizer of protests for Indivisible Mobile and who was among the group on Government Street Tuesday, said what she’s seen from Trump represents an “old-style of imperialism” representative of the late 19 centuries when American presidents like William McKinley, sought to expand U.S. power through military deployments to other countries. “We end up sending service members to these countries,” Mandyck said. “I’ve asked, ‘Who will be the first American service member to die in Venezuela?’ It’s not right.”John Sharp is a veteran reporter for AL.com covering the Alabama Gulf Coast, state politics, and key statewide issues. With 25 years in journalism, his work spans business, criminal justice, and cultural...
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