Republican Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill announced Wednesday that he would not run for Senate after admitting to an affair.
Merrill initially denied the affair but admitted to it after AL.com reporters obtained audio of him speaking over the phone with his mistress. National File first reported the affair.
This a.m., AL Sec. of State John Merrill told @WarOnDumb he didn’t have an affair w/ Cesaire McPherson. I then obtained explicit audio of them discussing their sexual history. We played it for Merrill & he apologized & said he won’t run for office in ’22. https://t.co/RtyVCh614h
— Connor Sheets (@ConnorASheets) April 7, 2021
“I will obviously not be a candidate for the United States Senate nor will I be seeking any other elected position in 2022, because I think it’s important to me to make sure that I become the man that I have been before and that I am working to put myself in the position to be the leader that I have been before, as a husband, as a father, as a friend and as an elected official,” Merrill told AL.com.
Merrill considered running in Alabama’s 2020 Senate race but dropped out before the Republican primary, He was regarded as a leading candidate to replace Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, who is retiring in 2022.
Republican Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks has declared for the race in March and has already received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. (RELATED: Trump Endorses Rep. Mo Brooks For Alabama Senate Seat)