By Tyla MacAllister

Retired Marine Colonel Lee Busby, a former aid to General John Kelley, has launched a last minute write-in campaign for the Alabama Senate Special Election.

With the December 12 election less than two weeks away, Busby knows he is a long shot to win the race, but he believes a large number of Alabama voters are looking for a viable alternative to Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones.

“It started off innocuously enough. I was just dissatisfied with the choices I had as a voter,” Busby told ABC News earlier this week. “I didn’t know at the beginning if that was just me or if it was a more widespread feeling. Then I talked with some people, and it turned out it was as widespread as I thought it was.”

Retired Marine colonel joins Alabama senate race pic.twitter.com/QKNlYNeWfu

— Rated Red (@realratedred) November 29, 2017

Busby Wants To Offer Alabama Voters An Alternative To Roy Moore and Doug Jones

Busby, who said he voted for Trump in 2016, opposed Roy Moore even before allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls surfaced recently. Moore has denied the allegations.

Busby said he’s not sure whether the allegations are true, but it “Created enough of a distaste in my mind.”

“I don’t know Roy Moore. I’ve never met him,” Busby said in an interview on MSNBC. “But there’s a sense of self-righteousness that comes out of that campaign that bothered me. And I don’t think it represents the majority of Alabama voters.”

Busby said he also doesn’t feel comfortable with Doug Jones because of his support of abortion rights.

“The people of Alabama are not going to be represented by someone who supports a liberal abortion policy,” Busby told the Washington Post. “I’m extremely concerned about the Democratic Party in Alabama. I don’t think they reflect Alabama’s views.”

Busby said he believes life begins at conception and abortion should only be legal in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother’s life. ” At some point, it becomes a human life and you have to protect those who can’t protect themselves.”

His campaign website lists his priorities as jobs, tax reform, rebuilding infrastructure, and repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

Lee Busby Served 31 Years In The U.S. Marine Corps

Busby served 31 years as a Marine Corps Infantry Officer. According to his campaign website, he served about half of that time as a Reserve officer. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, he served in Baghdad, Ramadi, and Fallujah in Iraq. He later worked as a military contractor training soldiers in Afghanistan.

He also served as General John Kelley’s Vice Chief of Staff. Kelley is now Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff. He said he hasn’t spoken to Kelley in about five years. Busby retired from the Marine Corps as a full Colonel in 2013.

Busby, 60, of Tuscaloosa, is a divorced father of four grown children. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama. In addition to his military experience, Busby was an investment banker and small business owner.

Since retiring from the military, he has become a highly regarded sculptor. His bronze works of fallen Alabama soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were recently featured in Southern Living.

http://https://youtu.be/rk_f8aE2T0s

Despite the national media coverage the special election has received, Alabama election officials have said they expect fewer than 25 percent of registered voters to turn out for the December 12 special election to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Alabama does count write-in votes for eligible living candidates.