Senate candidate and Mobile native Jonathan McConnell isn’t intimidated by taking on five-term incumbent Richard Shelby in March’s Republican primary. In fact, McConnell said as he’s travelled the state talking with the people of Alabama, he’s been nothing but encouraged by what he hears.

“It’s going exceptionally well,” McConnell said. “All throughout this state, when we meet with people, 80 percent of the people we talk to are sick and tired of Richard Shelby. They’re sick and tired of the Washington establishment and they’re ready for change.”

Shelby has cruised to reelection in almost every contest since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, and several national political columnists and news organizations have ranked Shelby’s seat as one of the safest incumbent seats in the upcoming election.

However, internal polling done by McConnell’s campaign suggests Shelby’s support could be weaker than expected, as the sitting senator’s numbers have dipped below the 50 percent mark he would need to avoid a runoff.

“The mantra we keep hearing is ‘He’s too old. It’s time for him to go. He’s been there too long,’” McConnell said. “People are sick of it and they aren’t believing Shelby’s commercials. We need someone who’s going to get up there and fight not just Barack Obama every day, but fight (Republican Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell. The Republican establishment is the biggest threat since they’ve allowed all of this stuff to happen.”

McConnell said he is the real, true conservative in the race that included other challengers like former state senator Shadrack McGill, Fairhope resident Marcus Bowman and John Martin.

“We’ve got to cut our regulations that are crippling small businesses,” McConnell said. “We’ve got to implement either a fair tax or a flat tax. I will fight rampant overspending — Richard Shelby has no concept of balancing the budget.”

McConnell said cutting regulations was key to helping the economy recover.

“Whether it’s the onerous regulations that we’re putting on banks that tie up liquidity and make it so much harder to buy a home or whether it’s the regulations on companies, it takes too much paperwork to get things done,” McConnell said. “At what point do we say enough is enough?”

McConnell grew up in Mobile and graduated from Davidson High School. He then went on to Auburn University where he received a degree in business administration and was one of only a handful of non-Greek-affiliated students to win the Auburn SGA Presidency.

After completing his degree, McConnell joined the Marines. In July 2006, he was deployed with his unit to Fallujah in Iraq as a lieutenant where he and his troops helped clear over 3,000 houses from Fallujah to Ramadi as a part of Operation Squeeze Play. As a result of those missions, McConnell was awarded the Navy and Maritime Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “V” and the Combat Action Ribbon.

McConnell redeployed in October 2007, where he commanded the Second Mobile Assault Platoon in Weapons Company near the Syrian border.

“The nearest friendly unit was nearly 50 miles away,” McConnell said. “We didn’t have running water; we bathed with water bottles.”

After that stint, he was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for service and attained the rank of captain before leaving the service.

He started law school at the University of Alabama two weeks after leaving military service.

“While I was in law school was when the Maersk Alabama was hijacked and I was sitting there watching it on Fox News and thinking ‘Why are we not guarding these ships?,’” McConnell said. “I talked to some of these shipping companies and ended up talking myself into starting a company that ended up securing ships off the coast of Somalia.”

That company, Meridian Global Consulting, employs more than 50 people, including veterans McConnell served with in Iraq, and helps protect vessels in the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of Aden, the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and across southeast Asia.

“If there’s a high risk area, we go into it,” McConnell said.

McConnell said dealing with global security issues has given him a different perspective on foreign relations that could prove useful in Washington.

“I understand the culture of the Middle East and the culture all throughout the world,” McConnell said. “I can tell you about the countries I’ve dealt with and how their politicians are and many times they’ve got their hands out and that’s all they’re looking for. You cannot deal with some people nicely — you just have to say these are the rules and you have to deal with them. Sometimes, the nicer you are, the more they’re going to take advantage of you.”

McConnell said he hopes voters in the March primary who are tired to typical Washington politics and the status quo will consider him as their candidate.

“If we ever want to change the culture of corruption and complacency we have at the national level, it has to start here at home,” McConnell said. “Voting to return Richard Shelby to office is a vote for keeping things the same, and that isn’t going to help or benefit the people of Alabama.”