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Richard Shelby (left), Jeff Sessions (right)

A campaign advertisement in 1986 suggested that then-U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions called the Ku Klux Klan a bunch of "good ole boys."

But the advertisement didn't come from the predictable cast of 1980s Democrats such as Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy who, at the time, objected to Sessions' nomination to the federal bench.

Instead, it was pushed out by then-U.S. Rep. Richard Shelby, who would go on to become Sessions' longtime colleague and friend in the Senate.

"Yes, the relationship between Shelby and Sessions has definitely changed," said William Stewart, professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama.

'Enthusiastic supporter'

Shelby will likely not be among the chorus of critics when Sessions returns before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing into his nomination as U.S. Attorney General. It was the same committee that 30 years ago torpedoed Sessions' nomination as a federal judge.

"Jeff has been a dear friend of mine for more than 20 years and I know that he is a man of great integrity," said Shelby in a statement. "I was an enthusiastic supporter of Jeff in his bid to join me in the U.S. Senate and we have been rock-solid partners in Congress ever since.

"I look forward to continuing to give him my unwavering support as his biggest champion during the Senate confirmation hearings, and I have no doubt that he will be our next Attorney General."

Some Democrats are reportedly calling for a "fair and thorough" hearing on Sessions, but haven't decided whether they will focus on the racially charged 1986 Judiciary Committee hearings.

'Political accusations'



The linkage of Sessions to the Klan by Shelby occurred days before the Nov. 3, 1986, election. Shelby, then a Democrat, won his first Senate term that year by defeating Republican Sen. Jeremiah Denton by a razor-thin margin of 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent.

Denton, at the time, had backed Sessions' nomination to the federal judiciary. The Judiciary Committee hearings proved to be a disaster at the time that battered Sessions' reputation after his nomination was rejected amid allegations that he once called a black staffer "a boy," that he considered the NAACP as "un-American" and used criminal prosecutions to thwart voting rights for blacks.

In addition, a colleague testified that Sessions once joked that he felt the Ku Klux Klan was okay until he learned they smoked marijuana.

Shelby, then a Tuscaloosa Democrat, used the comments against Denton in his campaign. A Nov. 3, 1986, Mobile Register story showed that the campaign ad irked Sessions, who called it "slanderous" and "absolutely false."

"I expect the false ad to be withdrawn at once," Sessions said. He demanded an apology from Shelby, who had the endorsement from several black organizations at the time.

Thirty years later, Shelby said: "Jeff Sessions' record of standing up for all Americans and his high moral character indisputably prove that the 30-year-old claims of the past are nothing more than baseless political accusations."

"Political Chameleon"

Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University, said the 1986 Shelby critique of Sessions illustrates what he said are two eras of Shelby's politics in Alabama.

"Shelby was basically a (George) Wallace Democrat in the Legislature and he ran and got the congressional seat in Tuscaloosa for several terms," said Brown. "To the surprise of quite a few people, Shelby ran against (Denton) and was elected in 1986. And during that first term in the Senate, Shelby was quite astute of the shifting sands of partisanship back home."

Shelby, who was among the most conservative Democrats during the 1980s, switched to the Republican Party in 1994, when President Bill Clinton took office.

"In the early to mid-1980s, if you wanted to be a Democrat in this state, you had to do a bit of a balancing act," said Brown. "You needed to be an economic conservative but at the same time, you had to appeal to one-fourth of the electorate that was African American."

Jeff Sessions 32 Gallery: Jeff Sessions

Said Stewart: "Shelby had black support in his race against (Denton)."

Brown called Shelby a "pragmatic political chameleon" who will continue to "do what is necessary to maintain strong ties with interest groups and other members of the Senate."

Stewart said that Shelby, who won his sixth, six-year term in the U.S. Senate in November, was once regarded as "Alabama's most popular politician." But with Sessions rise in popularity among conservatives through his hardline support on illegal immigration issues, "it seems that Sessions is (the most popular)," Stewart added.

"Shelby is still known as the 'king of pork,'" said Stewart. "This actually resonates with local officials more than it does the average citizen."

Brown said that Shelby and Sessions have noticeable differences in style. Chief among those is that Shelby has created more of a reputation, more than Sessions, of developing bipartisan relationships among his congressional colleagues.

Also, Brown said that Shelby kept a low profile during the presidential campaign unlike Sessions who became the first to endorse President-elect Donald Trump's candidacy.

"He's not a presidential administration team player," said Brown. "That's not his forte. Look at the recent presidential election, he didn't run out there with any candidate. He kept his powder dry and gave a perfunctory endorsement of the nominee. He basically stayed in the shadows."

As far as Shelby's relationship with the incoming Trump administration: "He'll work with the administration when it serves that interest and he'll oppose the administration when it isn't."

Added Brown: "He's a survivor. He'll ultimately be a defender of Jeff Sessions. If need, he'll help with the confirmation."