State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile has run a disappointing campaign for the U.S. Senate. Hers was a steep uphill run but she must have known that when she took on the popular incumbent Jeff Sessions, also of Mobile.

As a consequence of her poorly funded campaign, Sen. Sessions is to return to Washington for his third term in January without having to give voters an accounting of his role in why Congress lost public confidence.

In July, Gallup found only 14 percent of the people it polled approved of the way Congress was doing its job.

We would have liked to have heard more from the senator, who is in no danger of losing his Senate seat. Maybe he could have helped Alabamians understand why it has been so difficult for Democrats and Republicans to forge bipartisan programs and put the nation ahead of politics.

The senator is one of the state’s most popular politicians and has been one of President Bush’s strongest and most consistent supporters for eight years.

What voters may like most about the soft-spoken senator is his loyalty to an unpopular president, and to his staunch conservative bedrock ideology.

The Daily recommends Sen. Jeff Sessions for re-election to the U.S. Senate.