Strange, Moore head to Alabama Senate runoff election: Who are they?
Alabama Senate race tests reach of Trump, McConnell
President and Senate leader endorse Luther Strange in tight Republican primary to fill Sessions’ seat; analysis on ‘America’s Newsroom’
The two Republican Alabama Senate candidates are just one week away from a primary election – in what is one of the first tests of President Donald Trump’s influence.
Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to finish out Jeff Sessions’ term when he was tapped as the U.S. attorney general, faces former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in a runoff.
Despite having Trump’s support, being buoyed by millions of dollars in advertising by a super political action committee tied to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Moore’s past controversies, Strange was unable to avoid a runoff during a primary last month.
State law calls for a runoff if candidates are unable to get more than 50 percent of the vote.
Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, won the Democratic primary.
The runoff is scheduled for Sept. 26 with the special general election slated for Dec. 12. Here’s a look at the candidates.
Roy Moore
Called the “Ayatollah of Alabama” by critics who believe he too closely marries his political and judicial responsibilities with religion, Judge Roy Moore emerged as one of two Republicans headed to a runoff next month – and he was at the head of the pack.
Moore was twice removed from Alabama’s Supreme Court. He was removed from the bench the first time, in 2003, after he disobeyed a federal judge’s order to remove a boulder-sized Ten Commandments monument from the statehouse; he was permanently suspended last year after he told probate judges they remained under a state court order to deny marriage licenses to gay couples.
Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks to supporters Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Moore used those controversies to boost his support among conservative evangelicals while campaigning, and he told Republican voters that those cases were akin to battle scars for standing up for what he believes. On his campaign website, Moore said he was suspended for “upholding the sanctity of marriage as between one man and one woman.”
More than 50 pastors signed on to a letter endorsing Moore.
“This is a great victory. The attempt by the silk stocking Washington elitists to control the vote of the people of Alabama has failed,” Moore said at his victory party last month, with a copy of the Ten Commandments among the decorations.
Moore, who rode a horse to the polls to vote, advocated for using the military to protect the country’s southern border, immediately repealing ObamaCare and making homosexuality against military policy on his campaign website.
He also is opposed to abortion, federal funding to Planned Parenthood, same-sex marriage, civil unions and “all other threats to the traditional family order.”
Infamous “Walker, Texas Ranger” star Chuck Norris endorsed Moore for the Senate and said he is the “real deal.”
“The Washington establishment knows they won’t be able to count on him, but Alabama voters can,” Norris said. “Judge Moore has never backed down from standing for what is right, and that’s exactly what he’ll do in the U.S Senate.”
The Senate Leadership Fund worked to discredit Moore and ran negative ads about the judge.
Luther Strange
Despite being backed by GOP senators and Trump, Luther Strange failed to avoid a runoff and came in second to Judge Roy Moore.
Trump announced on Twitter that he will be in Huntsville, Ala., on Saturday to support Strange – sometimes called “Big Luther” because of his 6-foot-9-inch frame.
“’Big Luther’ is a great guy who gets things done,” Trump tweeted.
I will be in Huntsville, Alabama, on Saturday night to support Luther Strange for Senate. “Big Luther” is a great guy who gets things done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 16, 2017
Strange, who was tapped by Alabama’s governor to finish out Sessions’ term, was the state’s attorney general and had joined a lawsuit against the Obama administration that challenged the former president’s executive order on amnesty for undocumented immigrants.
TRUMP-SESSIONS FEUD JOLTS ALABAMA PRIMARY
Sen. Luther Strange speaks to the media after forcing a runoff with former Chief Justice Roy Moore.
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Strange supports repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act and calls for immediate deportation of criminal illegal immigrants and the construction of a border wall, according to his campaign website.
Aside from the president, Strange also racked up endorsements from the National Rifle Association of America, National Right to Life and the Alabama Farmers Federation.
Although a favorite of the establishment, Strange’s struggles raised concerns among GOP members of Congress, even if he does ultimately survive the runoff election next month.
“There are probably a number of incumbents on both sides of the aisle who should take notice of another demonstration that voters still want change,” Greg Strimple, a Republican pollster for a political action committee aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan, told the Associated Press.
“The takeaway is that Washington is very unpopular,” Strimple said, and that overrides even Trump’s endorsement, because he cannot simply “transfer his brand” to candidates, like the lobbyist-turned-politician Strange, who fail to establish their own outsider credentials.
Doug Jones
A former U.S. attorney during the Clinton administration, Jones beat out seven other Democrats to secure the party’s nomination.
Jones has been openly critical of Trump – particularly when it comes to Trump’s wish to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate change agreement – and picked up key endorsements from liberal lawmakers.
Senate candidate Doug Jones chats with constituents before a forum in Decatur, Ala.
(AP Photo/Jeronimo Nisa)
MOORE’S POPULARITY SHAKES GOP ESTABLISHMEN
Former Vice President Joe Biden endorsed Jones in the primary and loaned his voice to robocalls made to voters.
“Doug Jones will make a great U.S. senator so please make sure you get out and vote on Tuesday – and I’m hoping you’ll vote for my friend, Doug Jones,” Biden said.
Jones was also endorsed by Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga., Cedric Richmond, D-La., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala.
While a Republican candidate is widely expected to win the seat, Alabama Democrats are reportedly feeling optimistic about their candidate.
Jones is perhaps best known for successfully prosecuting two members of the Ku Klux Klan accused of bombing a Birmingham church in 1963 that killed four little girls.
His campaign website touts his progressive ideals and plans for health care reform and protecting Planned Parenthood.
“The shenanigans around the 2016 campaign must be pushed aside and full equality for women made the law and the norm in America,” Jones said on his website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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