Tuesday’s special Alabama Senate Republican primary sent former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and appointed Sen. Luther Strange (received AGC PAC support) to the September 26 run-off election. Judge Moore placed first, capturing 39 percent of the Republican primary vote and Sen. Strange garnered 33 percent and showed strength in the Birmingham area, though he lost substantially in Alabama’s southern region including the metropolitan areas of Montgomery, Mobile, and Dothan.
Judge Moore was twice elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, but removed in 2003 for disregarding a federal court order over the Ten Commandments and then suspended in 2016 for telling probate judges to continue enforcing the state's ban on same-sex marriage despite it being overturned in federal-level court rulings. He resigned from the court in April to run for the Senate.
Sen. Strange came to the Senate by way of appointment by then-Gov. Robert Bentley who later resigned following a criminal indictment. The newly appointed senator filled the vacant seat made available when then-Sen. Jeff Sessions was confirmed as U.S. attorney general. Prior to the appointment, Sen. Strange was twice elected as Alabama’s attorney general.
Looking ahead, the run-off wild card may well be Rep. Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) voters, where the primary’s third place finisher tallied 20 percent of the vote. Despite losing the Senate primary, the congressman announced that he would seek re-election to his House seat.
For more information, contact David Ashinoff at [email protected] or (202) 547-5013.