Steve Marshall qualifies for Alabama Attorney General race
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall officially qualified to run for the office Attorney General on Friday. Marshall was appointed in February 2017 by then governor Robert Bentley to replace Luther Strange as Attorney General. “I want Alabama to know that the office of Attorney General will not shy away from any challenges, and will be on the forefront of the major issues that continue to challenge our state,” stated Marshall. According to Marshall’s Facebook, he is looking forward to “four full years standing up for Alabama’s values, solving the opioid crisis, defending faith, fighting federal overreach, and supporting the rights of everyone (including the unborn).” He has also expressed interest in fighting violent crime and human trafficking. Marshal served as district attorney in Marshall County Ala. for 16 years. He built a strong reputation of fighting crime and was instrumental in the passage of state legislation to track the sale of ingredients used to produce crystal meth. Marshall also took a lead role supporting the passage of the Brody Act which has made it possible to prosecute criminals for two crimes if they kill or injure an unborn baby during an attack on the mother. Marshall also serves as co-chair of Governor Kay Ivey’s Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council. Steve and his wife, Bridgette, have a daughter named Faith and currently reside in Albertville, Ala.
Luther Strange bids farewell to Senate colleagues, recaps Senate accomplishments
Senator Luther Strange on Thursday had a final lunch with his colleagues in the Senate Republican Conference. At the lunch, Strange was presented with the Golden Gavel in recognition of 100 hours presiding over the Senate, and thanked his colleagues, especially Alabama’s senior Senator, Richard Shelby, for supporting his work on behalf of the state. Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, Kentucky-Republican U.S. Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell paid tribute to Strange’s contributions: “In this historic year for the Senate, Luther quickly emerged as a strong voice on policy and an important vote on landmark legislation. And on a personal level, it didn’t take anyone long to realize that this newcomer would rank among the most diligent, dedicated, and public-spirited members of this institution,” said McConnell. “We wish him every success in his future endeavors, and we salute him for the dedicated service to the people of Alabama.” Since succeeding Jeff Sessions, Strange amassed several accomplishments to advance a conservative agenda benefiting the families and businesses that call Alabama home, including: Delivering one of the 51 votes needed to pass a once-in-a-generation tax relief package, which will increase take-home pay for Alabama families and make American businesses more competitive. Casting a generational vote to send Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court and filling a record-breaking 12 Federal circuit court vacancies in less than a year with qualified, conservative judges, including Alabama’s own Kevin Newsom to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Repealing the onerous burden of the Obamacare individual mandate, which for too long had taxed hardworking Alabamians for a product they did not want and could not afford. Rolling back the regulatory state by voting to repeal 15 oppressive Obama-era regulations that restricted freedoms and hampered economic growth, saving American taxpayers $36 billion. Joining the Senate Armed Services Committee to deliver the largest annual increase in resources for America’s armed forces (NDAA), bringing the F-35A fighter program and $3 billion in capital investment to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, and fighting to secure a record-high Senate authorization of three Littoral Combat Ships, made in Mobile, AL. As a member of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee, championing American energy independence by passing a bill to unlock domestic energy resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and by designing the Strange-Cassidy amendment, passed to support Alabama’s coastal communities. Giving Alabama a voice on the Senate Agriculture Cmte. for the first time in over 20 years, and securing visits to the state from Ag Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS), Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to hear from Alabama farmers. Upholding second amendment rights by leading an NDAA measure to transfer surplus handguns to the Civilian Marksmanship Program in Anniston, AL, for public sale. Fighting for better access to quality care for America’s veterans by revamping hiring procedures at 1,200 VA health facilities to attract top-notch medical providers, and passing a bill that extends veterans’ access to healthcare choices. Securing the future of cutting-edge space and missile defense development in Huntsville, AL by ensuring the shift of orbital missions to American-made rockets and exceeding President Donald Trump’s request for increased missile defense spending to meet North Korea’s threat. “When I arrived in the Senate, I knew that the people of Alabama wanted results, not rhetoric,” said Strange. “From day one, I’ve been working hard to serve them honorably and get things done that matter to them. The achievements won alongside President Trump and my colleagues are already having a concrete impact on Alabama’s families and communities, and I am proud of this record of success. ”
US Senate passes historic tax reform legislation
The U.S. Senate passed the most historic rewrite of the nation’s tax laws in more than three decades Tuesday night by a 51-48 vote. The product of years of discussion, weeks of committee consideration and hours of floor debate, H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will lower individual, small business, and corporate tax rates, double the standard deduction, repeal the Obamacare individual mandate, simplify the tax code, and dramatically increase the child tax credit. The Senate-passed report will receive a final vote in the House Wednesday morning before being sent to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature. Alabama’s senior U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby voted in favor of the legislation, saying its passage will help put money back in the pockets of the middle-class Americans who have earned it. “The Senate today passed historic legislation to deliver pro-growth, middle-class tax relief to the American people. This bill not only lowers individual and corporate tax rates, lightening the burden on small businesses, but it works to revitalize our economy – impacting current and future generations to come. Across the nation, this legislation will help create jobs, increase paychecks, and make the tax code simpler and fairer,” said Shelby. “I am proud that we are able to work together to fulfill our commitment to deliver real tax reform and put money back in the pockets of the middle-class Americans who have earned it. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change Americans’ lives for the better.” Alabama’s outgoing U.S. Sen. Luther Strange also voted in favor of the bill. “Tax relief is not pie in the sky. Today, it becomes reality for the American families working hard to make ends meet,” said Strange. “It becomes reality for the small businesses that serve as cornerstones of our communities. It becomes reality for job creators who know the power of American industry. Getting tax relief accomplished is the reason I came to Washington, and on behalf of Alabama, I was proud to cast my vote tonight.”
Luther Strange delivers Senate farewell address, calls for bipartisanship
Alabama Senator Luther Strange delivered a farewell address to his colleagues on the Senate floor on Thursday after serving 10 months in the chamber. Titled, “A return to the Marble Room,” Strange urged more bipartisanship and to work across party lines. During his speech, he called attention to the empty Marble Room, once a bipartisan retreat for senators off the Senate floor. “What was once an incubator for collegiality and bipartisanship has become a glaring reminder of the divisions that we have allowed to distract us from the business of the American people… This emptiness symbolizes something that worries me about today’s politics,” Strange said from the Senate floor. “It’s likely both a symptom and a cause of the partisan gridlock that often dominates this chamber.” “Strange continued, When we have each left this great body, I know we would like to be remembered as men and women in the arena, as people who spent themselves in worthy causes. I’m convinced the worthiest cause we can join today is the return to the collegiality, the pragmatism and yes, dare I say, the compromise of the Marble Room.” Strange called on his Senate colleagues to find a “shared cause, shared purpose in the quiet corners,” urging them to “return to the collegiality, the pragmatism, and yes, the compromise, of the Marble Room.” Strange was appointed in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley to fill the seat vacant by Jeff Sessions when he left the U.S. Senate to become President Donald Trump‘s attorney general. In September, Strange lost the Republican primary run-off to Alabama former Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore now faces Democratic Doug Jones on Dec. 12 in a special election to fill Session’s seat. Kentucky-Republican and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Strange would be missed greatly. “I know all of our colleagues share the view that the senator from Alabama has made an extraordinary commitment, made an extraordinary difference for Alabama and for the nation during his time here,” said McConnell. “We will miss him greatly.” Excerpts from Strange’s prepared address: “The idea that the chaos and upheaval that we see today are somehow unique falls flat in the face of monumental history. Pundits and politicians are too quick to speak in superlatives, but chaos and change are nothing new. The Senate was designed to endure, and rooms of marble are built to last.” … “Our generation of leaders will be judged by history on whether we strove to heal the divisions of this body and our nation. … And yet, compromise has become a dirty word in American politics, and it’s a serious threat to our hopes of advancing meaningful policy.” … “It is easy for those outside this chamber to insist that they know what should be done. As long as we remain so deeply divided, these outside voices will always win. … “I am convinced – the worthiest cause we can join today is a return to the collegiality, the pragmatism, and yes, the compromise, of the Marble Room.” Watch Strange’s farewell address below:
Luther Strange, Richard Shelby vote in favor of FY18 budget
With the support of Alabama U.S. Sens. Luther Strange and Richard Shelby, the U.S. Senate approved the FY18 budget Thursday night, 51-49. The passage of the budget will allow work to begin, in earnest, on tax relief through the use of a procedural maneuver to pass tax reform legislation through the Senate with 50 or more votes, removing the need for support from Democratic senators. The budget allows for the possibility of expanding the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years via President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts. “Passing a budget resolution is in our job description as Senators – it is not the finish line,”said Strange. “We owe the American people concrete action on several major issues, the first being the outdated tax code that stands in the way of their hard-earned take-home pay.” Strange also joined ten Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledging to “be available for voting day and night” to help accomplish Trump’s fall legislative agenda. “As I joined my colleagues in writing to Leader McConnell, I am ready to make good on our promises, starting with comprehensive tax relief, this year,” added Strange.
In Alabama, a Donald Trump miscalculation in Senate primary
A firebrand Alabama jurist wrested a U.S. Senate nomination from an appointed incumbent backed by millions of dollars from national Republicans, adding a new chapter Tuesday to an era of outsider politics that ushered Donald Trump into the White House yet leaves his presidency and his party in disarray. Roy Moore’s 9-point victory over Sen. Luther Strange, backed by the White House and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, ranks as a miscalculation and temporary embarrassment for the president; it’s a more consequential rebuke for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who Moore said should step aside as GOP floor chief. The Kentucky Republican already is struggling to capitalize on his narrow 52-48 majority. He failed this week to deliver a long-promised health care overhaul, with equally perilous fights looming on taxes, the budget, immigration and the nation’s credit limit. Now, McConnell may also face a 2018 midterm election cycle complicated by GOP primary challengers who, like Moore, make the Senate leader an albatross for establishment candidates, including incumbents Dean Heller of Nevada and Jeff Flake of Arizona. Moore, the famed “Ten Commandments judge” twice removed from elected judicial office for defying federal courts, declared his nomination a message to Washington leaders “that their wall has been cracked and will now fall,” though he excepted the president from his ire. “Together we can make America great,” he said, echoing Trump’s campaign slogan. In Mississippi, state lawmaker Chris McDaniel, who nearly defeated Sen. Thad Cochran in 2014, called Moore’s win an “incredibly inspiring” blueprint that leaves him on the cusp of challenging Sen. Roger Wicker in 2018. “We know Mitch McConnell was rejected tonight — and Roger Wicker is just another part of Mitch McConnell’s leadership apparatus,” McDaniel told The Associated Press, saying he expects conservative challengers to emerge in other states, as well. Trump and McConnell quickly closed ranks behind Moore after Strange conceded, underscoring their desire to keep the seat in Republican hands. Trump tweeted congratulations to Moore after the win. “Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!” he said Three tweets supporting Strange on Monday and Tuesday disappeared from Trump’s Twitter account. The White House didn’t immediately respond with an explanation. On Wednesday morning Trump sent a tweet praising Moore. “Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race,” said Trump’s tweet. The Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-aligned political action committee, also pledged to support Moore after spending $9 million on Strange’s behalf. A West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, Moore now is the favorite over Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election, though Republicans quietly worry the sometimes controversial Moore could yield an uncomfortably close race to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump, meanwhile, must reconcile being the president who promised to “drain the swamp” yet endorsed and campaigned alongside Strange, 64, a lobbyist-turned-politician, in lieu of Moore, a 70-year-old figure steeped in anti-establishment fervor. Adding intrigue was the fact that Strange got his Senate post by being promoted from his job as Alabama attorney general by a now-convicted former governor whom Strange’s office had been investigating for corruption. Trump’s choice left him opposite from his campaign architect and departed White House adviser Steve Bannon, who campaigned for Moore and introduced the nominee to his supporters Tuesday night as revelers watched returns showing Moore victorious in 63 of Alabama’s 67 counties. Bannon cast Moore’s romp as a win for Trump, regardless of the president’s Strange endorsement. “Who is sovereign, the people or the money? Alabama answered today,” Bannon said. Mississippi’s McDaniel said conservatives never blamed Trump for taking sides. “We supported Donald Trump because he was an agent of change, and he’s still an agent of change,” McDaniel said. “In this instance, he must have been given bad advice to retain this particular swamp creature.” And it’s worth noting that Trump turned his trip to Alabama last week into a national spectacle having nothing to do with Strange or Moore, as the president blasted professional athletes who protest during the national anthem. The fallout cemented Trump’s bond with his core supporters and raised questions about how interested Trump really was in the Alabama race. Elsewhere in Republican ranks, there are warnings not to make the Alabama results more than one state’s choice. Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who has worked for Senate campaigns across the country, said Trump learns the same lesson his predecessor, Barack Obama, learned watching Democrats lose control of Congress and then seeing Trump defeat his chosen successor, Hillary Clinton. “You can’t just transfer the popularity of your brand to another candidate,” Ayres said. As for Strange, Ayres noted the freshman senator was facing voters for the first time since being appointed by a governor who eventually resigned in disgrace. “No other Republican Senate incumbent will carry that baggage,” Ayres said. In defeat, Strange did not directly confront those variables, telling a subdued crowd in suburban Birmingham he was proud of his team’s effort and grateful both to Trump and his Senate colleagues, but befuddled by the campaign he’d just concluded. “We’re dealing with a political environment that I’ve never had any experience with,” Strange said. “The political seas and winds in this country right now … are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
It’s a wrap, firebrand jurist Roy Moore wins GOP primary runoff in Alabama
Firebrand jurist Roy Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. In an upset likely to rock the GOP establishment, Moore clinched victory over Sen. Luther Strange to take the GOP nomination for the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election. Throughout the campaign, Moore argued the election was an opportunity to send a message to the “elite Washington establishment” that he said was trying to influence the race. The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with ties to McConnell, had spent an estimated $9 million trying to secure the nomination for Strange. Moore was twice elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and twice removed from those duties. In 2003, he was removed from office for disobeying a federal judge’s order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state courthouse lobby. Last year, he was permanently suspended after a disciplinary panel ruled he had urged probate judges to defy federal court decisions on gay marriage and deny wedding licenses to same-sex couples. Trump endorsed Strange in the race and tweeted support for him on multiple occasions. As polls showed Strange in danger of losing, Trump visited Alabama to campaign at a rally attended by more than 7,000 people. Moore, propelled by evangelical voters, consolidated support from a number of anti-establishment forces, including the pro-Trump Great America Alliance and former White House strategist Steve Bannon, who spoke at a Monday rally. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, in a rally for Moore last week, said the judge was a better match for Trump’s “movement.” Trump said at the Alabama rally that he would campaign for Moore in the general election if he secured the nomination but he believed Moore would have a tougher time against the Democrat in the race. Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary, which went to a runoff between the two because neither topped 50 percent in the voting. Strange, the state’s former attorney general, was appointed to Sessions’ seat in February by then-Gov. Robert Bentley, who resigned two months later as lawmakers opened impeachment hearings against him. Throughout the Senate race, Strange had been dogged by criticisms of accepting the appointment from a scandal-battered governor when his office was in charge of corruption investigations. On the outskirts of Montgomery, 76-year-old Air Force retiree John Lauer said Trump’s endorsement swayed him to vote for Strange on Tuesday. “I voted for Strange. I’m a Trump voter. Either one is going to basically do the Trump agenda, but since Trump came out for Luther, I voted for Luther,” said Lauer said. Poll workers in the heavily Republican Birmingham suburbs of Helena and Pelham said voter turnout was steady, with short lines at two places when doors opened Tuesday. Merlene Bohannon, a widow with three grown children, said she had planned to vote for Strange until seeing Bannon stump for Moore on Fox News on Monday night. “Steve Bannon and God spoke to me, and this morning when I went in I voted for Moore,” said Bohannon, 74. Bannon told the crowd that Alabama can show the world “that this populist, nationalist, conservative movement is on the rise.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Election Day for Republican nominee for U.S. Senate is here as are many predictions
Alabama voters will decide on today, Tuesday Sept. 26, 2017, who will be the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate vacated by Jeff Sessions when he assumed the U.S. Attorney General position in February. It’s been a brutal run-off election between former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Moore and appointed Sen. Luther Strange. My prediction: Judge Moore wins 58 to 42. Why: The Senate Leadership fund and outside supporters of Strange went too far in their attacks of Moore and his wife. You can say a lot of things about Moore, but to compare him to Nancy Pelosi was a stretch. That wasn’t helping Strange. What could have helped Strange is if those supporting him had talked about his long conservative record, supporting Second Amendment rights, fighting the EPA, fighting for consumers. Voters could have used something to lessen the blow of the Bentley appointment that hovered over Strange’s incumbency like the dirt cloud that followed Pig Pen in Charlie Brown. Only hours left until the polls close at 7:00 p.m. and in the hours that follow, we’ll know who’s predictions were right and who’s dollars and endorsements mattered most to voters.
Jim Zeigler: Luther Strange profits $153,530 from sale of visas to foreign nationals
U.S. Sen. Luther Strange earned $153,350 in 2016 from the sale of VISAs to wealthy foreigner nationals, allowing them to bypass the legal immigration process. The disclosure was made by Alabama State Auditor Jim Zeigler, who called the earnings “a clear conflict of interest for a U.S. Senator who votes on immigration law, including this very program.” Established in 1990, the controversial EB-5 Visa program allows real estate developers to sell legal immigration status to wealthy foreign nationals for $500,000, thus allowing the very rich to buy their way into legal status. Under the program, those foreign nationals, their spouses and their unmarried children under 21 years old are able to apply for fast-tracked green cards, nicknamed the “Golden Card” due to the high fee. On Monday, Alabama Today unveiled Strange owns roughly 1/6 of Sunbelt EB-5 Regional Center LLC, a company selling VISAs to non-U.S. citizens, which packages investments from foreign investors with businesses in the U.S. needing capital. In this case, the business was Baptist Health Systems Inc. of Birmingham. Zeigler calls Sunbelt’s practices a “pay to play” program, allowing them to essentially trade legal status in the U.S. to wealthy overseas investors in exchange for funding projects in economically depressed areas of the U.S. “Strange has been talking tough on immigration in his campaign, but it is only talk,” said Zeigler, a long-time critic of Strange. “Luther Strange is making big money off wealthy foreigners, enabling them and their families to come to America and bypass the legal immigration process. This is exactly the type of self-serving that we do not need in Washington.” Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, shares Zeigler’s sentiments regarding the EB-5 program saying it has been “plagued by fraud and abuse.” “The EB-5 regional center program has been plagued by fraud and abuse. It poses significant national security risks,” said Grassley. “There are serious allegations that the program may be facilitating terrorist travel, economic espionage, money laundering and investment fraud.” Strange was appointed to the U.S. Senate in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley. He is currently running for the remainder of the term of former Sen. Jeff Sessions, who vacated the senate seat when he was appointed by President Donald Trump as U.S. Attorney General, against former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Moore. The Republican runoff election is scheduled Tuesday, Sept. 26. *Source for $153,530 earnings: Sections 9.1 and 9.1.1.1 of “New Filer Report of Feb. 8, 2017.”
Ben Carson breaks with Donald Trump, throws support behind Roy Moore
Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Dr. Ben Carson made an eleventh hour, climatic break from President Donald Trump on Friday when he praised Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore in the state’s contentious runoff, rather than backing the other candidate along with the president. Carson announced his support for the former Alabama Chief Justice over the temporary Sen. Luther Strange in a statement. “Judge Moore is a fine man of proven character and integrity, who I have come to respect over the years,” Carson said in the statement released by the Moore campaign. “I was delighted to hear he is running for the U.S. Senate. He is truly someone who reflects the Judeo-Christian values that were so important to the establishment of our country.” Moore faces Strange on Tuesday, Sept. 26 in the GOP run-off where voters will decide who advances to the Dec. 12 general election to face Democrat Doug Jones.
Poll says Democrat Doug Jones nearly tied with GOP candidates in Ala. Senate race
According to a new poll, Democrat Doug Jones has the potential to pull an upset in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race in December. On Dec. 12, Jones will face-off against a Republican challenger — either current, interim Sen. Luther Strange or former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Moore, which will be determined in a run-off Sept. 26 — where, according to the new poll from Emerson College, he’s with striking distance. The poll finds Jones trailing both Republicans by only a handful of points — Moore leads Jones by four percentage points, meanwhile Strange leads him by only three points. While the results make the race a statistical dead heat, the Yellowhammer State has traditionally been one of the reddest of red states. The last time the state voted for a Democrat for president was back 1976, and the last time it voted a Democrat to the Senate was twenty years ago, in 1997. Nevertheless, according to the poll, the constant-GOP infighting between Strange and Luther has put a bad taste in many voter’s mouths. “The GOP will need to find a way to unite during the 11 weeks until the General Election, or face the prospect of Jones pulling off an upset,” reads the poll. Which begs the question — can the GOP unify behind the run-off victor? Or will there be a Jones upset? Only time will tell.
Luther Strange and Roy Moore camps both declare debate victory
Luther Strange‘s campaign claimed victory Thursday following a debate against U.S. Senate opponent Roy Moore, saying the showdown made it clear that all Moore had to offer was “empty words.” “While all Roy Moore had to offer was empty words, Big Luther demonstrated that he has the ideas and knowledge necessary to advance President Trump’s agenda to rebuild our economy and strengthen our country,” said campaign spokesman Cameron Foster. “Luther showed that he knows how to get things done for Alabama, and has what it takes to follow Jeff Sessions as a conservative leader in the U.S. Senate.” Following suit, Moore also claimed victory in the Lincoln-Douglas-style debate saying Strange “became more desperate as the night went on. With little to present to the audience other than shameless namedropping of his Washington endorsements.” The two went head to head — without a moderator — in a debate that focused largely on who would best support President Donald Trump‘s agenda in Congress. “The president supports me,” Strange said in his opening remarks. “Why would he do that? Because we’ve developed a close, personal friendship. We both come from the same background, the same mission, the same motivation to make this country great again.” Trump took to Twitter Friday to reiterate the relationship between him and the Senator. “Will be in Alabama tonight. Luther Strange has gained mightily since my endorsement, but will be very close. He loves Alabama, and so do I!” Will be in Alabama tonight. Luther Strange has gained mightily since my endorsement, but will be very close. He loves Alabama, and so do I! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 22, 2017 Moore mocked Strange for trying to ride the president’s coattails. “I can’t tell you what the president thinks, I can’t tell you every move he makes, when he goes to the bathroom and when he doesn’t,” Moore said decisively to laughs from the crowd. Moore went on to point out Strange’s history as a Washington lobbyist. “My entire political career has been serving the state of Alabama,” Moore said. “My opponent has been a professional lobbyist for over 20 years… you don’t drain the swamp of lobbyists by sending a lobbyist to the United States Senate.” Strange and Moore face-off Tuesday, Sept. 26 in the runoff GOP primary election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate. The winner will go on to face Democrat Doug Jones in December.
