Sarah Palin traveling to Alabama to campaign for Roy Moore in Senate race
Former Alaska Gov. and 2008 GOP Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is headed to the Yellowhammer State next week to help bring Judge Roy Moore across the finish line in his U.S. Senate bid. Palin announced the visit to Alabama on her website, www.sarahpalin.com. The event will be part of a bus tour hosted by the Great America Alliance, a pro-Trump advocacy group. “Palin plans to barnstorm Alabama the week prior to the special election to double down on her strongly stated support of Judge Moore,” a source familiar with Palin’s planning told Breitbart News. “Gov. Palin is a conservative rock star and her presence in Alabama is sure to seal the deal for Judge Roy Moore,” said a second source familiar with Palin’s plans. Palin endorsed Moore in late August after the race moved to a run-off. “Glad he’s running and am honored to endorse Judge Roy Moore for the US Senate,” Palin said in a statement. “Judge Moore has shown he has what it takes to stand up to the out-of-touch political establishment.” “The Judge has proven he’s not afraid of a fight for what is right, and he’s ready to take on DC’s swamp monsters and make America great again. We need more bold leaders like Judge Moore who will fight for all of us in the US senate,” Palin added. The former Ala. Chief Justice responded to the endorsement by thanking Palin. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Governor Sarah Palin,” said Moore. “Governor Palin has a strong record of speaking out for conservative causes and standing up to the Washington establishment. Having her support shows how conservatives across the country are uniting behind our campaign to send a message to Mitch McConnell and the Washington elites who are trying to buy this election.” Neither the Moore campaign nor Sarah Palin have announced times and dates for the bus tour. Moore faces sitting Sen. Luther Strange in a Republican primary runoff on Sept. 26 to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The winner will move on to the Dec.12 general election.
Luther Strange remains untethered on DACA in constituent email, quickly clarifies position
In a Monday email response to a constituent, Sen. Luther Strange seemingly avoided taking a hard-lined position on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, more commonly referred to as DACA, when asked about it by a constituent. Jack Kemp of Fosters, Ala. posted Strange’s email response on his Facebook page Tuesday, concerned that the Senator supports the Dream Act as he did not outright refute it in the email. In the constituent letter, Strange explained what both the Dream Act and DACA program were, saying he does not serve on the committee of jurisdiction over either issue, and thus avoided clearly defining his own position on the issues. “Currently, this bill is in the Senate Judiciary committee,” wrote Strange. “I do not serve on that committee, but if this bill comes to the Senate floor for debate and a vote, I will keep your views in mind.” When Alabama Today asked Strange for Senate campaign to clarify Strange’s position, they were quick to respond. “Luther Strange stands with Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions by believing the first thing our country needs to do is enforce our laws before any discussion on policy,” said campaign spokesperson Cameron Foster. “He is 100 percent opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants. Unlike his opponent Roy Moore, Luther Strange stands with President Trump on building the wall on the Mexican border.” Foster’s response echoes Strange’s own words last week. Following news from former Alabama U.S. Senator and current U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions of the “orderly wind down” of President Barack Obama‘s DACA program, Strange appeared on Fox News’ Happening Now with Harris Faulkner Tuesday afternoon to discuss his first take on the situation and issued the following statement. “Since my tenure as Attorney General, I have been fighting, and winning, against Obama-era experiments with illegal amnesty. Today, the Trump administration rightly affirmed that Congress must lead the way in securing our borders and ending the crisis of illegal immigration,” said Strange. “We actually sued successfully to stop the Obama administration program to allow adults to stay here illegally (DAPA). I think this program is the same category – I think it’s unconstitutional… The President makes the best point – Congress should address this issue.”
Roy Moore’s charity management calls his “fiscal responsibility” into question
Roy Moore is pitching himself as the fiscally conservative candidate in the special senate election, but the public facts and figures of his charity paints a different picture. Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, has been associated with the Foundation for Moral Law (FML) for years, and anyone who has taken a gander at the charity’s ledger would be justified in questioning him when he touts his “fiscal responsibility.” FML has run a deficit for six of the past seven years, which peaked at over $400,000 in 2011, one of the many years Moore served as its president. While charities aren’t supposed to be in the business of making money, Alabama voters have reason to pause over the the fact Moore ran FML into the red while simultaneously pulling out a million bucks in donated money to pay his and his wife’s salaries for working only 20 hours a week. Surely Moore could have taken a pay cut to keep the charity’s finances in order, but his exorbitant pay on the backs of hardworking people who thought they were funding a Christian organization is just one of many examples of his money foibles. Take the charity’s office building in downtown Montgomery, for instance. That cost FML $445,130, not to mention the hundreds of thousands in renovations. Seriously, these renovation receipts are about as un-Alabama as it can get. Among the questionable expenditures that are raising eyebrows $16,000 for drapes, $1,812 on credenzas, and a clock for two grand. These are while the charity was running a deficit. The voters will have a say in a few weeks and they need to make it with hard and fast facts not slogans. Roy Moore may be saying he’s a real fiscal conservative but his drapes and debt says otherwise.
Roy Moore picks up Senate Conservatives Fund endorsement
The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) on Tuesday announced it is supporting former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in Alabama’s U.S. Senate special election Republican primary runoff over Sen. Luther Strange on Sept. 26. The SCF, a group headed by Ken Cuccinelli — the former Virginia Attorney General and the state’s 2013 Republican gubernatorial candidate — is a national grassroots organization “that seeks to bring bold conservative leadership to Washington by supporting candidates who will fight for the timeless conservative principles of limited government, strong national defense, and traditional family values.” In the announcement of the Moore’s endorsement, Cuccinelli pointed out that an “overwhelming 97 percent” of the group’s supporters backed Moore over Strange in the runoff. “I’m proud to announce the Senate Conservatives Fund’s endorsement of Judge Roy Moore in Alabama’s special election for U.S. Senate,” Cuccinelli wrote. “After collecting feedback from our supporters in Alabama and across the nation last week, an overwhelming 97% said they thought we should endorse Roy Moore in the primary election runoff.” “Roy Moore is a proven conservative leader who will fight to cut spending, reform our nation’s tax system, secure our borders, defund Planned Parenthood, and fully repeal Obamacare,” he added. “Like President Trump, Roy Moore is a political outsider who isn’t afraid to stand up to the liberals in his own party to get results for all Americans. Unlike so many Republicans who break their promises after they are elected, Roy Moore is someone we can count on.” The winner of the primary runoff will advance to the Dec. 12 general election where he will face Democrat Doug Jones for the seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions.
Steve Flowers: Inside the Statehouse
Most people would assume that as the race for the open U.S. Senate began that Luther Strange, the appointed incumbent, was the favorite. However, polling indicated that Roy Moore was the favorite and still is as we head towards the September 26 runoff. The initial polling showed that Moore had a hardcore 30 percent. It was and is as solid as a rock. He had 30 percent from the get-go. He had 30 percent midway in the race and he had 30 percent at the end. It was also a fact that with a low voter turnout that his 30 percent would become accentuated because the final poll and the one that counts is election day and who actually shows up to vote. Moore’s supporters are more ardent and are going to show up to vote for him come hell or high water. They are also older, and older people tend to vote; 65-80 year old voters are always more likely to vote. The turnout on August 15 was 18 percent and Moore’s vote total was 39 percent. Allow me to crow a little – the day before the election I predicted an 18 percent turnout and that Moore would get 39 percent. I missed Luther Strange by some six points. I had him at 27 percent. He did better than I thought. He garnered 33 percent. There was only six points separating Strange and Moore. This is not an insurmountable obstacle to overcome. My early handicapping of the runoff has it as a dead heat between Moore and Strange. As the race began, it was apparent that it was a two-man race between Moore and Strange. Moore began with an immovable evangelical block and the Washington Republican Senate leadership made it clear that they were going to treat Strange as an incumbent and that they were going to give him unlimited resources. They weren’t just whistling Dixie. They put their money where their mouth was. They must have spent $5 million. When you have that kind of money and the national powerbrokers and hierarchy dictating their choice, you not only have all the media ads available, you also have access to the very best hired guns, pollsters and media gurus in the country. They are the best gunslingers in the land. They do not lose many gunfights and they like to go negative. It was obvious that these pros saw that Donald Trump or at least his public policies are extremely popular among Alabama Republican primary voters. Therefore, their script for Luther Strange was to say he was on Donald Trump’s side and would be for the Trump agenda to make America great again. Luther stuck to the script and did a good job avoiding any negative questions about the questionable Robert Bentley appointment. Unlimited money washes away any unsavory scenarios and allows you to dictate the narrative. The early polling revealed that the Bentley appointment was an albatross for Luther. I do not personally believe that Luther and Bentley ever discussed the Bentley investigation. However, to most people it looked as though the appointment was a brazen deal or at least collusion and in politics, perception is reality. Therefore, for this reason on Luther’s part and for obvious reasons on Moore’s part, they both began with high negatives. Internal polling showed that there was fertile ground for a third person to win this race. That third person emerged in the form of Tennessee Valley Congressman, Mo Brooks. He is a firebrand arch conservative intellectual, Tea Party, Freedom Caucus, true believing ideologue. He was bold enough to take on the Mitch McConnell super PAC big money Washington establishment. He had $1.2 million in his Congressional campaign account and 20 percent statewide name recognition from his Congressional district. Mo did not plan on being shot at by a left wing Bernie Sanders socialist nut while practicing baseball for the Republican Party baseball team. However, the exposure gave him $2 million in free publicity. You could have no better introduction to Alabama GOP Primary voters. The Washington Luther Strange gunslingers saw the momentum that Mo had. He was about to catch Luther and they stopped him dead in his tracks with an ad that said he was not going to vote for Donald Trump last year. When Trump endorsed Big Luther it closed the deal. Luther had his place in the runoff and Mo has to fight to keep his U.S. House seat. The final results were predictable. Roy Moore led with 39 percent; Luther Strange got a strong 33 percent; and Mo Brooks finished with a respectable 20 percent. The runoff between Strange and Moore is too close to call at this time. See you next week. ••• Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Steve Bannon breaks with Donald Trump, throws support to Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race
Former White House chief strategist and current Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon says he’s backing former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in Alabama’s upcoming GOP Senate primary runoff. Bannon announced he was backing the former judge over President Donald Trump‘s pick, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, during a closed-door meeting with influential conservatives of the Conservative Action Project in Washington, D.C. last week. According to POLITICO, “Bannon made it clear that he supported Moore, a favorite among evangelicals, but was careful not to cast it as a break with the president. Rather, he said, it was an act of opposition toward Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is supporting Strange and has made the race a top political priority.” Strange was appointed to the seat in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley following the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is currently serving as a temporary Senate appointment. Both candidates are competing to fill out the remainder of Sessions’ 6-year term through 2020. A week ahead of the Aug. 15 primary, Trump took to Twitter and endorsed the sitting senator. “Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama. He has my complete and total endorsement!,” Trump tweeted. Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama. He has my complete and total endorsement! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017 Bannon’s endorsement now follows the state’s Aug. 15 Republican primary in which Moore and Strange first faced-off. Neither secured enough votes to advance to the general election and the special runoff election between the two of them is scheduled for Sept. 26. The winner of the runoff will advance to the general election Dec. 12.
Luther Strange claims he’s the “clear choice” in Sept’s GOP Senate runoff
Sen. Luther Strange has begun to draw battle lines in next month’s fight the GOP nomination for Alabama’s U.S. Senate, setting the stage for a showdown between him and opponent Roy Moore. In a Tuesday press release, Strange threw the gauntlet, calling the former Alabama Chief Justice, Moore, a hypocrite “who has spent 40 years putting himself and his ambition ahead of Alabamians.” The release marks the campaign’s first direct attack against Moore, who led Strange by 25,000 votes in the August 15 primary. Neither candidate earned enough votes to become the Party’s outright nominee, thus sending the race to a runoff scheduled for Sept. 26. Strange pointed out a series of six “facts” in support of his candidacy and against Moore: FACT: As Attorney General, Big Luther created the Special Prosecution Division and successfully convicted corrupt officials – included the Republican State Speaker of the House – who were removed from office and/or jailed.[i] FACT: Because of his success draining the Montgomery swamp, corrupt politicians tried to shut Big Luther down, gutting the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) budget and passing a law that would have given legislators the ability to block specific AGO operations and investigations.[ii] FACT: Big Luther opposes career politicians and supports term limits. FACT: Roy Moore has been running for office since he first ran for an Etowah County circuit judge seat in 1982 as a Democrat. FACT: Roy Moore fought for pay increases for politicians while courts had to shut down because of lack of funding.[iii] FACT: Roy Moore has made a career out of profiting off of public service and sticking tax payers with the bill. [iv] He also deemed himself as “the only candidate in this race that has a record of delivering conservative reform and protecting rule of law,” touting President Donald Trump‘s endorsement.
Jim Zeigler throws support behind Roy Moore for US Senate
State Auditor Jim Zeigler on Friday announced his endorsement of former Chief Justice Roy Moore for U.S. Senate in the Sept. 26 runoff election. Moore takes on appointed-incumbent Sen. Luther Strange in next month’s runoff following an Aug. 15 primary in which neither candidate earned the necessary 50 plus one percent of the vote to outright secure the Republican Party’s nomination. “The contrast is clear between Bentley-appointed senator Strange and future senator Roy Moore,” Zeigler said in a news release. “Strange is in lock-step with the Washington Insiders who own his campaign funding. Roy Moore will be committed to Alabama citizens, the Constitution, and the values on which America was founded.” Zeigler’s endorsement comes as little surprise as he’s long spoken out against Strange and his February appointment to the U.S. Senate by former Gov. Robert Bentley. He’s taken to social media to release information against Strange on a near daily bases. “Luther Strange obstructed the impeachment process of then-governor Robert Bentley,” Zeigler added. “The people of Alabama have the final say in this senate seat. I believe the voters will rise up and reject Bentley-appointed Senator Strange in favor of a people’s-elected Senator Roy Moore.” Moore led the crowded Aug. 15 primary with 39 percent of the vote, vs. Strange’s 32 percent. The winner of the runoff will go on to face Democratic nominee Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 general election.
Sarah Palin backs Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin endorsed U.S. Senate hopeful Roy Moore on Thursday a month ahead of his primary runoff with incumbent U.S. Sen. Luther Strange. “Glad he’s running and am honored to endorse Judge Roy Moore for the US Senate,” Palin said in a statement. “Judge Moore has shown he has what it takes to stand up to the out-of-touch political establishment.” “The Judge has proven he’s not afraid of a fight for what is right, and he’s ready to take on DC’s swamp monsters and make America great again. We need more bold leaders like Judge Moore who will fight for all of us in the US senate,” Palin added. The former Ala. Chief Justice responded to the endorsement by thanking Palin. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Governor Sarah Palin,” said Moore. “Governor Palin has a strong record of speaking out for conservative causes and standing up to the Washington establishment. Having her support shows how conservatives across the country are uniting behind our campaign to send a message to Mitch McConnell and the Washington elites who are trying to buy this election.” Strange and Moore are headed to a Republican primary runoff on Sept. 26 to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The winner will go on to the Dec.12 general election.
Roy Moore, Luther Strange to go head-to-head in candidate forum
Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and Sen. Luther Strange are scheduled to go head-to-head in an upcoming candidate forum hosted by the Alabama Policy Institute and Samford University. The event will take place from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. on the university’s Wright Center in Birmingham on Sept. 21, just days ahead of the Sept. 26 runoff election. Alabamians are invited to submit questions to the candidates via Twitter using the #AskAL. Cameron Smith, columnist for the Alabama Media Group, will moderate the event which is free and open to the public. Tickets may be reserved at AlabamaPolicy.org/Forum. The winner of the runoff election will advance to a Dec. 12 general election where they will face Democrat Doug Jones.
Steve Flowers: Roy Moore, a fundamentalist hero looking to be Senator
When the race for the open Jeff Sessions seat began, it appeared to be a Roy Moore versus Luther Strange contest. Well, folks, that’s how it ended last Tuesday. We’ve got a runoff between our Ten Commandments Judge, Roy Moore and Big Luther Strange. Roy Moore has been around Alabama politics for a while now. Alabamians know who he is and what he stands for. He has been standing up for Fundamentalist Christian values since his days as an Etowah County Judge where he displayed his initial wooden Ten Commandments plaque on the walls of his courtroom. He became so famous for his stand that he rode that notoriety to being elected Chief Justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court. Alabama is undoubtedly one of, if not the most, fundamentalist Bible-believing states in America. Most of the hard-core fundamentalist Moore followers put more credence in the Old Testament than the New Testament. Therefore, Moore’s emphasis on the Ten Commandments resonated then and still does today. Judge Roy Moore became emboldened when he became Chief Justice. In the dark of night, he had a 5,000-pound monument placed in the Supreme Court building’s rotunda. A federal court asked him to remove it. He refused and they removed him. It made him a martyr among the brethren. He ran twice for governor but failed to make the runoff each time. It appeared to be a chink in his armor. It became obvious to those of us who follow Alabama politics that voters thought highly of him as a judge but for some reason did not see him as a governor. This became clearly apparent when five years ago he disposed of two well-financed opponents in a race for his old post as Chief Justice. He won handily even though he was outspent 3-to-1. Folks in Alabama like Moore as a judge. However, it appears that they may like him as a U.S. Senator. If you think he was thought of as a martyr for being removed from the bench for standing up for his Ten Commandments monument, folks in Alabama really resented some vague judicial inquiry commission asking him to leave his seat as Chief Justice for telling probate judges in the state to stop marrying gay people. In the “Heart of Dixie” you cannot ask for a better entree into a governor’s race or senate race. Early polling showed Moore was so far out front in the governor’s race that he would have beaten the current field without a runoff. This judicial inquiry group coronated Moore and made him a folk hero. Ole George Wallace would have loved to have been dealt these cards. I can just hear him now, “Well I’ll tell you right now if two homosexual people want to get married in Alabama I’ll be the first one to stand in the courthouse door and stop ‘em. I’ll even get them a one-way bus ticket to California where they can just stay, and I’ll tell you this too, if one of those transgenders protests in front of my car they may as well get ready to get run over. And if y’all send me to Washington, I’ll ask for a seat next to the left wing socialist wackos, Bernie Sanders and ‘Pocahontas’ [Elizabeth] Warren, and I’ll ask them what bathroom they think the transgenders should go to. Then I’ll introduce a resolution requiring all transgenders be sent to California to live with those communist sympathizing, left wing movie stars and appear on the Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher shows.” Wallace would have had a field day. Wallace was a master politician; some would say a demagogue. Moore was dealt this hand. He is not the politician that George Wallace was. He actually is a true believer. He is not a demagogue. He has put his money where his mouth is. He lost his job not once but twice over his beliefs. Believe me, George Wallace would not have left his job as governor if they told him he was going to be sent back to Barbour County if he did not get out of that school house door. Folks in Alabama feel like Moore was done wrong and they set out to right that wrong. They were going to elect Moore governor next year. However, they rather have him as their Senator. As expected Moore led the field last week. Next week we will analyze the race and runoff and how his opponent, Big Luther Strange, stacks up against Moore. See you next week. ___ Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state Legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
New poll gives Roy Moore nearly 20-point runoff lead over Luther Strange
New polling released this weekend gives former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore a nearly 20-point lead over sitting Sen. Luther Strange in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate. If the election were held today, 51 percent of respondents support Moore; 32 percent would vote for Strange. Another 17 percent said they were undecided. The poll, conducted by JMC Analytics, suggests three things: – Moore is surging into an early lead, bolstered by a large number of voters who did not support either runoff contender in the Aug. 15 primary. – Evangelical support is fueling Moore’s initial runoff lead. – Endorsements from both President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are not helping Strange with voters. Moore is leading throughout most Alabama media markets, except Mobile. Much of that support came from voters who cast a ballot for one of the other primary candidates. Those who supported the “also-rans” went for Moore 51-26 percent, as well as many of those in the Huntsville area who initially supported Congressman Mo Brooks. In the poll, Moore now has a 52-29 percent lead in Huntsville. As for self-described evangelical Christians, Moore leads Strange 58-28 percent, while among non-evangelicals, Strange narrowly leads 42-39 percent. While Trump and McConnell have spent a considerable amount of political capital – as well as millions of dollars – supporting Strange, those efforts appear to have a limited effect. Trump’s endorsement only benefited Strange 25-23 percent (51 percent of respondents said it made little or no difference). McConnell’s support had the opposite effect, with many respondents – by a 45-10 percent margin – saying that it made them less likely to support strange The poll, conducted Aug. 17 and 19, used an automated landline sample of 515 likely primary voters (based on recent electoral participation) from the list of Alabama registered voters. The margin of error was +/- 4.3 percent, with a 95 percent confidence level. According to the polling memo, demographic breakdown respondents was 94 to 5 percent white/black, with the geographic breakdown: 42 percent from Birmingham, 6 percent from Dothan, 24 percent from Huntsville, 15 percent from Mobile, and 13 percent from Montgomery. The winner of the Sept. 26 runoff between Moore and Strange will face Democratic nominee Doug Jones in a December election to determine who will serve the remainder of Attorney General Jeff Sessions‘ Senate term.
