Senate Leadership Fund predicts Luther Strange will make Senate runoff
The Senate Leadership Fund, a political committee controlled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, tooted its own horn in an email sent out Tuesday. “In case you missed it, Senate Leadership Fund President and CEO Steven Law appeared on Fox News Channel this morning, where he predicted Sen. Luther Strange will make the runoff in the Alabama Senate race, citing the endorsement by President [Donald] Trump of Sen. Strange and the support of the Senate Leadership Fund,” the email said. The group included a link to a YouTube video of Law’s appearance on the 24-hour news network. The former Deputy Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush played up the importance of Trump’s endorsement, which came late in the special primary race, and also credited the Senate Leadership Fund for raising Strange’s standing in the polls. Law also predicted Strange would make into the runoff election. The political committee has dumped millions of dollars into the race, with much of it being used to run ads attacking U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks for not being supportive enough of Trump. Alabama voters head to the polls today to vote on the GOP nominee for senate seat, which was vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this year. All signs point toward the state needing to go through with a Sept. 26 runoff election to determine the nominee. Strange and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore are the likely to be the two candidates included in that race, though it is possible Brooks could take one of the two spots. Recent polls show Moore in the first place spot with 31 percent support, followed by Strange at 23 percent and Brooks at 18 percent. The general election will be held Dec. 12.
Donald Trump doubles down on support for Luther Strange in new Tweet
President Donald Trump jumpstarted his Monday morning doubling-down on Tweet he made last week, publicly throwing his support behind Alabama-Republican U.S. Sen. Luther Strange once again. “Luther Strange of the Great State of Alabama has my endorsement. He is strong on Border & Wall, the military, tax cuts & law enforcement,” Trump tweeted before 7:00 a.m. ET on his way back to D.C. Luther Strange of the Great State of Alabama has my endorsement. He is strong on Border & Wall, the military, tax cuts & law enforcement. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2017 In a surprise move, Trump took Twitter and endorsed Alabama Sen. Luther Strange, last week ahead of the state’s Aug. 15 primary. “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 primetime Aug. 9. Strange was appointed to the seat in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley following the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and is currently serving as a temporary Senate appointment. He is competing in the August primary to fill out the remainder of Sessions’ 6-year term through 2020. On Tuesday, Strange will face a bevy of Republican challengers at the polls including former Ala. Chief Justice Roy Mooreand Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks — arguably his top two competitors. If no candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will take place Sept. 26, with the general election scheduled for Dec. 12.
Alabama’s long history with Senate special elections
With Alabamians about to head to the polls Tuesday, Sabato’s Crystal Ball published a look back over the Yellowhammer State’s long and fascinating history with Senate special primary elections. Since the ratification of the 17th Amendment, which requires U.S. Senators to be directly elected, Alabama has had five special elections for Senate. The first of those five, held in 1914, was actually “the first to test the authority of a Governor to fill a vacancy since the direct election amendment to the Constitution was adopted” according to a Los Angeles Times article published at the time. The amendment, in part, states “that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.” But the Alabama Legislature, which didn’t meet annually during that era, wasn’t scheduled to be back in session until 1915. The second race, in 1920, brought about the preferential primary voting system, which requires candidates to win a majority of the vote to secure their party’s nomination. If that doesn’t happen in the primary election, the top two finishers duke it out in a runoff election. The same system is still in place today, and if recent polls are anything to go by, the primary runoff will have to be used on the GOP side again this year. The lead up to the 1938 election saw Alabama with its first female senator, Dixie Bibb Graves, who was appointed by her husband, then-Gov. Bibb Graves, so he could avoid showing any favoritism among candidates in his party. Once the special primary election was decided, Graves rescinded his wife’s appointment and put the winner, J. Lister Hill, into the seat before holding the general election. In the fourth special election saw George Sparkman win a seat in the Senate and avoid a primary runoff with a narrow 50.1 percent victory. He went on to hold the seat for 32 years and is to this day the state’s longest-serving senator. He could have never made it to office, though, if it were not for his two primary opponents splitting the conservative vote down the middle in a contentious campaign. Alabama’s most recent Senate special election was held in 1978, and it is the most similar to the 2017 edition. After the death of Sen. Jim Allen his wife, Maryon Pittman Allen, was appointed to the seat. She was considered a favorite early on in the race but fell sharply in the polls after bad-mouthing then-Gov. George Wallace in a Washington Post interview. The move marked her as undignified and, more importantly, not conservative, though she came in second place in the primary and ultimately lost the runoff by 15 points.
Donald Trump endorsement could affect the special election ‘bigly’
President Donald Trump endorsed sitting Sen. Luther Strange Tuesday, which means more in Alabama than just about anywhere else according to an analysis posted on FiveThirtyEight. Trump enjoys 85 percent job approval among likely primary voters despite his nationwide ratings hovering in the mid-30s. That high likability among voters has caused Strange and fellow Senate candidates Roy Moore and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks to try to tie themselves “as tightly as possible” to the president, writes Harry Enten. The strategy is quite a reversal for the three Republicans, all of whom declined to endorse Trump during the presidential primary season last year, but times change. Despite his ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, disgraced former Gov. Robert Bentley and other establishment Republicans, Strange is polling far higher among Trump supporters than those that disapprove of the president. Though Moore polls equally well among Trump supporters, he pulls even more support from religious conservatives. The former Alabama Supreme Court Justice has 38 percent support among likely voters who identify as evangelical Christians, the best numbers of the nine Republicans in the race, though he only pulls 14 percent of those who don’t identify as evangelical. Brooks, who comes in third place in most polls, is in opposite land: His base of support comes from voters who view Trump negatively. That is likely due to the many ads by McConnell’s committee, Senate Leadership Fund, attacking the CD 5 congressman for being “insufficiently pro-Trump,” since by all metrics Brooks is one of the more conservative Republicans in the House. He has a very conservative voting record, is a member of the Freedom Caucus, has the backing of Sean Hannity and has courted conservative outside groups during the campaign. Strange and Moore are jockeying for first place in the nine-way primary race. The same poll showed Brooks with 18 percent support, followed by state Sen. Trip Pittman with 8 percent and Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson with 2 percent. Eleven percent were undecided. Unless one of the candidates can secure a majority of the vote in the Aug. 15 primary, Alabamians will have to decide between the top two vote-getters in a Sept. 26 runoff. The general election is slated for December 12.
Super PAC backing Luther Strange spent $1.2M this week
Committee cash is continuing to pour into support for Luther Strange a week out from the special primary election for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ former senate seat, while his rivals have seen their funding slow to a trickle. Strange and his allies have been able to pump more money into the special primary election than any other Republican, and a political committee controlled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cemented that this week by shelling out more than $1.2 million opposing fellow primary candidates U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore. The Senate Leadership Fund went all out, picking up online advertising and paying for TV and radio ad production in opposition of Brooks and Moore. On Tuesday alone, the committee spent $286,531 slamming Brooks and $342,927 against Moore. Unprocessed FEC records show Tuesday’s cash dump was followed up with another $650,000 in spending on Wednesday, with $500,000 of that money used to oppose Moore, who is Strange’s closest competitor in recent polls. To date, McConnell’s committee has spent a whopping $3.3 million against Brooks and $1 million against Moore. Outside money supporting Brooks clocks in at just $45,123 for the week, all of which came from the Senate Conservatives Fund, a committee founded by former South Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Outside support for Moore was even more anemic. Through the entire election cycle, FEC data shows just $36,315 in independent expenditures backing the former justice. Despite the lopsided spending, a recent poll shows Moore with a 31-29 lead over Strange in the nine-way primary race. The same poll showed Brooks with 18 percent support, followed by state Sen. Trip Pittman with 8 percent and Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson with 2 percent. Eleven percent were undecided. Unless one of the candidates can secure a majority of the vote in the Aug. 15 primary, Alabamians will have to decide between the top two vote-getters in a Sept. 26 runoff. The general election is slated for December 12.
Senate Leadership Fund email slams Mo Brooks for Tuesday radio interview
It looks like Senate candidate and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks isn’t being ignored by his Republican Primary opponents just yet. A super PAC controlled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell again attacked Brooks in a Tuesday email, just one week before Alabamians are set to vote on the GOP nominee to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the senate. “Career Congressman Mo Brooks has been in the Washington swamp for so long that he’s looking down at Alabamans (sic) as ignorant rubes,” the Senate Leadership Fund email said. “Brooks called Alabama voters ‘relatively uninformed’ and ‘easy to deceive’ this morning on The Dale Jackson Show. “ The email continued along similar lines that the political committee and its preferred candidate, sitting Sen. Luther Strange, have leveled against the CD 5 Republican for weeks: He isn’t supportive enough of President Donald Trump. “Was Brooks trying to target ‘easy to deceive’ Alabama voters when he tried passing a check written to the Alabama GOP as a check written to Donald Trump? Did he think Alabama voters were ‘relatively uninformed’ when he claimed to support Donald Trump’s border wall despite originally opposing it and taking free trips to China funded by NYC pro-amnesty groups? Is that why he tried telling Alabama voters he voted with Trump on ‘every single’ bill despite having the 10th lowest percentage of voting with President Trump of any Republican Member of Congress?” The email then links to a recording of Brooks radio appearance on YouTube. During the segment, Brooks and host Dale Jackson discussed the “never Trump” attacks on his senate campaign, to which Jackson said, “I don’t understand why that attack seems to be making sense.” “While a lot of people are relatively uninformed, they don’t know the truth, they’re easy to deceive, the party regulars — people who have been through this before — who take a little bit more time to get beyond the 30-second ad and actually do the research to try to determine who’s telling the truth and who’s not, they’re not being deceived at all,” Brooks responded. Brooks and Strange are running in a crowded special Republican Primary for Sessions’ old seat, with former Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore rounding out the top tier of candidates. Strange and Moore are jockeying for the top spot in the nine-way race, with a recent poll showing Moore with 31-29 lead over Strage. The same poll showed Brooks with 18 percent support, followed by state Sen. Trip Pittman with 8 percent and Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson with 2 percent. Eleven percent were undecided. Unless one of the candidates can secure a majority of the vote in the Aug. 15 primary, Alabamians will have to decide between the top two vote getters in a Sept. 26 runoff. The general election is slated for December 12.
Unstoppable Chuck Norris vs. Mitch McConnell in Ala. Senate race
Guns carry him for protection, his diary is called the Guinness Book of World Records, when the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet him. Now the famed actor and martial artist extraordinaire, Chuck Norris, is ready for yet another notch in his victory belt. He’s stepped into the ring to fight the GOP establishment, and has thrown his full support behind former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in the Alabama U.S. Senate race. “Judge Roy Moore is the real deal: He’s tough, tested, and has a spine of steel,” said the Walker-Texas Ranger. “The Washington establishment knows they won’t be able to count on him, but Alabama voters can. 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. That’s why the Washington establishment is spending millions trying to defeat Judge Moore.” It’s hard to argue Norris, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, on the fact Moore rarely backs down. The GOP Senate hopeful first came to national fame back in 2003, when he was suspended from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the court. He was again suspended from the bench in 2016 for the remainder of his term for encouraging probate judges to defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing same-sex marriage and refuse marriage licenses to gay couples. Norris, whose eponymous Chuck Norris facts, has led him to become an internet phenomenon, is also calling out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his PAC, the Senate Leadership Fund. The group has spent over $2 million in ads supporting Moore’s challenger incumbent Sen. Luther Strange. “Alabama needs Judge Moore there doing what he’s always done: fighting to protect our constitutional rights to life, religious liberty, and the freedom to protect ourselves and our families. And he will always put principle over politics,” added Norris. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force, Norris is an active supporter of conservative candidates and causes, including veterans organizations and initiatives. “Chuck Norris is exactly the kind of guy you want on your side, and I’m honored to have his support as we continue this fight to take our Alabama values to Washington,” said Moore of the endorsement Moore will face off against sitting Sen. Strange, Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, state senator Tripp Pittman, and Christian Coalition Leader Randy Brinson next Tuesday, Aug. 15. Should any candidate receive 50 percent of the vote, they will move on to the Dec. 12 general election to take on a Democratic challenger. Otherwise, the two Republicans who receive the most votes will move on to a runoff on Sept. 26. What’s a Norris endorsement without a few more Norris memes? Enjoy.
Low voter turnout expected in Aug. 15 Senate primary
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said he’s expecting a low voter turnout for next Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary. Merrill said Monday he is projecting 20-25 percent of voters will go to the polls on Aug. 15 for the special election to fill former U.S. Sen. Jeff Session‘s seat. Merrill said a primary typically brings out 30-32 percent of voters. With just over a week before election day, new polling last week showed an incredibly tight contest has developed between former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and sitting U.S. Sen. Luther Strange. The two Republican hopefuls face a full slate of competitive challengers, including U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, state Sen. Trip Pittman and Christian Coalition leader Randy Brinson. With such a tight race between the top candidates, a Sept. 26 runoff is expected. Alabama requires a primary runoff unless a given candidate is able to exceed the 50 percent threshold. The Republican and Democratic nominees will face off Dec. 12 in a general election.
Senate Leadership Fund opens second front in Senate battle, now attacking Roy Moore
Senate Leadership Fund is giving Rep. Mo Brooks something of a break, turning its sights to hard-right social conservative Roy Moore, also in the race for U.S. Senate. On Tuesday, the super PAC linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell began running ads against Moore, essentially launching a second front in the contentious midsummer battle for the remainder of Jeff Session’s Senate seat. SLF is backing Sen. Luther Strange in the Aug. 15 special Senate primary. Strange was appointed to the seat in February by then-Gov. Robert Bentley after Sessions stepped down to become Donald Trump’s Attorney General. With two weeks left in the race, the Washington Examiner reports that SLF is investing more than $435,000 on both television and radio ads attacking Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice. The ad buy is statewide — except in the Huntsville media market, where ads blasting Brooks will continue. Brooks represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District, which covers much of Northern Alabama. “Roy Moore; there’s so much more,” the 30-second TV spot — called “Fund” AL — opens with a voice-over. “Despite being one of the highest paid judges in the nation, raking in more than $170,000 a year, Roy Moore, wanted more. So, Roy and his wife took over $1 million from a charity they ran, paying themselves $1 million and spending even more on travel, including a private jet.” Moore has also blasted Strange, accusing him of being a McConnell pawn, which plays well into the anti-establishment trend running through Alabama Republican politics, where Sessions is still beloved. Moore has also been getting some traction with the base voters of staunch social conservatives. Despite being ousted from the Alabama Supreme Court 15 years ago after he installed a Ten Commandments monument at the state court building, voters put Moore back in the same job some 10 years later. Moore was removed again from the Court after he refused to defend the federal law legalizing same-sex marriage. Arguing he did nothing wrong by upholding state law, he claimed to be a victim of a campaign from a variety of liberal-leaning groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Examiner reports on a recent Moore fundraising email, where he says: “My opponent is receiving ‘money by the barrelful’ from Mitch McConnell.” Brooks, who had been the sole target of SLF attacks in Alabama until now, has also bashed McConnell while pushing back on accusations he refused to support Trump in the primaries, and was slow to embrace the nominee in the general election. Other Republicans the 9-person field include Dr. James Beretta, Joseph Breault, Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson, Mary Maxwell, Bryan Peeples and state Sen. Trip Pittman of Baldwin County. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot for the primary is Aug. 10. If there is no primary winner — with 50 percent plus one — a runoff is Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12. Given Alabama’s strong Republican lean, whoever wins the primary — either outright or in the runoff — will most likely represent the state in the U.S. Senate. Both ads are available on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8q2NEZmSAA&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwwujICELGA&feature=youtu.be
Top GOP Senate candidates tout endorsements in final sprint to primary day
The top GOP candidates running to finish out Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ term in the Senate each publicized major campaign endorsements Monday. CD 5 U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks picked up support from conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who said Alabamians have “a chance this year to save the country by sending Congressman Mo Brooks to the US Senate.” “Despite my general policy of not making endorsements in GOP state primaries, this moment in history is too important not to endorse Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks for the Senate seat vacated by the great Jeff Sessions,” she said. Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore sent out an email Monday touting an endorsement from the Alabama Republican Assembly, which announced it would back Moore last week. Don Wallace, who heads up the Southeast Region of the ALRA, said “while there are several good candidates that are running for this position and who would serve Alabama well in the Senate, the Republican Assembly voted overwhelmingly for Judge Moore because of his demonstrable commitment to conservative principles and a willingness to stand up against an out of control Federal Judiciary.” Not to be outdone, sitting U.S. Sen. Luther Strange came out with a new ad highlighting the endorsement he received from the National Rifle Association back in May. In the 30-second ad, titled “Drain the Swamp,” Strange says he’s working with President Donald Trump’s administration to curb illegal immigration and build a wall on the country’s southern border. The ad then displays the NRA seal and he mentions the group’s endorsement over video of Strange firing a handgun at a shooting range. A recent poll from Raycom News Network put Strange and Moore in a statistical tie heading into the final stretch, with Brooks coming in as the only other GOP candidate in the nine-person field with double digit support. Alabama requires a primary runoff election if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, which seems likely given current poll numbers. The primary race is set for Aug. 15. The primary runoff, if necessary, will be Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12.
Mo Brooks hits back on Luther Strange’s ‘deceptive attacks’ in Senate primary
Mo Brooks is hitting back on the recent wave of “deceptive attacks” from opponents in the Alabama’s U.S. Senate race. Brooks’ new ad is the latest push on Sen. Luther Strange over who is the true Donald Trump supporter in the increasingly heated midsummer Alabama Senate primary to serve the rest of Attorney General Jeff Session’s term. The 30-second “Support Trump,” which launched Tuesday, reaffirms his “strong support” of Trump’s agenda, touting he voted with the president “95 percent of the time in Congress.” Strange — who has enjoyed support from the Senate Leadership Fund, linked to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — has leveled waves of negative hits on Brooks, trying to paint the four-term Huntsville Republican congressman as a tepid (at best) Trump supporter and even a “closet liberal.” “There’s only one ‘Never Trumper’ in this race: Luther Strange,” said Brooks, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. “I supported President Trump in 2016 and wrote a $2,500 check to help him win. Luther never endorsed Trump, never donated and is now helping Mitch McConnell block the America First Agenda in the Senate.” “So, who are you going to believe: Mitch McConnell and Luther Strange?” he asks. With a “proven conservative” record, Brooks finishes his ad with a list of endorsements from leading “conservative thought leaders” such as Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and Ann Coulter. Strange and Brooks are locked in a contentious primary battle, part of a nine-person GOP field that includes former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. All three are running for a place in the race’s staunch conservative lane in a state that overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2016. Other Republican candidates in the race include Dr. James Beretta, Joseph Breault, Alabama Christian Coalition president Randy Brinson, Mary Maxwell, Bryan Peeples and state Sen. Trip Pittman of Baldwin County. As for who will ultimately represent Alabama, voters have less than two weeks to decide before the Aug. 15 Republican and Democratic primaries. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot is Aug. 10. If there is no primary winner — with 50 percent plus one — a runoff is Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12. “Support Trump” is now available on YouTube.
Alabama Republican Assembly backs Roy Moore for Senate
With just over two weeks to go until the special primary election for the rest of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ Senate term, the Alabama Republican Assembly announced it would back former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore for the GOP nomination. The Alabama Republican Assembly announced its support for Moore on July 26, citing his “correct moral and constitutional principles” as what sets him apart in the crowded Republican Primary race. “Judge Moore is a proven fighter, personally and politically, and will stand strong for government that abides by the Constitution,” said ALRA President Jennifer Montrose. Don Wallace, who heads up the Southeast Region of the ALRA, said “while there are several good candidates that are running for this position and who would serve Alabama well in the Senate, the Republican Assembly voted overwhelmingly for Judge Moore because of his demonstrable commitment to conservative principles and a willingness to stand up against an out of control Federal Judiciary.” Montrose closed out the endorsement by issuing a call to arms for “all conservatives to join us in supporting Judge Roy Moore in the August Republican Primary. Moore’s major rivals in the primary race are sitting U.S. Sen. Luther Strange, who was appointed to the seat earlier this year by scandal-plagued former Gov. Robert Bentley, and CD 5 U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who is a member of the House Freedom Caucus and has recently doubled down on his concerns with President Donald Trump’s administration. A recent poll from Raycom News Network put Strange and Moore in a statistical tie heading into the final stretch, with Brooks coming in as the only other GOP candidate in the nine-person field with double digit support. Alabama requires a primary runoff election if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote, which seems likely given current poll numbers. The primary race is set for Aug. 15. The primary runoff, if necessary, will be Sept. 26; the general election is Dec. 12.
