Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) will advance to the Senate primary runoff to fill the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, setting up a high-profile clash within the GOP.
The Associated Press and The New York Times called the race about two hours after the polls closed. At that point, Moore led Strange 41 percent to 32 percent with two-thirds of precincts reported, according to the Times’s data.
Alabama’s primary system triggers a runoff unless a candidate wins the majority of the vote in the first round.
Strange has the backing of top Republicans, including President Trump, Vice President Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)
Moore made his name thanks to two major statewide controversies, one over his decision to ignore a court order to remove from state land a Ten Commandments statue he commissioned and another over his refusal to follow a federal Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage.
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JUST IN: Trump-backed candidate fails to win Alabama GOP primary, will face rival in runoff https://t.co/oW3SA66ZSP pic.twitter.com/Nf4w6C9OvH
— The Hill (@thehill) August 16, 2017
Bummer! I was hoping this would be a blow-out for Moore. Going to pray that Moore prevails in the run-off.
And keep in mind Moore and Mo are splitting the conservative vote. That won't be the case next month. https://t.co/FTfpGUrITj
— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) August 16, 2017
Roy Moore tonight: "We must be good again before we can be great. And we will never be good again without God." A lot there…
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) August 16, 2017
Outspent 25-1 running against incumbent with Trump support, Moore won all but 4 of the 67 counties in #Alsen
— Daniel Horowitz (@RMConservative) August 16, 2017
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