Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Trump’s choice in Alabama struggling
Endorsement fails to lift candidate in GOP Senate race
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s preferred candidate in the Alabama Senate primary Tuesday faces an uphill battle in a contest that could set the tone for other Republican Party skirmishes ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Trump endorsed Sen. Luther Strange, who should have had an easy lock on a seat he was appointed to after Jeff Sessions, the state’s longtime senator, resigned to become the Trump administration’s attorney general.
But the race has become an early test of Trump’s power to persuade his most dedicated supporters. Trump’s approval remains sky-high in Alabama, but that enthusiasm has not spilled over to Strange, who is also favored by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Strange is trailing former Judge Roy Moore, according to recent polling.
The outcome could foreshadow a deepening feud between the GOP’s base voters and party leaders in the months to come.
Some voters will surely be inspired by Trump’s endorsement of Strange. But others still have doubts about how Strange was appointed to replace Sessions and his ties to McConnell and other GOP leaders, who have grown increasingly unpopular among many in the base.
With no candidate likely emerge with a majority from a field that started with 10 Republicans, the top two vote-getters are expected to compete in a runoff in September.
More troubling for Strange is that Moore has held steady in polls and would be a formidable opponent if the two face off next month.
Moore is a colorful and well-known figure in Alabama, a former state chief justice who was removed from office for defying a court order on a Ten Commandments display. He was later reinstated by voters only to be suspended after not conforming with the Supreme Court decision upholding same-sex marriage.
Despite such setbacks, Moore at times seems more Trump-like in his outspokenness and popular support than Strange, the candidate Trump has supported through tweets and a robo-calls.
Democrats see almost zero chance to make inroads in Alabama, which has remained a GOP stronghold, though strategists are keeping tabs on developments.
But more telling will be the outcome for Republicans, who are now facing several spirited primary campaigns leading up to a midterm election they once hoped would put Democrats on defense.
Two Republicans, Sen. Dean Heller in Nevada and Sen. Jeff Flake in Arizona, have long been known to be heading toward tough reelections in 2018.
But now both are expected to face noisy primary campaigns with challengers from their right flank, testing their loyalty to Trump and to conservative issues.
As money has poured in for Strange, including $4 million from McConnell’s aligned Senate Leadership Fund, the message being sent to challengers is that the official channels in Washington are sticking with the incumbent.
The group has been pounding the airwaves with ads critical of Moore, as well as another candidate, Rep. Mo Brooks, hoping to ensure Strange can at least make the runoff.
Voters, though, have had other ideas. Some are skeptical of Strange because of the way he was first appointed to the job. As the state’s former attorney general, he was appointed by a governor who was facing investigation and impeachment proceedings for possible wrongdoing related to a reported affair, according to reports on AL.com. He has since resigned.
Others are still inspired by Moore for his strong stands, particularly on social issues.
Brooks, too, retains a strong following as a conservative member of the House Freedom Caucus, who was initially critical of Trump as a candidate, preferring Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. He has been crisscrossing the state on a “Drain the Swap” bus tour.