Alabama Senate race heads to GOP runoff

Moore, Strange will face off on Sept. 26 to replace Sessions

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and GOP opponent Luther Strange, who President Trump endorsed, have won spots in a runoff election for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Moore led a packed Republican field in the primary held Tuesday, grabbing 42% of ballots cast with about two-thirds of the vote counted. Strange, whom thenGov. Robert Bentley appointed to the Senate when Sessions joined the Trump administration, finished second with 31%.

Democrat Doug Jones earned a spot in the December general election clinching 63% in the open primary, according to the Alabama Secretary of State's Office.

After a morning of lackluster turnout at the state's polling places, the Secretary of State's Office revised its predictions downward from original estimates of 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 registered voters at the polls to 1 in 7 and perhaps as little as 1 in 10.

“Apparently, this is a case where people are not enthusiastic about the candidates,” Secretary of State John Merrill said.

Alabama voters, who haven't selected a Democrat for a U.S. Senate seat since 1992, had nine Republicans to choose from. Seven others competed to become the Democratic nominee. Alabama doesn't register voters by party, so voters could choose either primary.

If none of the candidates wins a majority in each party’s primary, state law will send the top two vote-getters to a primary runoff Sept. 26.