In a 22-word tweet, President Trump dove into the Republican primary for Senate in Alabama, endorsing appointed Sen. Luther Strange, a reliably conservative vote on the Senate Agriculture Committee. Three front-runners are vying for two spots on the runoff that is expected to follow Tuesday’s primary; Rep. Mo Brooks said Trump was “somehow misled” into endorsing Strange.
The Alabama race has the potential to change the lineup of the Agriculture Committee before the end of the year. If Strange survives the primary and a Sept. 28 runoff — which will be held if no one gets 50 percent of the vote on Tuesday — he would advance to the general election on Dec. 12. The GOP nominee is believed to be the heavy favorite in that election because Alabama’s senators have been Republicans since 1994.
Roy Moore, the former chief justice of the state Supreme Court, has been the leader in the scanty polling ahead of the primary with around 30 percent, putting Strange and Brooks in a race for the second spot on a runoff ballot. The GOP campaign has become a contest by the candidates to show their support of Trump.
“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 said in an unexpected tweet. In years past, presidents usually stayed out of intraparty contests. Strange trumpeted the endorsement on his campaign website.
Brooks, from northern Alabama, said he was “baffled and disappointed (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell and the Swamp somehow misled the president into endorsing Luther Strange … I still support the America First Agenda and all the polls show we have momentum.”
Strange has the endorsement of the largest farm group in the state, the Alabama Farmers Federation, and has appealed for the farm vote by bringing Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and Senate Agriculture chairman Pat Roberts to the state. Strange is effectively the establishment candidate and has the backing of McConnell and a political action committee aligned with the Senate leader. When Trump criticized McConnell on Twitter, Brooks tweeted, “I agree completely, Mr. President. McConnell & Strange don’t support your agenda. I do. Reconsider endorsement @realDonaldTrump?”
“Trump’s backing of Strange could have a big effect, but for now, Tuesday’s primary looks like it will go down to the wire. Any of the three candidates could finish first or second, which would get them into a September runoff,” said FiveThirtyEight.
Meanwhile, Rep. Todd Rokita declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Senate in Indiana and the chance to defeat Sen. Joe Donnelly, regarded as one of the most vulnerable Democrats facing election in 2018 and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Rep. Luke Messer entered the GOP primary two weeks ago. “Messer and Rokita have for weeks traded insults and accusations, with both suggesting that the other is ‘unhinged,'” said the Indianapolis Star.