GOP grip on Alabama Senate race loosens
Having failed to win a majority of votes in Tuesday’s special primary, Sen. Luther Strange now faces the possibility that the controversial nature of his appointment could doom him in the Sept. 26 runoff with former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. If Strange loses to Moore, it could open the door for a Democratic upset in the general election, says Roll Call.
Senate race in Alabama could change Ag panel lineup
The newest member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Luther Strange of Alabama, appointed to the Senate in February to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, also is the first of the panel's members to face the voters. He's in a neck-and-neck race ahead of the Aug. 15 Republican primary election and has appealed to the farm block for support.
Strange succeeds Sessions on Senate Agriculture Committee
Six weeks into the congressional session, the Senate Agriculture Committee has a new member, Luther Strange, an Alabama Republican and successor to Jeff Sessions, now attorney general for President Trump. Strange said that as a senator he wanted "to advance conservative principles and fight for a more lean and efficient federal government."
Three new members on Senate Agriculture Committee
Democrats narrowed the Republican majority in the Senate in the November elections, so the Agriculture Committee will have 11 Republicans this session, unchanged from last year, and 10 Democrats, an increase of one. The committee has three newcomers: Republicans Steve Daines of Montana and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, and Democrat Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. Sessions is expected to leave the committee as soon as he is confirmed as attorney general.
Green groups doubt Sessions will enforce environmental law
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions, is "one of the most outspoken critics of environmental sciences" and "a proven opponent of environmental protection," say environmental groups, who fear Sessions will go slow on enforcement of clean air and clean water laws. The Alabama Republican also is an unwavering foe of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.