Who is Luther Strange, who Trump keeps endorsing?
President Trump tweeted about Alabama senate candidate Luther Strange three times on Wednesday in addition to a tweet on Saturday, peaking interest in what could have been a little-watched Republican run-off.
The NRA strongly endorses Luther Strange for Senator of Alabama.That means all gun owners should vote for Big Luther. He won't let you down!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2017
Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like "Big" Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2017
Looking forward to Friday night in the Great State of Alabama. I am supporting "Big" Luther Strange because he was so loyal & helpful to me!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2017
Mr. Trump will hold a rally for Strange on Friday in Huntsville, Alabama, and Pence will campaign for Strange on Monday. So who is Luther Strange, who has attracted so much attention?
Strange, who was appointed earlier this year to fill the open Senate seat left by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is facing former state Supreme Court justice Roy Moore in a run-off election on Sept. 26. The two faced off in a primary in August, but both failed to capture 50 percent of the vote against U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, a member of the House Freedom Caucus from northern Alabama. Mr. Trump backed Brooks in the primary as well.
Strange was appointed by former Gov. Robert Bentley, who Strange, the state attorney general, was investigating at the time. Bentley, who was on the brink of impeachment, resigned shortly after appointing Strange. Both men have denied any wrongdoing.
Moore also has some controversy as well. Moore was kicked off the bench in 2003 for refusing a federal court order to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from court grounds. Voters reinstated him in 2012, but he was kicked off the bench again in 2016 for refusing to abide by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow gay marriage.
And then, earlier this week, video surfaced of Moore saying at a speech on Sunday "we have blacks and whites fighting, reds and yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting."
While Strange has received Mr. Trump's endorsement, Moore has some heavy hitters backing him as well. Last week, Brooks endorsed Moore and Sarah Palin and Mr. Trump's former aide Sebastian Gorka will campaign for Moore at rally in Montgomery on Thursday.
The winner of the Sept. 26th primary will then face Democrat Doug Jones on Dec. 12th, but given the advantages of deep-red Alabama, the winner of Republican primary is all but assured a victory.