By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Tuesday, the voters of Alabama selected Roy Moore to be the GOP candidate in the race to fill the Senate seat of Jeff Sessions , now U.S. attorney general. Leaders from across Alabama and beyond congratulated Moore on the victory.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement: “One of my first acts as governor was to move the special election date so it was held in compliance with the law. Now the people have had their say.”
“Republican voters chose their nominee for the United States Senate,” Ivey said. “I encourage all Alabamians to vote in the general election scheduled for December 12, 2017. I appreciate Senator Luther Strange’s years of dedicated service to our state and thank him for his unwavering commitment to Alabama. Congratulations are also due to Roy Moore on his win, and I look forward to supporting him as our party’s nominee.”
Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan said, “Congratulations to Judge Roy Moore on his victory as the Republican nominee for the United States Senate. The GOP voters have spoken and made their choice clear in this election. The Alabama Republican Party fully supports Roy Moore as our U.S. Senate nominee. We will put our full forces and large infrastructure behind Judge Moore as we focus on winning the general election. The seat that Jeff Sessions held so honorably for twenty years will continue to be a Republican seat.”
“Judge Moore will be a conservative vote for Alabama and will strongly support President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again,” Lathan said. “Our state has time and time again rejected the liberal policies and views the Alabama Democrat Party’s nominee embraces. His allegiance to his Party’s progressive platform are not remotely compatible with Alabama citizens and their beliefs. His caucus team will be self-proclaimed socialist Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer. These far left-leaning liberals do not mirror Alabama values. On December 12, our voters will affirm their commitment to Republican principles when they seat Roy Moore as Alabama’s next U.S. Senator.”
Lathan concluded, “Current U.S. Senator Luther Strange has been a strong supporter of the ALGOP and our conservative causes. We publicly thank him for his service to our state and nation as well as honor his family for their support. Just as our voters came together after the presidential primary to elect President Trump, we will now do the same and unite to elect Roy Moore as our United States Senator. We are confident that Alabama Republicans will come together for the big picture win on December 12.”
The Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund released a statement: “Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund congratulates Roy Moore on winning the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama. Alabamans voted for Roy Moore because they trust him to put their values and interests ahead of the political whims of Mitch McConnell and the so-called Republican ‘leadership’ in the Senate. Sen. McConnell was so invested in defeating Roy Moore, he had his allies spend millions of dollars on attack ads in order to stop him from getting the nomination — millions of dollars spent against a conservative Republican that could have been spent against a liberal Democrat. And why? Because McConnell and his allies are more concerned with consolidating McConnell’s grip on the Senate Republican Conference than they are in actually growing the size of that Conference. They know Roy Moore is beholden to the people of Alabama, not to the special interests in Washington. When Roy Moore says he will vote to fully repeal ObamaCare, or work to overturn Congress’ illegal special exemption from ObamaCare, or vote to enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders, the people of Alabama trust he will keep his word. We look forward to continuing our support for Roy Moore in December and working with him in the Capitol once he is elected to be Alabama’s next Senator.”
Former Alaska Gov. and former GOP Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin said on Facebook: “Congratulations Judge Roy Moore for U.S. Senate and thank you Alabama!”
Palin who came to Alabama to rally the conservative voter for Moore said, “We can win this war! This is what we need, the happy warriors who are in it for the right reason. They’re in it for a reason, not just a season and not just a business for them. They have a servant’s heart that we need in our government. I’ve followed Judge Moore’s career for many years, as I said, and the ups and downs and the battles that he’s had inside and outside of the party and always standing up for what he believes is right. Some of the things he’s done, I’ve just gotten a kick out of, and I think they need some of that in Washington—like when he showed up to vote riding a horse, I thought we’d probably do the same thing. He’s a good man and he’s got great character. Yes, this is what we need. We don’t need the lobbyist mentality in the Senate, because that lobbyist mentality has too often proven to the people that special interests that will enrich that lobbyist will come before the people’s interest. We can’t afford any more of that. That has led us to the $20 trillion debt that we’re in. That has led us to the government growth and overreach that we see. So, no, we don’t need to elect more of the problem—we’re not going to solve the problem by electing more of it.”
Breitbart News’ Matt Boyle is reporting that President Donald Trump in his phone call to Judge Moore said that he understands what Moore went through to win this nomination and ended with ‘God Bless you’ to the former Chief Justice. Judge Moore reportedly told the President: “I look forward to working with you.”
The Alabama Media Group’s Laeda Gore is reporting that the President has deleted all of his tweets extolling the virtues of Luther Strange.
Moore still has to beat Clinton era U.S. Attorney Doug Jones in the general election.
Jones said in a statement, “Since the beginning of this race, I have focused on issues that matter to the people of Alabama – health care, jobs, and the economy. Unfortunately, there has been little discussion about those issues in the bitter race of the last few weeks. These are not Democratic issues. These are not Republican issues. The people of Alabama deserve a senator who will put aside partisan rancor and address the real needs facing the people of this state. I understand the importance of bipartisanship. A Democratic president appointed me U.S. Attorney and I was confirmed by a Republican-controlled Senate.”
Jones said, “After years of embarrassing headlines about top public officials in this state, this race is about the people of Alabama and about choosing a candidate with character and integrity they can be proud of. I will never embarrass the people of Alabama. I am running so the people of Alabama can be proud of their next senator.”
Jones continued, “This job is much bigger than the occupant. As U.S. Attorney, I not only completed my term but remained a special prosecutor to ensure justice was served and Klansmen went to prison for murdering four innocent little girls. I will take the same seriousness to the United States Senate and ensure millions of Alabamians have a representative who places the people above personal ambition. Even though I was not on the ballot today, our campaign has been building momentum for weeks with hundreds of volunteers signing up to join our effort, Republicans reaching out to us throughout the state, and our campaign just finishing our strongest week of fundraising. We started our general election campaign more than a month ago and are seeing increased energy moving toward December 12. Louise and I wish Luther Strange and his family well as he continues to serve the people of Alabama during his remaining time in office.”
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez said in an email to supporters, “In a couple of months, we have an important special election happening in Alabama for Jeff Sessions’ open Senate seat — and it’s critically important that we do all that we can to get our candidate, Doug Jones, elected.”
Perez said, “Doug is a lifelong Alabamian who has spent his career fighting for the people of Alabama in and out of the courtroom. In his first year as the U.S. District Attorney for Northern Alabama, he helped convict two former Klansmen for the murder of four innocent African American girls in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.”
Perez concluded, “This is the level of character and dedication that Doug will bring to the U.S. Senate if elected. In times like this one, Alabamians need someone who will fight for them day in and day out — someone who will go the distance, no matter what it takes.”
