Polls have officially closed in the primary for Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ old Senate seat in Alabama.
Appointed Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) is fighting to stay in the GOP race against former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), ahead of what polls and strategists say is a likely primary runoff.
If no candidate wins an outright majority — as is likely — the top two vote-getters will square off in a late September runoff.
The controversial Brooks has a rabid following of hardline evangelical conservatives and is expected to finish at the top of the field. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) allies have spent millions to destroy Brooks in order to push Strange into second place, and public and private polls suggest they’ve succeeded, and while there’s no guarantee he’ll edge Brooks a late endorsement from President Trump has boosted him in a major way.
Brooks, in the meantime, spent his last day of the primary claiming that “There are communities under Sharia law right now in our country.”
First results are expected around 8:30 p.m. Eastern. Stay tuned, and click here for more background on the race and Moore’s controversial views.
