2017 U.S. Senate special election

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The 2017 U.S. Senate special election was a statewide special election held in order to fill the seat left vacant by Jeff Sessions' appointment as Attorney General of the United States in January 2017.

When he appointed Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange to the vacant seat, Governor Robert Bentley announced that no special election would be held prior to the scheduled November 2018 general election. State Auditor Jim Zeigler and retired District Attorney Tommy Chapman filed a lawsuit against Bentley arguing that the State Constitution required a special election to be held "forthwith," and that 21 months did not meet that requirement.

After Bentley pleaded guilty to crimes relating to his use of campaign funds he was removed from office and succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Kay Ivey. After some deliberation, she decided to schedule a special election for the earliest practical date. The Alabama State Finance Director estimated the cost of holding the elections at $15 million, spread over two fiscal years.

Party primaries were held on August 15, Statewide turnout for the primary was 18%. In Jefferson County, turnout was closer to 20%, with 21% of Shelby County voters appearing at the polls. In Walker County a sales tax referendum also appeared on the ballot on August 15. A Republican runoff between Roy Moore and Luther Strange will be held on September 26.

The special election itself will take place on December 12.

Primaries

Democratic

Republican

General election

Campaign

The Mid Alabama Republican Club hosted candidate forums at the Vestavia Hills Public Library on June 10 and July 8. Beretta, Brinson, Brooks, Gentile and Pittman participated in the first event, while Moore failed to appear. Moore did attend the second event, along with Strange, Peeples and Maxwell.

A poll of 500 likely Republican primary voters conducted on July 20-21 by Cygnal indicated that Strange was a heavy favorite with support from 33% of those polled, followed by Moore with 26% and Brooks with 16%. The private poll, commissioned by eight large businesses and associations, was released by Politico. A broader poll, conducted on July 24 by Raycom News Network and Strategy Research, reached 3,000 registered voters and recorded the responses of those saying they were likely to vote. Among those likely to vote in the Republican primary, 35% supported Strange, 33% supported Moore, and 16% supported Brooks. Of those saying they would vote in the Democratic primary, 49% expressed support for Kennedy and 28% for Jones.

An August 7 statewide telephone poll of 2,000 respondents was conducted by WALA-10 (Mobile) and Strategy Research. It indicated that Moore had support from 35% of Republican voters, followed by Strange (29%), Brooks (19%), Pittman (9%) and Maxwell (4%). Among Democratic voters, Kennedy polled at 40%, followed by Jones (30%), Boyd (9%) and Hansen (7%).

President Donald Trump tweeted his "complete and total endorsement" of Strange on August 8. A telephone poll of 502 Republican voters conducted on August 8-9 by Cygnal found that 31 percent would vote for Moore, 23% for Strange, 18% for Brooks and 7% for Pittman. It also found that Moore would win a hypothetical runoff against Strange by a 45 to 35 margin.

References

  • Sharp, John (January 5, 2017) "No special election to replace Sessions; Bentley says move could save $16 million" al.com
  • Cason, Mike (April 18, 2017) "Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey moves U.S. Senate election to this year." The Birmingham News
  • Sharp, John (May 18, 2017) "Senate hopefuls attempt to ride Trump's popularity in Alabama." The Birmingham News
  • Koplowitz, Howard (June 10, 2017) "5 Senate contenders make their cases at Vestavia Hills candidates forum" The Birmingham News
  • Koplowitz, Howard (July 8, 2017) "Luther Strange, Roy Moore court support for Senate runs at Vestavia forum." The Birmingham News
  • Gattis, Paul (July 26, 2017) "Luther Strange leads in GOP Senate primary, poll shows." The Birmingham News
  • Journey, Rick (July 27, 2017) "Exclusive: New poll finds Strange and Moore in statistical tie for GOP Senate race." WBRC.com
  • Koplowitz, Howard (August 10, 2017) "Roy Moore leading Luther Strange by 8 points in Senate primary race: Poll." The Birmingham News
  • Gore, Leada (August 16, 2017) "Alabama Senate primary results: Moore, Strange for Republicans, Jones sweeps Democrats; What we know today." The Birmingham News

External links

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