Alabama is the site of the latest battle in the GOP civil war, where incumbent Sen. Luther Strange is facing off against challenger Roy Moore in a Republican primary runoff Tuesday for the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions.
The race pits President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Strange, against his own base. Most national and local conservatives — including two former Trump aides, Steve Bannon and Sebastian Gorka, as well as Sarah Palin — are backing Moore, the state’s former chief justice, sometimes known as the Ten Commandments judge. It’s the first real test of Trump’s political power within the GOP post-November, and it’s one he could lose.
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Read: Alabama doesn’t care Trump is backing a “swamp” candidate for Senate.
Every public poll of the race has had Moore leading Strange, though both campaigns say their private polling has shown it tightening in the final weekend, after Trump visited the state Friday to rally for Strange. Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC linked to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has spent at least $5 million on the race as well, on ads attacking Moore and boosting Strange.
But whether his candidate wins or loses on Election Day, Trump probably won’t lose much support from his base. Trump-supporting Moore voters in Alabama told VICE News they didn’t blame the president for his mistake.
This segment originally aired Sept. 25, 2017, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.
