This is an interesting story in terms of where the Republican party is at, at least in Alabama. Jeff Sessions left the Senate to become Attorney General, and the governor of Alabama appointed Luther Strange to fill the seat. A special election is being held this year to determine who will hold the seat until the term is up. Strange is, of course, running as the incumbent. He has been a solid Republican vote in the Senate, and is supported by both Majority Leader McConnell and President Trump.
Problem is, polls show he is losing in the primary to two time former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore (R). Moore was removed from the post twice, once for refusing to comply with an order from a higher court to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from his courthouse. The second time was over his refusal to comply with the US Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality for gays.
Polls show Moore up by 10 in the primary vote, which will be held on Tuesday. While folks might think there is an opening here for the Democrats, Alabama is still a solid red state (unlike neighboring Georgia, which is trending to legitimate swing state status). As such, the Democrats don’t appear to have a credible challenger that will prevail in their primary.
If Moore is elected, he would prove a thorn in the side of both McConnell and Trump, as he is definitely a Freedom Caucus /Tea Party Caucus member in waiting. What good is being the majority party if you can’t agree on which direction to go?
The Electoral College Blog 