August 16, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — Christian constitutionalist and former judge Roy Moore handily won the first stage of Alabama's Republican primary for a U.S. Senate seat last night, setting the stage for an epic battle next month between the “elitist” national GOP establishment and conservatives who want the D.C. “swamp” drained.
The strongly pro-life and pro-natural marriage Moore cruised to victory in a nine-man Republican field, winning almost 39 percent of the vote to almost 33 percent for current Alabama Sen. Luther Strange. A former Alabama Attorney General, Strange received President Trump’s endorsement and millions of dollars in support from a Senate PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“WE’RE ON TO THE RUNOFF! Time for Conservatives across Alabama to unite and deliver a knockout punch to the establishment! #ALSen,” Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice who lost his job last year fighting to preserve Alabama’s natural marriage law after the U.S. Supreme Court imposed homosexual “marriage” on the nation, tweeted at 9:02 last night, with his victory assured.
Conservative Congressman and House Freedom Caucus member Mo Brooks — whose campaign could not recover from a wave of McConnell-allied, sometimes-vicious attack ads — came in third with almost 20 percent of the vote.
“The attempt by the silk-stocking Washington elitists to control the vote of the people of Alabama has failed,” Moore said in his victory speech reported by The Birmingham News. He was referring to Strange's support from the McConnell-controlled super PAC Senate Leadership Fund, which poured millions of dollars into attack ads against Brooks before setting its sights on Moore.
Last month, Rep. Brooks called for McConnell’s ouster as the GOP’s Senate leader as “head of the swamp.” After his third-place finish last night, Brooks declined to endorse Moore or Strange, although he did compliment Moore for running a “very honest campaign. Perhaps most importantly, a very honorable campaign” (another slap by omission at Strange).
Moore and ex-D.C. lobbyist Strange will now go head-to-head for the GOP nomination on September 26. The Republican winner will likely be the next Alabama senator, succeeding Jeff Sessions, who was picked by Trump to be U.S. Attorney General.
On the Democrat primary side, Doug Jones won easily in a field of eight with more than 65 percent of the vote. The special general election for the Senate seat will be held December 12.
Moore: America can’t be good without God
Moore defended Alabama’s marriage amendment as many Republicans “moved on” after the 2015 Obergefell ruling. He fought to keep a 10 Commandments monument (that he installed) on the grounds of the state supreme court. He lost both battles but in the process built a huge national following of Christian conservatives who are deeply frustrated at what they perceive as a secular-judicial war against God and morality in the public square.
“We need to go back to the recognition that God's hand is still on this country,” Moore said in his victory speech. Echoing Trump, whose endorsement of Strange shocked and disappointed Alabama conservatives, he said, “We must be good again before we can be great. And we will never be good again without God. … God is the author of our goodness.”
“We've got to stop allowing our country to be ruled by justices on the Supreme Court who have put themselves above the law. They should be impeached and removed,” Moore said at his victory rally.
The social conservative icon, who is capable of reciting long quotations from Founding Fathers’ speeches, quoted George Washington on the need for “fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe” last night.
Conservatives against Strange
Conservatives were gleeful that McConnell’s chosen candidate was so easily defeated despite his funding advantage — a sign of Strange’s electoral weakness in Alabama.
“A massive mushroom cloud sighted moments ago above Mitch McConnell's turtle shell. Experts in Alabama calling it a ‘conservaboooom!’” tweeted Rev. Cary Gordon after Moore’s win and Sen. Strange’s second-place finish.
Moore was endorsed by Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, conservative TV stars Chuck Norris and Phil Robertson and former Gov. Fob James, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“I've known Judge Moore for over 25 years and I know him to be a man of proven character and integrity,” Dobson said in a statement. “I often ask God to raise up men and women of faith who will govern the nation with biblical wisdom. I believe Judge Moore to be such a man for this time.
Although not mentioning Sen. McConnell by name, Dobson criticized the PAC he controls, Senate Leadership Fund, for running attack ads against Moore.
“It is regretful that the Senate Leadership Fund in Washington has smeared the good name of Judge Moore and his wife Kayla in this campaign. I can vouch for him as a man who will bring honor to the United States Senate. He has always stood for our Christian conservative values including the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. He will be a champion for families in the United States Senate.”