Alabama Senate debate erupts over whether McConnell is manipulating Trump
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The lone debate between Sen. Luther Strange and former state Chief Justice Roy Moore in the GOP Senate runoff here erupted into a heated argument Thursday evening over who has President Donald Trump’s ear and whether the president is being manipulated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Going into an hourlong debate, Strange made his strategy clear: Turn every topic, every argument into a reminder that Trump and Vice President Mike Pence support him. He said he spoke with Trump for nearly half an hour Wednesday night, and that the two leaders were both so supportive of him that they are each slated to campaign on his behalf going into the Tuesday runoff.
“The president supports me,” Strange said in his opening remarks as he stressed how, in a short time, he has become close with Trump. “Why would he do that? Because we’ve developed a close personal friendship.”
Moore, meanwhile, wanted to turn the debate into a referendum on Strange as a Washington-establishment aligned lobbyist and insider.
“My entire political career has been serving the state of Alabama,” Moore said. “My opponent has been a professional lobbyist for over 20 years.”
That’s how most of the debate went — until the final 15 minutes or so, when Moore linked Strange to McConnell. Moore referred to recent changes among Trump’s senior staff, including the departure of White House chief strategist Steve Bannon (who supports Moore) and said Trump was being manipulated by the Senate majority leader (who supports Strange). After Bannon was fired, he returned to his old job running Breitbart News.
The debate had an unusual rhythm from the beginning, with no moderator to guide Strange and Moore during their exchanges.
“The problem is President Trump’s being cut off in his office,” Moore said. “He’s being redirected by people like McConnell who do not support his agenda. Who will not support his agenda in the future. I think we need to go back and look at these things. And look at what’s going on. This is the most unbelievable race I have ever been in.”
That set off Strange. Every chance he got, Strange stressed that he and Trump were close friends and that he understood the president. He didn’t do the same with McConnell.
“You just said that he was being manipulated by Mitch McConnell,” Strange said. “I met Mitch McConnell six or seven months ago. I’ve already stood up to him on many occasions. And to suggest that the president of the United States, the head of the free world, a man who is changing the free world, is being manipulated by Mitch McConnell is insulting to the president. It’s absolutely insulting to the president.”
“That’s why he’s chosen me,” Strange continued. “He’s not being manipulated by anyone. In fact, many people that are supporting you look like the unemployment line at the White House. They were fired. They are not there.”
The heated exchange between Strange and Moore underscored one of the deepest divisions in the special election for the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. Neither candidate would attack Trump, whose approval ratings in Alabama are sky-high. But both have frantically sought to cast themselves as outsiders who will help “drain the swamp” in Washington.
That dynamic has escalated as Bannon has moved to boost Moore and as other conservative Republicans who like to bash the GOP leadership have lined up behind Moore. Among them are former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin; Rep. Mark Meadows of Carolina, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus; and Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama, who ran for the Senate seat against Strange and Moore but didn’t make the runoff.
Meanwhile, Strange has enjoyed the support of not only Trump and Pence, but also top GOP forces: McConnell himself, as well as the Senate Leadership Fund, the McConnell-aligned super PAC that has poured millions into the Alabama Senate primary to reelect Strange. Strange’s allies in the Senate worry that if elected, Moore would constantly buck party leadership and stall the chamber’s agenda.
Throughout the debate, Moore repeatedly cast Strange as a pillar of the establishment — particularly of McConnell and the Senate Leadership Fund.
“The people of Alabama see through this, they see what Washington is trying to do,” Moore said.
Both public and private polls show a tightening race, though most have Moore leading slightly. But Moore’s debate performance didn’t suggest a sense that he had the runoff locked up.
Thursday’s exchange was a study in contrasts. Strange was well rehearsed and prepared, while Moore frequently stumbled over his words. By the end of the forum, he was reading straight from his notes. Moore, who rose to national fame after defying a federal order to remove a monument of the Ten Commandments from a state judicial building, frequently highlighted his staunch social views — sometimes drawing calls of “amen” from the crowd.
Near the end of the debate, Moore attacked Strange for how he was appointed to the Senate seat, arguing that there were still lingering questions over whether Strange, as Alabama attorney general, nixed an investigation of then-Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley to get the seat.
“We’ve got to get to the truth in this matter,” Moore said at one point.
Strange defended himself but was more interested in highlighting the president’s support.
“I’m tired of being attacked,” Strange said, going on to say that he was glad to be Trump’s “friend” and that, like the president, “nobody influences me.”
After the debate, during a gathering with reporters, Strange was asked about his appointment to the Senate seat. He refused to answer, even when a heckler asked him again. A Strange staffer then cut off the questioning and rushed the candidate out of the room.