With 39 percent of the vote, Roy Moore easily won first place in the first round of Alabama’s special Senate primary. The runoff will be much more challenging, according to new polling.
A new survey by Harper Polling showed Moore leading incumbent GOP Sen. Luther Strange 47 to 45 percent less than a month ahead of the Sept. 26 runoff election. With the combined air and ground support of the National Republican Senate Committee, Strange could easily close that 2 percent gap by Election Day.
New Harper Poll: In #ALSen runoff @lutherstrange within striking distance of @MooreSenate. pic.twitter.com/hI4VMoHarn
— Philip Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) August 29, 2017
Of course that’s assuming the poll is accurate. Another survey commissioned by DecisionDeskHQ put Moore way ahead of Strange by 18 points. Confusing but not shocking, the conflicting polling coming out of Alabama highlights the brutal and fluid nature of the race.
Both Moore and Strange are controversial. A former state Supreme Court justice, Moore lost his job twice for refusing to obey federal court decisions. A former state attorney general, Strange was appointed by Alabama’s disgraced governor, a man he was investigating at the time.
But NRSC money combined with the personal endorsement of President Trump may have lessened those negatives. According to the Harper Poll, 38 percent of voters consider support for the president most important as opposed to the 27 percent who favor conservative principles.
If Strange wants to keep his seat in the world’s most exclusive deliberative body, he better hope Trump’s popularity translates into votes.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
