Establishment-backed junior senator Luther Strange was defeated Tuesday by Republican Judge Roy Moore in the Alabama runoff election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions; and as of Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump has scrubbed his Twitter account of any Strange endorsements.
JUST IN: Roy Moore projected to defeat Luther Strange for Senate @GOP nomination in Alabama pic.twitter.com/Gbm20YCXmM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 27, 2017
Trump first endorsed Strange last month. He also made a campaign appearance in Alabama Friday in an effort to rally voters ahead of the election. On Tuesday, Trump posted three tweets further endorsing Strange:
However, all three tweets have been deleted. In their place are two tweets congratulating Moore:
Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race. He will help to #MAGA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2017
The White House has not responded to request for comment on why the Strange tweets were deleted.
As for Moore, his victory does not bode well for the GOP establishment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s super PAC sunk $10 million into Strange’s campaign, but the money couldn’t compete with Moore’s endorsement from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.
However, Moore’s win admittedly puts a Republican Senate seat at risk: He now must face-off in the general election against Democrat Doug Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney during President Bill Clinton’s administration. That risk factor was why Trump opted to throw his weight behind Strange – but clearly, the anti-establishment backlash among Republican voters is still going strong.
Are you glad Roy Moore won the Alabama runoff election? Share your thoughts and comments below!
