Bannon: Moore Win Is Start of 'Revolution'

Alabama result shakes up GOP
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2017 5:13 AM CDT
Updated Sep 27, 2017 6:37 AM CDT
Alabama Primary Result Shakes Up GOP
Former White House strategist Steve Bannon attends a rally for US Senate candidate Roy Moore on Tuesday in Montgomery, Ala.   (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

President Trump has deleted some of his tweets about Alabama's Republican US Senate primary—but it's not an election the GOP will be able to move on from quickly. Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, a conservative Christian who was supported by anti-establishment forces including Steve Bannon, defeated Sen. Luther Strange, who was endorsed by President Trump and strongly supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Analysts say the result is likely to intensify a "civil war" in the GOP ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. A roundup of coverage:

  • At Moore's victory party, Bannon described the win as the start of a "revolution," Politico reports. "You're going to see in state, after state, after state, people that follow the model of Judge Moore—that do not need to raise money from the elites, from the crony capitalists, from the fat cats in Washington, DC," he said.

  • Strange wished Moore well after the result, though he admitted he was confused by the race, the AP reports. "We're dealing with a political environment that I've never had any experience with," he said. "I'm telling you, the political seas and winds in this country right now ... are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand."
  • The Washington Post predicts "all-out war" between establishment and anti-establishment forces in the Republican Party, which will cause many retirements and primary challenges in the months ahead.
  • At his victory party, Moore told the crowd he had put his fate "in the hands of the Almighty" and said he supports Trump, despite the president's endorsement of his rival, the New York Times reports. "Together, we can make America great," he said. "Don't let anybody in the press think that because he supported my opponent that I do not support him."
  • Analysts predict an "ugly, exciting" race between Moore and Democratic candidate Doug Jones before the Dec. 12 special election, AL.com reports. The winner will take the Senate seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
  • The Hill lists five takeaways from the Alabama race. Among them is the fact that the deeply controversial Moore, who has argued that "homosexual conduct should be illegal," could give fellow Republicans "heartburn" if opponents try to link them to his opinions.
  • The Alabama result capped a terrible day for McConnell, CNN reports. Earlier, Senate Republicans said they wouldn't vote on the latest ObamaCare repeal bill, and McConnell ally Sen. Bob Corker announced his retirement.
(More Roy Moore stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X