Monday in an op-ed posted on his website, former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) endorsed former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate special election GOP primary runoff set for September 26 in the Yellowhammer State.
Moore faces Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL), who was appointed earlier this year by-then Gov. Robert Bentley (R-AL). That was not something that went unnoticed by Huckabee.
“I have good friends in Alabama whose support is split between Senator Luther Strange, who was ‘strangely’ appointed to the post by disgraced Governor Robert Bentley who made the appointment just as he was shown the door and resigned from office), and Judge Roy Moore, who is famous for his fights to preserve the display of the 10 Commandments on state property,” Huckabee wrote.
Alabamians are somewhat familiar with Huckabee. In the 2008 Alabama Republican presidential primary, Huckabee finished ahead of that presidential cycle’s eventual nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) by 20,000 votes. That earned Huckabee the lion’s share of the state’s 36 Republican National Convention delegates.
Huckabee argued Moore’s possible election to the U.S. Senate has the GOP establishment “horrified,” as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his Senate Leadership Fund super PAC have invested significant resources in Strange’s candidacy.
The Republican establishment’s position on the contest alone was a reason for voters to “make Judge Moore into Senator Moore” according to Huckabee.
Huckabee noted that he did not have a relationship with either Moore or Strange and neither had supported his presidential candidacies. For that reason, he said he was under no obligation to support either candidate and that his support for Moore was a rejection of the “join the club” mantra of Washington, DC.
My support of Roy Moore has nothing to do with specific displeasure with the appointed Senator Luther Strange, but because if the “power brokers” in DC are as desperate as they seem to be to keep Judge Moore from joining them, then they must fear that he can’t be counted on to “join the club.” And that is a good reason to support Judge Moore and hope that it sends a message to the do-nothing Congress that ought to be standing with our President to reform healthcare, taxes, infrastructure, national security, and job-killing regulation. Imagine the progress we’d have if members of Congress were as dedicated to helping the President’s plans for the economy as they are in going on TV to complain about a tweet he sent out.
Huckabee went on to urge Alabama voters to “mess them up” and pull the lever for Moore.
The winner of the Moore-Strange match-up will face former Clinton U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee, in the special election on December 12.
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor
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