Luther Strange Concedes: Political Winds ‘Very Hard to Navigate’

Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) gave his concession speech late Tuesday after losing to conservative opponent Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race — telling supporters that the “political winds … are very hard to navigate.”

“It was a task of a lifetime, we’re dealing with a political environment that I’ve never had any experience with,” Strange said. “The political seas, the political winds in this country right now are very hard to navigate and hard to understand.”

Strange conceded after being decisively beaten by Moore, despite (or because of) his backing from the Republican establishment — which had helped the Strange campaign outspend Moore by as much as a 10:1 ratio.

Strange said his campaign “did everything we possibly could” and that he wouldn’t change it.

“There’s a lot of agendas in this country,” he added. “I’ll leave it to the pundits to figure all that out, my focus has been on the people of the great state of Alabama and making a difference.”

He also thanked President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, fellow Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). and his “Senate colleagues,” although he did not mention Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) by name.

“The friends I’ve made there will be lifelong friends,” he said.

In a statement released before he addressed the crowd, Strange made similar remarks and pledged to do “all I can to advance [President Trump’s] agenda over the next few weeks.

He also congratulated Moore on his victory, and wished him the best:

“I congratulate Roy Moore on the result this evening. May God be with him and may God continue to bless Alabama and the United States of America,” he said.

Adam Shaw is a Breitbart News politics reporter based in New York. Follow Adam on Twitter: @AdamShawNY