THE MOORE YOU KNOW
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Update, 9:36 PM, September 26: Ultra-Conservative former Alabama supreme court justice Roy Moore is projected to win the Republican primary in the state, according to The Associate Press. The win comes after heavy campaigning for his more establishment-friendly opponent Luther Strange by President Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell. 

Previously: Today, Republican voters are going to the polls in an Alabama runoff election to choose wh​o will run to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions as their Senator. Incumbent Senator Luther Strange, who has the backing of the Republican establishment, is facing off against former state supreme court justice Roy Moore, who was suspended and later resigned after he ordered lower court judges not to obey the Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. Here's what you need to know about the crazy election.

Meet Roy Moore

Roy Moore served as a Republican elected (although he was first appointed when another judge died) judge in Alabama from 1992 to 2017. He was removed from office twice for ethics violations.

He's Known For His Religious Fundamentalism 

In 1996, a court ruled that Moore's practice of opening court with a prayer was unconstitutional

As Chief Justice of the state supreme court, Moore was involved in repeated controversy, and was suspended from the bench twice. In a 2002 opinion, Moore called homosexual behavior "an inherent evil, and an act so heinous that it defies one's ability to describe it."

In 2001, Moore commissioned the installation of a 5,280 pound Ten Commandments statue in the state's judicial building. A federal judge eventually ruled in 2003 that the statue violated the First Amendment's principle of separation of church and state, and ordered it to be removed. Moore refused to comply and was removed from office in 2004 on ethics grounds.

In 2005, he said "homosexual conduct" should still be illegal.

In 2012, Moore was reelected as Chief Justice in a surprise election result.

In 2016, Moore ordered Alabama judges to disobey the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage. Once again, Moore was found guilty of ethics violations and was suspended from office for the rest of his term. In April 2017 Moore announced he would run for Senate.

Moore Has Used Racist Language During His Campaign

Last week, a video surfaced of Moore using racist language during a campaign speech, calling Asian and Native American people "yellows" and "reds."

He Suggested 9/11 Was A Punishment From God

In a speech delivered in February, Moore suggested that 9/11 was a punishment delivered by God, reading bible quotes and then connecting them to the attacks on The Pentagon and the Twin Towers. He later said God was upset because Americans "legitimize sodomy" and "legitimize abortion," according to CNN.

He's A Birther

Moore has also established himself as a birther (a person who believes that Barack Obama wasn't born in the US). In December 2016, Moore told members of the Constitution Party that he didn't believe Obama was born a citizen. The announcement came months after Donald Trump abandoned the theory publicly. 

Meet Luther Strange

Luther Strange is the establishment candidate running in the primary, having previously served as Alabama's Attorney General.

He's Also Conservative

While seemingly not as extreme as Moore, Strange is certainly conservative. 

As Attorney General, Strange sued the Obama Administration for its Clean Power Plan, its directive on the treatment of transgender students, and Obamacare's birth control mandate.

As Senator, Strange urged Trump to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, and voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch.

He Was Appointed To Replace Jeff Sessions 

After Jeff Sessions was appointed as US Attorney General, Strange was appointed by Governor Robert Bently to serve as his interim replacement.

The Appointment Has Aroused Suspicion After The Governor's Sex Scandal

After the Governor appointed Strange, he was impeached and resigned after he was accused of using government funds in an extramarital affair. Strange's appointment by Bently has made him the subject of connected accusations: 

Strange served as state attorney general under Bentley, who resigned amid an impeachment investigation into whether he used state resources for an extramarital affair. Two Republican members of the Alabama statehouse have since publicly alleged that Strange tried to stop Bentley's impeachment because he had his eye on the governor's mansion, though the charge hasn't been proven.

[Vox]

The Election Has Become A Proxy War

The runoff election has become a proxy war between different sects of the Republican party. Luther Strange has received support from what is now the Republican establishment: Donald Trump, Mike Pence and Mitch McConnell. 

 

 

It's suspected that McConnell and the establishment are supporting Strange because he has already proved himself to be a safe bet for establishment voting efforts in Congress. 

The same can't be said for Moore, who is the ultimate loner and wildcard. Moore has made a point of distancing himself from McConnell and Trump, instead gaining support from ousted far-right Trump strategist Steve Bannon and Brexit engineer Nigel Farage.

Moore Is Set To Win

Polling shows Moore leading by over 11 points. Strange hasn't led in a poll since August.

In the first primary election, Moore won with 39% of the vote compared to strange's 33%. The third place candidate has endorsed Moore after being subject of attacks by Mitch McConnell's Senate Leadership Fund.

<p>Benjamin Goggin is the News Editor at Digg.&nbsp;</p>

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