Pence backs Trump pick for Alabama Senate

Vice President Pence endorsed Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) just hours before the polls will open Tuesday in the Republican primary to determine who will move on in the race to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate.

Luther Strange has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with President @realDonaldTrump and is supporting our agenda to #MAGA https://t.co/D2PKz1sFcL

— Mike Pence (@mike_pence) August 15, 2017 

Trump endorsed Strange last week over the objections of conservatives, who had hoped the president would throw his weight behind either Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) or former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who is leading polls.

Strange, who was appointed earlier this year by then-Gov. Robert Bentley (R) to fill the seat on an interim basis, is running with the support of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The top two candidates will move on to a September runoff if no one wins more than 50 percent support on Tuesday night. Moore is ahead in the polls, with Strange and Brooks running close in second and third place.