Alabama Republican primary: live results

Tuesday marks judgment day in Alabama, where Sen. Luther Strange and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore are locked in a tough primary runoff.

The winner of Tuesday’s contest becomes the heavy favorite to hold the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Strange, who has been endorsed by President Trump was appointed to temporarily fill the seat in February, but Moore has put up a strong fight.

Stay with The Hill for live updates. 

Moore crowned GOP primary winner

Update – 9:30 p.m.

Roy Moore is the apparent winner of the GOP primary runoff, according to The Associated Press.

Moore had 57 percent of the vote compared with Strange’s 43 percent when the AP made the call, with 45 percent of precincts reporting.

The former judge’s victory party erupted into cheers and chants as the results were announced. Moore is expected to speak at his party shortly.

AP: Moore wins

Update – 9:29 p.m.

The Associated Press has called the race for Moore.

BRAKING: Firebrand jurist Roy Moore wins Alabama GOP primary runoff for U.S. Senate, defeating Trump-backed incumbent.

— The Associated Press (@AP) September 27, 2017

McConnell-aligned super PAC that backed Strange gives up, pledges to back Moore

Update – 9:15 p.m.

With a victory for Moore imminent, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) released a statement commending Moore for beating Strange “fair and square” and promising to back Moore in the general election.

SLF, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) allied super PAC, spent about $8 million on Strange’s behalf during the primary and tarred Moore with negative ads.

“We are proud to have fought alongside President Trump and the NRA in support of a dedicated conservative who has loyally supported this President and his agenda. Senator Strange can hold his head high knowing that he played a critical role in cleaning up the corruption in Montgomery, confirming President Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court, and strongly supporting the President’s priorities on border security and repealing Obamacare,” said Steven Law, SLF’s president.

“While we were honored to have fought hard for Big Luther, Judge Roy Moore won this nomination fair and square and he has our support, as it is vital that we keep this seat in Republican hands,” Law said.

But it’s unclear whether Moore will accept that support, as he repeatedly railed against SLF and McConnell for what he saw as undue outside influence in the race.

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon, who has backed Moore, called out McConnell, Law and other SLF allies during Moore’s closing rally on Monday night.

“For Mitch McConnell and Ward Baker and Karl Rove and Steven Law, all the instruments that tried to destroy Judge Moore and his family, your day of reckoning is coming,” Bannon said.

Ominous signs for Strange 

Moore running strong in pivotal northern counties

Update – 9 p.m.

As Moore continues to expand his lead to 16 points with 11 percent of precincts reporting, Moore is holding strong in the northern part of the state. This is the part where Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) performed well in the primary and a place that the Strange campaign had targeted strongly. That’s why President Trump held his rally in Huntsville, in one of the state’s most northernmost counties.

While Huntsville’s Madison County has not yet released any vote totals, Moore leads in five of the six northernmost counties that have some results in. One of those counties, Limestone, has already reported all of its votes — Moore won the county by 18 percent.

Moore leads by 13 points

Update – 8:50 p.m.

With 7 percent of precincts reporting, Moore has 57 percent of the vote, compared to Strange’s 44 percent.

While it’s still early, the trends are encouraging for Moore. He’s keeping Strange’s lead in Mobile County to just 10 points. And while Strange is still running up the score in Montgomery County and Jefferson County (the home of Birmingham), Moore holds significant leads in most of the other suburban counties right now. 

Early results bad for Strange

Update – 8:45 p.m. 

About 3% in #ALSEN so far. Only a smattering of precincts from across the state, but Moore seems solid in Northern AL which Strange needs

— Daily Kos Elections (@DKElections) September 27, 2017 

Bad early numbers for Strange

Update – 8:35 p.m.

John Couvillion with JMC Enterprises, a group that has polled during the race, has some early analysis about these first vote totals. 

EARLY RESULTS: Morgan County abs: Moore 68-32(+30 Moore, +8 Luther compared to primary).Good for Moore (Mo got over 30% in primary) #ALSEN

— John Couvillon (@WinWithJMC) September 27, 2017

(Very) Early update

Update – 8:30 p.m.

Results are crawling in, with just 1 percent of precincts reporting in the first half hour since polls closed.

So far, Moore leads by a wide margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, according to The Associated Press’s results. It’s far too early to even speculate on what it means, but for what it’s worth, Strange is leading in Birmingham and Mobile, as expected, while Moore is leading other more rural areas. 

Strange is Trump’s candidate — for what that’s worth 

Update – 8:09 p.m. 

President Trump’s endorsement is Strange’s best chance at hanging on to the seat. The president is extremely popular among Republican primary voters in Alabama. Unfortunately for Strange, so is Moore.

It’s unclear whether Trump’s endorsement moved the needle. Polling released early this week showed that the endorsement may not have had a substantive impact on the race. And Trump gave a less than full-throated endorsement during Friday’s rally.

While he called Strange “a real fighter and a real good guy,” he also mused on stage about whether he made a “mistake” by backing Strange and committed to campaign “like hell” for Moore if he won.   

Polls close

Update – 8 p.m. 

Polls have closed in Alabama, so we should know the results within a few hours.

Moore won 39 percent of the vote in last month’s primary to Strange’s 33 percent, and he’s since won the backing of both Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) and state Sen. Trip Pittman, who earned the other 27 percent of the primary vote. But Strange is relying on President Trump’s endorsements and a major spending advantage of Moore to turn the tide.

Unofficial results will be accessible through the Alabama secretary of state here, while the Associated Press’s vote count can be found through The New York Times here.