Establishment Republicans blame Bannon for supporting Moore, while Bannon’s camp alleges that it was McConnell’s support of Luther Strange that cost the election.
For the first time in decades, Alabama will have a Democratic Senator with Doug Jones flipping what was believed to be a Republican stronghold. Jones’ victory was less the story of a stunning upset, and more the result of Republican Mitch McConnell and Steve Bannon camps sparring against each other prior to the election. While the Democratic Party will struggle to hold onto the seat in the next election, the victory does whittle the Republican majority in the Senate down to just one seat.
Many senior Republicans seemed to believe that the allegations were true. Where there’s so much smoke, it seems almost certain that there’s a fire.
Who’s to blame for the stunning loss? Clearly, Republican candidate Roy Moore deserves much of the blame. Nearly any Republican candidate would have likely won the race, but Moore couldn’t. Allegations tied to sexual abuse and alleged pedophilia were too much for Moore to overcome.
While the allegations remain unproven, they have been widely corroborated. Even many senior Republicans, including Jeff Sessions, seemed to believe that the allegations were true. Where there’s so much smoke, it seems almost certain that there’s a fire.
Steve Bannon’s Support Made Moore Ticket Possible
How did the Republican Party reach the point where Roy Moore was the destined candidate? If the Republican establishment had had its way, sitting Senator Luther Strange would have been on the ballot. Strange would have almost certainly beat Jones in a heads up race, but he lacked the support of anti-establishment Republicans.
Perhaps most importantly, Strange suffered from the outright hostility of Steve Bannon. The former White House chief strategist didn’t simply withhold support, but actively put resources into Moore’s campaign in an effort to deny Strange the Republican nomination. It worked. Between Breitbart and other resources, Bannon’s support was enough to propel Moore to the Republican ticket.
The GOP establishment has been cautious of taking on Bannon directly. Despite pouring resources into Strange’s campaign, the Grand Old Party was unable to defeat the “alt-right” movement backing Moore. What if Bannon stepped back and started taking on establishment candidates in 2018?
Now, some Republicans are feeling emboldened. Republican Congressman Peter King (NY) said:
“This guy (Bannon) does not belong on the national stage. He looks like some disheveled drunk that wandered onto the political stage.”
King has generally been supportive of President Trump and his agenda. However, King is emerging as a vocal opponent of Steve Bannon and the alt-right movement in general. Many more traditional conservatives, like King, feel the party is losing track of its soul and focus.
Establishment Taking Blame for Alabama Loss As Well
The Bannon camp has fired back at accusations that they cost the Republican Party the Alabama Senate seat. Luther Strange was a sitting Senator going into the race. He was an incumbent. However, Strange was appointed to the seat and did not win it through an election. The GOP had no real proof that Strange would appeal to Alabama voters at large.
Many felt that the race should have been treated as wide open, but the GOP effectively kept it shut. The GOP establishment chased off other would-be contenders, even threatening to blacklist consultants who worked against Luther Strange. As a result, more viable candidates stayed away from the race.
Early in the GOP race, there were three candidates: Strange, Moore, and Tea Party favorite Mo Brooks, a sitting Congressman. The establishment believed that Strange’s best chance was in a head-to-head matchup with Moore. So instead of trying to push Moore out of the primary early, they focused on Brooks, sinking his campaign with attack ads.
CONSERVATIVE VICTORY HAS COME TO #ALSEN!
Because of you, tonight, the establishment has been DEFEATED in Alabama!
THANK YOU!
— Judge Roy Moore (@MooreSenate) September 27, 2017
Turns out, Roy Moore was Strange’s worst nightmare. He needed no support from the establishment and had a strong brand among Alabama voters. Despite all the resources poured into Strange’s campaign, the Senator never had a chance. Despite establishment backing, Strange lost the race, pulling in about 45% of the vote to Moore’s 55%.
Many believe that if the Republican Party had opened up the primary race and allowed other candidates to compete, a better candidate than either Moore or Strange would have emerged. By threatening any entrants and their backers with blacklists, the GOP essentially forced a Moore versus Strange showdown. Ultimately, this assured that Moore would be on the December ticket, leading to last night’s loss.
Alabama is a ruby-red state. It should not have been in play. However, the mechanizations of both Steve Bannon and the Establishment caused a slow-moving avalanche that allowed the seat to turn blue.
