Luther Johnson Strange III (born March 1, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
from
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
from 2017 to 2018. He was appointed to fill that position after it was vacated by Sen.
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...
upon Sessions's confirmation as
U.S. Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
.
He previously served as the 47th
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
from 2011 until 2017.
Strange was a candidate for public office in 2006, 2010 and 2014. In 2006, Strange ran for
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
The lieutenant governor of Alabama is the president and presiding officer of the Alabama Senate, elected to serve a four-year term. The office was created in 1868,1868 Const. art. V, § 1 abolished in 1875,1875 Const. art. V, § 1 and recreated in ...
and defeated
George Wallace Jr. in the Republican primary. Strange then lost the general election to
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Jim Folsom Jr.
James Elisha 'Jim' Folsom Jr. (born May 14, 1949) is an American politician who was the 50th governor of Alabama from April 22, 1993, to January 16, 1995. He has also served as the lieutenant governor of Alabama on two occasions. He is a member ...
In 2010, Strange defeated incumbent Attorney General
Troy King
Troy Robin King (born August 22, 1968) is the former attorney general of the state of Alabama. He previously served as an assistant attorney general and a legal adviser to both Republican governors Bob Riley and Fob James. King was appointed by ...
in the Republican primary, before going on to win the general election against Democrat James Anderson.
After President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
appointed
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...
from Alabama to the office of
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
in February 2017,
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Robert J. Bentley appointed Strange to fill the vacancy. He ran to finish the term in the
subsequent special election and advanced to the Republican primary runoff, in which he lost to former state judge
Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fro ...
. On December 12, Democratic nominee and former U.S. attorney
Doug Jones was elected as his successor, defeating Moore in the special election.
Early life and education
Luther Strange was born in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
, and lived in
Sylacauga until the age of six, when his family moved to
Homewood. Strange graduated from
Shades Valley High School
Shades Valley High School (SVHS) is a four-year public secondary school in the Birmingham, Alabama suburb of Irondale. The school was established in 1948 near Homewood and moved to its present location in 1996. SVHS is the largest of 14 high sc ...
in 1971. He received his undergraduate degree from
Tulane University
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
. He then graduated from
Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States.
In addition to the usual common ...
. Strange was admitted to the
Alabama State Bar
The Alabama State Bar is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Alabama.
The Alabama State Bar was established in 1923 and is governed by th1975 Alabama Code, Title 34, Chapter 3
It is the "licensing and regulatory a ...
in 1981.
Early career
Strange's first job after graduating law school was at Sonat Offshore, a subsidiary of Sonat Inc., a
natural gas
Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbo ...
utility based in Birmingham, Alabama; he joined the company in 1980 as a lawyer. In 1985, Strange became head of Sonat's
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
office. He left the company in 1994. In the 1980s and 1990s, Strange was a registered lobbyist in Washington for Sonat and
Transocean Offshore Drilling Co.
Prior to being elected Attorney General, Strange was the founder of the law firm Strange LLC, a
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
-based law firm. Before establishing his own law firm, Strange was a partner with
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP
Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is a law firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama. In addition to its Birmingham office, Bradley also has offices in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina; Houston, Houston, Texas; Dal ...
.
[
]
Attorney General of Alabama
As Alabama Attorney General, Strange sued the federal government several times, over such issues as a United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...
and United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government. It began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was split into the Department ...
directive on the treatment of transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
students and changes in the U.S. Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
's calculation of Gulf of Mexico offshore drilling royalties. Strange also joined a suit brought by some states against the federal government that challenged the Obama administration
Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. A Democrat from Illinois, Obama took office following a decisive victory over Republican ...
's Clean Power Plan
The Clean Power Plan was an Obama administration policy aimed at combating anthropogenic climate change (global warming) that was first proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June 2014. The final version of the plan was unveil ...
.[Kim Chandler]
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange Named to Sessions' Former Senate Seat
Associated Press (February 9, 2017). Along with other Republican state attorneys general
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney genera ...
, Strange "came to the defense of ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
when it fell under investigation by attorneys general from states seeking information about whether the oil giant failed to disclose material information about climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
" (see ExxonMobil climate change controversy
Since the 1970s, ExxonMobil engaged in climate research, and later began lobbying, advertising, and grant making, some of which were conducted with the purpose of delaying widespread acceptance and action on global warming.
From the late 1970s a ...
).
Strange is an opponent of same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...
. He expressed disagreement with the U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
's ruling in ''Obergefell v. Hodges
''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protect ...
'' which found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.
His tenure in office included the conviction and removal from office of the Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard in June 2016. However, Strange recused himself from that case, appointing Van Davis as Acting Attorney General to oversee it.
As attorney general, Strange was the coordinating counsel for the Gulf Coast states in the litigation
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
on the ''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill.
In April 2014, Strange argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in '' Lane v. Franks''. The case involved a whistleblower who reported corruption within the Alabama community college system. This was Strange's first argument before the Court.
In March 2014, Strange brought Alabama into a lawsuit filed by Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster
Christopher Andrew Koster (born August 31, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Attorney General of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. Prior to serving as attorney general, Koster was elected three times as prosecuting attor ...
against California's egg production standards as embodied in its Proposition 2 in 2008. In October 2014, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, rejecting the states' challenge to Proposition 2, California's prohibition on the sale of eggs laid by caged hens kept in conditions more restrictive than those approved by California voters in a 2008 ballot initiative. Judge Kimberly Mueller ruled that Alabama and the other states lacked legal standing to sue on behalf of their residents and that the plaintiffs were representing solely the interests of egg farmers, not "a substantial statement of their populations."
Strange served as chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association in 2016 and 2017.
U.S. Senate
The appointment of Senator Jeff Sessions
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (born December 24, 1946) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 84th United States Attorney General from 2017 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as United State ...
as United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
in November 2016 created an opening for a U.S. Senate seat that Governor Bentley would fill by appointment upon Sessions' confirmation. Many aspirants publicly declared their interest in the appointive Senate seat, and in running for it even if not selected by Bentley.
Appointment
Strange revealed his intention to seek the Senate seat to Fred Barnes of the ''Weekly Standard
''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "red ...
'' on November 22, 2016, regardless of whether he was appointed by Bentley, calling a run "the right thing for me to do." Strange filed paperwork for the potential special election one week later and made a public announcement of his candidacy on December 6. "The voters will make the ultimate decision about who will represent them, and I look forward to making my case to the people of Alabama in the months to come as to why they can trust me to keep protecting and fighting for our conservative values." In January, the new Strange for Senate federal campaign committee reported raising more than $309,000 in the few weeks leading to the December 31 filing deadline.
Bentley began interviewing candidates for the Senate appointment in mid-December. On December 22, the ''Montgomery Advertiser'' reported a complete list of Alabamians who had been interviewed over a two-week period for the Senate seat (based on information released by the Governor's office). They included: Chief Justice Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fro ...
, Representative Mo Brooks
Morris Jackson "Mo" Brooks Jr. (born April 29, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2023. His district was based in Huntsville and stretches across the northern fifth of the stat ...
(R-Huntsville), and the following state legislators and justices: Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh
Adelbert Carl "Del" Marsh (born September 2, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Alabama Senate, who represented the 12th District from 1998 until 2022. He defeated Democratic challenger Judge Wallace Wyatt in the 2010 midterm elections. ...
(R-Anniston), Senator Arthur Orr
Arthur Orr (born May 25, 1964) is an American politician serving in the Alabama State Senate and as the Executive Vice President for Cook's Pest Control. First elected in 2006, he is currently Chairman of the Senate Finance and Taxation Education ...
(R-Decatur), Senator Cam Ward
Cameron Kenneth Ward (born February 29, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played the majority of his fifteen-year professional career for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for ...
(R-Alabaster), Senator Bill Hightower
Bill Hightower (born 1959) is an American politician from the state of Alabama. From 2013 through 2018, he was a Republican member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 35th district.
Early life and education
Hightower was raised in Mobile, A ...
(R-Mobile), Senator Trip Pittman
Lee "Trip" Pittman (born 1960) is an American politician from the state of Alabama. He was a Alabama Republican Party, Republican member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 32nd district.
Early life and education
Pittman was born in Birmingha ...
(R-Montrose), Alabama House Ways and Means Education Chairman and Representative Bill Poole
William Stitt Poole III (born May 1, 1975) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives for the 63rd district from 2011 to 2021.
Early life and education
Poole was born in New Orleans, L ...
(R-Tuscaloosa), Associate Justice Glenn Murdock, Representative Connie Rowe
Connie Cooner Rowe (born c. 1963) is an American politician who has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2014. A resident of Jasper, Alabama, she represents district 13 and is a member of the Republican party. She previously worked ...
(R-Jasper), former Representative Perry Hooper
Perry Oliver Hooper Sr. (April 8, 1925 – April 24, 2016) was an American jurist who served as the twenty-seventh Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court from 1995 to 2001. He was the first Republican since Reconstruction to have been ...
of Montgomery (also Trump 2016 Chair in Alabama).
Strange was not interviewed until the following week, along with U.S. Representative Martha Roby
Martha Kehres Roby ( ; née Dubina; born July 26, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she defeated the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representati ...
, Representative Gary Palmer, Tim James (son of former Governor Fob James
Forrest Hood "Fob" James Jr. (born September 15, 1934) is an American civil engineer, entrepreneur, football player, and politician. He served as the 48th governor of Alabama, first as a Democrat, 1979–1983, and secondly as a Republican, 199 ...
), state Senator Greg Reed
Greg Reed (born June 5, 1965) is an American politician. He serves as a Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 5th District since 2010. He defeated Democrat Brett Wadsworth in the 2010 midterm ...
(R-Jasper), and state Senator Phil Williams (R-Rainbow City). Three additional persons interviewed before January 6 were Representative Robert Aderholt
Robert Brown Aderholt (; born July 22, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes most of Tuscaloosa County north of the Black W ...
, Revenue Commissioner Julie P. Magee, and Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director Jim Byard. The total number of interviews was 20 (which represented the limit the Governor would go).[AP, 1/6/17]
In January 2017, Governor Bentley announced the special election for the remainder of Sessions' term would not take place until 2018, giving the prospective new appointee a year of incumbency; the election was ultimately held in December 2017. On February 2, Governor Bentley named six finalists for the appointment. The list included U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt
Robert Brown Aderholt (; born July 22, 1965) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. representative for since 1997. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district includes most of Tuscaloosa County north of the Black W ...
, Senate President pro tempore Del Marsh
Adelbert Carl "Del" Marsh (born September 2, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Alabama Senate, who represented the 12th District from 1998 until 2022. He defeated Democratic challenger Judge Wallace Wyatt in the 2010 midterm elections. ...
, Attorney General Strange; Bentley ACEA appointee Jim Byard, state Representative Connie Rowe
Connie Cooner Rowe (born c. 1963) is an American politician who has served in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2014. A resident of Jasper, Alabama, she represents district 13 and is a member of the Republican party. She previously worked ...
, and former state Representative Perry Hooper Jr.
Selection
Following the Sessions confirmation on February 8, 2017, Bentley announced Strange's appointment on February 9. "Let me tell you why I chose Luther Strange," Bentley said. "I truly believe Luther has the qualifications and has the qualities that will serve our people well and serve this state well." Speaking with his wife Melissa by his side, Strange called the appointment "the honor of my life," while citing his efforts with other Republican attorneys general to stop environmental, educational and labor regulations put forward by former President Barack Obama's administration. "Now we have the chance to go on the offense," he said. "Jeff Sessions as attorney general is the first step in that process."
Reaction
Strange's appointment was welcomed by fellow Republicans, such as Arkansas Attorney General
The Attorney General of Arkansas, usually known simply as the Attorney General (AG), is one of Arkansas's seven constitutional officers. The officeholder serves as the state's top law enforcement officer and consumer advocate. Since January 13 ...
Leslie Rutledge
Leslie Carol Rutledge (born June 9, 1976) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Arkansas, served as the 56th attorney general of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. She is the 21st lieutenant governor of Arkansas, since 2023. Rutledge ...
, and Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...
. Conservative activists, such as Chris W. Cox of the NRA, also hailed the appointment. NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
Southern political analyst Debbie Elliott said that Strange's conservative politics are "very much in the mold of Jeff Sessions." She noted that as state attorney general: "He's been very active in state-led fights against federal environmental regulations, against Obamacare, against transgender bathroom directives. He's fought for Alabama's strict abortion laws. He defended the state's controversial immigration law. A good bit of it was struck down by federal courts."
There was negative reaction from other Republicans who expressed concern about Strange's appointment. In early November 2016, prior to Election Day, he had requested that impeachment proceedings against Bentley be delayed. Some saw a link between this and Strange's appointment. "There's going to be such an air of conspiracy hanging over our state and our new senator," said state representative Ed Henry
Edward Michael Henry Jr. (born July 20, 1971) is an American journalist. Henry was the co-host of ''America's Newsroom'' on the Fox News Channel, along with Sandra Smith. On June 20, 2011, he left CNN, to become the Fox News White House Corresp ...
. "It's just one of those things where it appears there could have been collusion," said state representative Allen Farley. "The whole thing stinks," said State Auditor Jim Zeigler. "It is outrageous. We have the potential for Gov. Blagojevich situation."
This interpretation was disputed by Mike Jones Jr., House Judiciary Committee Chairman, who said he believes the appointment was done in good faith. Jones noted that the hearings were stopped before the election and before the senate seat was available. "I made it clear in November when we were asked to pause that did not mean this would not finish, that there would come a time when we would conclude this investigation and we would have a hearing. I still say that." Jones and House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said February 9 they would wait for word from the attorney general's office before resuming the committee's work. McCutcheon said he wanted the process to play out.[Montgomery Advertiser, February 10, 2017]
Strange was quoted on February 9, 2017, as saying, "We have never said and I want to make this clear. We have never said in our office that we are investigating the governor. I think it's unfair to him and unfair to the process that it's been reported out there. We have six years of a record of the highest caliber of conduct of people in our Attorney General's office. That's why we don't comment on these things and why I don't plan to comment on that anymore." Governor Bentley later resigned after being indicted on criminal charges.
Tenure
In 2017, Strange was one of 22 senators to sign a letter to President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
urging the President to have the United States withdraw from the Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, Climate change a ...
.
Committee assignments
*
** Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
** Subcommittee on Conservation, Forestry and Natural Resources
** Subcommittee on Nutrition, Agricultural Research and Specialty Crops (Chair)
* United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services (sometimes abbreviated SASC for ''Senate Armed Services Committee'') is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defe ...
** Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support
** Subcommittee on Seapower
* United States Senate Committee on the Budget
The United States Senate Committee on the Budget was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. It is responsible for drafting Congress's annual budget plan and monitoring action on the budget for the Federal G ...
* United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...
** Subcommittee on Energy
** Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests and Mining
** Subcommittee on Water and Power
Source:
Special election
Strange finished second to former Alabama Supreme Court judge Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fro ...
, 38.87% to 32.83%, in the Republican primary on August 15, 2017. In the run-off on September 26, 2017, Moore again defeated Strange, 54.89% to 45.11%. Moore went on to lose the December 12 general election to Democratic nominee Doug Jones.
Electoral history
Political positions
Donald Trump
Strange was supportive of President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, saying that he wants "his agenda passed" and that he "couldn't be more honored" to be given Trump's endorsement. During Strange's tenure in the U.S. Senate, Strange voted in line with Donald Trump's stated position 91.1% of the time.
Gun policy
Strange has an A+ rating by the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund The Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) is the political action committee (PAC) of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The Fund contributes money to political campaigns of candidates endorsed by the NRA.
Chairman
Chris W. Cox, who has been the NRA's ...
for his opposition towards banning firearms and magazines and his consistent rejection of gun control
Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.
Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...
efforts by the Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
. Chris W. Cox describes Strange as being a "champion for gun owners in Alabama and across the country."
Personal life
Strange is married to Melissa Strange and resides in Homewood, Alabama
Homewood is a city in southeastern Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham, located on the other side of Red Mountain (Birmingham), Red Mountain due south of the city ...
.
At tall, Strange is the tallest U.S. Senator in history and was among the tallest members of Congress.
Strange is a member of the Episcopal Church.
Strange holds a 16% share of Sunbelt EB-5 Regional Center, LLC, which helps broker deals between investors and U.S. projects that need capital. The company uses the EB-5
The United States EB-5 visa, ''employment-based fifth preference category'' or ''EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program'', created in 1990 by the Immigration Act of 1990, provides a method for eligible immigrant investors to become lawful permanen ...
visa program which allows foreigners to earn permanent residency for themselves and their children, if they invest $500,000 or $1 million in an American business venture that creates at least 10 jobs. Strange earned over $150,000 for his role in helping a Birmingham Baptist hospital expansion.
Awards and honors
In 2011, Strange was honored by the Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...
as a Distinguished Eagle Scout
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award (DESA) is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years aft ...
.
References
External links
*
*
, -
, -
, -
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strange, Luther Johnson III
1953 births
21st-century American politicians
Alabama Attorneys General
Alabama Republicans
American men's basketball players
Federalist Society members
Living people
Lawyers from Birmingham, Alabama
People from Homewood, Alabama
People from Mountain Brook, Alabama
People from Sylacauga, Alabama
Republican Party United States senators from Alabama
Tulane Green Wave men's basketball players
Tulane University Law School alumni
Conservatism in the United States