Republican Sen. Luther Strange will be running for election one year sooner than expected, since Alabama's new governor moved the Senate seat special election from November 2018 to December 2017.
Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement Tuesday that she moved the date up to comply with state law on special elections. Former Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions vacated the seat after he was confirmed as Attorney General. Former Gov. Robert Bentley, who resigned amid a scandal, appointed Strange to the seat.
"I promised to steady our ship of state. This means following the law, which clearly states the people should vote for a replacement U.S. senator as soon as possible," Ivey said. "The new U.S. Senate special election dates this year are a victory for the rule of law."
The primary is now scheduled for Aug. 15, 2017, with a runoff on Sept. 26, 2017. The general election will take place on Dec. 12, 2017.
Strange, the state's former attorney general had faced criticism following his appointment, since his office had been investigating Bentley. The former governor resigned earlier this month and was arrested on violating campaign finance laws for using funds for personal use. Bentley allegedly had an extramarital affair with a former staffer and attempted to use the state's resources to hide the affair.
Strange recently called criticisms of his appointment "politics at its worst," according to AL.com.
Bentley had previously set the primary for June 2018, with a runoff in July and the general election in November _ the same day other members of Congress will be on the ballot. He argued that moving the election to an earlier date would cost billions of dollars.
Ivey said following the law took precedent in making her decision, and said she consulted legal counsel, leaders of the state house and leaders of the budget committees.
"This is not a hastily-made decision," Ivey said. "However, following the law trumps the expense of a special election."
The move did not deter Strange, who said in a Tuesday statement that he is running for the Senate.
"As I've said for months, I'm a candidate and I'm ready to run whether the election is next month or next year," Strange said.
"As the only announced candidate for this office, I will spend the next several months being the best senator I can be, upholding Alabama values and working with President Donald Trump to drain the swamp and help make America great again," Strange said. "The people of Alabama deserve nothing less and ultimately it will be up to them to decide who will represent them in Washington."
The National Republican Senatorial Committee pledged its support for Strange on Tuesday.
"The NRSC is always focused on our strong Republican majority, and Senator Luther Strange has our full support," spokeswoman Katie Martin said in an email.
