In what’s shaping up to be a highly contested run-off between Sen. Luther Strange and Roy Moore, Vice President Mike Pence has been hard at work to help “send Big Luther back to Washington.” Not terribly long after Vice President Pence thanked American astronauts aboard the International Space Station, he touched down in Birmingham with a message for Alabama voters.
In a crowded hangar at the Birmingham airport, one message echoed above the rest – “Send Big Luther back to Washington.”
Pence visited Birmingham just days after President Trump put his full weight behind Sen. Strange during his visit to Huntsville. “Our President needs Luther Strange back in the United States Senate so he can finish the job. I know Sen. Luther Strange will be there for our President because he’s already been there,” said Pence.
The crowd was smaller than the one that received the President over the weekend, but the same energy filled the room as Pence delivered his speech. Loud cheers reverberated as the Vice President touched on issues like health care, border security, and the national anthem. Addressing the protests rocking the NFL, Pence said, “I stand with Luther, I stand with President Donald Trump. And I will always stand for our national anthem. We’ve all got a right to our opinions, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask the players in the National Football League to stand for our national anthem.”
Unlike the typically long speeches delivered by the President, the Vice President cut straight to the chase. “We are not here because we’re against anybody. We’re are here because we are for Luther,” Pence made clear. Then, towards the end of his speech, he asked three things of the people of Alabama. He emphasized the need to vote, ask others to vote, and most importantly, pray for America.
The visit marks the final attempt by the White House to help garner support for Sen. Strange on this, the eve of the vote. During the primary in August, voter turnout was a mere 18%. Both campaigns are working at a fever pace to boost those numbers as the polls open tomorrow. It will be interesting if visits from both the President and Vice President can help motivate voters who stayed at home last time.
