Trump: Alabama ‘sooo lucky’ to have ‘Big’ Luther Strange

President Trump on Wednesday praised Alabama Sen. Luther Strange (R) ahead of the state’s GOP primary runoff next week.

“Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like ‘Big’ Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Alabama is sooo lucky to have a candidate like “Big” Luther Strange. Smart, tough on crime, borders & trade, loves Vets & Military. Tuesday!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2017

The tweet comes ahead of the closely watched Tuesday election, when Strange will face off against former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore for the GOP nomination for a special election later this year that will determine who serves out the remainder of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s term.

{mosads}Trump endorsed Strange in August ahead of the initial Republican primary, aligning himself with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who had indicated Strange as his pick in the election.

But Strange is considered the establishment candidate by those seeking his ouster, which includes one of Trump’s former top advisers.

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon is backing the conservative Moore, a move that breaks with his old boss. Bannon’s Breitbart News, which he returned to after departing from the White House, is also supporting the former Alabama judge.

Trump is slated to campaign in Huntsville, Ala., for Strange on Friday, while former White House aide Sebastian Gorka will campaign for Moore this weekend. Gorka also previously worked for Breitbart News as the website’s national security editor.