Bannon-linked group targets Strange in new ad

A pro-Trump group with ties to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is going after Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) in a new ad. 

The ad by Great America Alliance casts Strange, who’s facing a runoff election against former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, as a Washington insider beholden to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

“It’s time to drain the swamp,” the ad says. “Take your voice to Washington, and vote for someone to represent you. On Sept. 26, don’t let the swamp take over Alabama.”

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The ad was first reported on by Politico. 

The ad also includes a clip of former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley saying that Strange was the “first person” mentioned by McConnell to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in February.

“I talked with Mitch McConnell, and the first person that he actually mentioned was Luther Strange,” Bentley, who resigned earlier this year amid a sex scandal, says in the ad. “So Luther is not a stranger in Washington.”

McConnell is backing Strange, while Bannon, who left the White House last month and returned to his post as executive chair of Breitbart News, is supporting Moore in the Sept. 26 runoff. Great America Alliance is also planning a digital advertisement supporting Moore. 

Just last week, Andy Surabian, Bannon’s former political adviser in the Trump White House, joined Great America Alliance as a senior adviser. 

President Trump endorsed Strange last month ahead of the state’s GOP Senate primary, though he has said little about the race since then.