Luther Strange: 5 Ideas On What's Next For Alabama's Lame Duck Senator

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Sen. Luther Strange only has a few more months before he is merely Luther Strange rather than Senator Strange. The soon-to-be-former senator lost his bid for his senate seat to challenger Roy Moore by a much larger margin than many people ever thought. Despite endorsements from President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other conservative heavy hitters, Strange was defeated soundly, by a margin of 54.6 percent to 45.4 percent. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 election. So, what is next for Luther Strange? Here are five possibilities for the Alabama politician:

1. Run for Senate in 2020. Strange will have at least served a few months in the U.S. Senate by the time Moore or Jones takes over to finish out Jeff Sessions' term. Strange could possibly use this experience to build a campaign to regain that senate seat in 2020. Depending on what the political climate is like in the state and in the country in three years, Strange could be in a good position to run again for his former seat.

2. Run for his former position as Alabama Attorney General. Strange won his AG seat in Alabama easily when he ran, so obviously Alabama voters felt he was worthy of the office. Perhaps Strange could come back and resume where he left off in Montgomery. This would be a lot more likely if there were not already some controversy surrounding his appointment to his senate seat. Some critics of Strange have suggested that he halted his office's investigation into former governor Robert Bentley in return for Bentley appointing him to his senate position. That accusation might hurt voter confidence in Strange's ability to act as AG.

3. Run for another state office. Strange already said he was not interested in running for governor of Alabama in 2018. He could always change his mind, but what might be more likely is that Strange could run for a position in the state legislature. Strange lost his bid for lieutenant governor of Alabama in 2006, but has spent enough time in Montgomery to know the ropes, and might be able to parlay that experience into a position as a state senator or House member.

4. Return to practicing law. Prior to being elected attorney general, Strange was the founder of the law firm Strange LLC, and before that had been a partner with Birmingham's largest law firm, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. He was a successful lawyer before entering politics. While in private practice, he was named Best of the Bar by the Birmingham Business Journal, recognized in Best Lawyers in America, and called one of the Best Lawyers in Alabama by Birmingham Magazine. He is still licensed to practice in the state, so resuming his law practice would not be out of the question,

5. Retirement. Strange turns 65 next year. He has made a decent living as an attorney and has two grown children who both live out of state, so perhaps retiring and spending some time with his wife and family would be an option. This is unlikely considering Strange was willing to serve out a senate term and likely run for re-election in 2020, but it is possible that this loss to Moore could mean Strange might be out of politics and the workforce altogether.

Wherever Strange ends up, we do know that after the Dec. 12 election, he is no longer a member of Congress. What this means for Alabama politics will become a lot clearer after December. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

Photo of Luther Strange from Mario Tama/Getty Images