Alabama Senate Live Primary Results: Moore, Strange Advance to GOP Runoff, Jones Wins Dem Outright

BIRMINGHAM, AL — With approximately 80 percent of precincts reporting, two GOP candidates have guaranteed their campaigns will continue, as former Alabama Supreme Court Judge Roy Moore (39.6 percent) and Luther Strange (31.9 percent) for a runoff on Sept. 26.

In the Democratic primary, former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones has won the nomination outright as he still has a commanding lead, with 63.9 percent of the vote. Mobile businessman Robert Kennedy is a distant second with 18.5 percent. Kennedy, who was projected as a legitimate challenger to Jones for months, has been aloof regarding his career, where he lives and his background. At one point, however, he was shown to have 40 percent support among Democratic voters. However, some believe this was due to his name, and most voters' lack of knowledge, at the time, of any of the other candidates.

Jones worked for Sen. Howell Heflin until Heflin's retirement in 1997, and has been a prominent figure in the state's Democratic party for years, so his lead tonight has come as little surprise. What might come as surprising to some - especially those outside the state - is what is going on in the GOP race.

After Sessions was appointed to AG by Donald Trump, Alabama's Attorney General Luther Strange was appointed by then-governor Robert Bentley to fill Sessions' seat until the 2018 elections were held. When Bentley resigned, Gov. Kay Ivey scheduled a special election for Dec. 12, 2017. Strange, despite being endorsed by Pres. Donald Trump, has not had an easy campaign trail, as critics have pointed to his handling of the Bentley investigation, accusing him of dropping the investigation into Bentley's wrongdoing in exchange for the senate seat appointment. It is unclear at this point who third place finisher Mo Brooks will support in a runoff. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Birmingham Patch morning newsletter.)

This was the first Alabama election where cross-over voting - the practice of casting a ballot in one party's primary and then another party's runoff - won't be allowed. Some local political experts expected a low voter turnout for the primaries, which they felt would bode well for a candidate like Moore, whose support base is likely the most enthusiastic.

Polling places across the state today reported small crowds as Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill originally projected. He said turnout could be between 20 and 25 percent, significantly lower than the 30 percent seen in a typical primary election. Some have projected that the turnout could have been as low as 10 percent in some places.

(Photo of GOP front-runner Roy Moore by Gary Tramontina/Getty Images)