Trump’s pick loses Senate race to firebrand conservative

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MONTGOMERY, AL - SEPTEMBER 26: Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alabama, Roy Moore, greets guests after arriving at an election-night rally on September 26, 2017 in Montgomery, Alabama. Moore, former chief justice of the Alabama supreme court, is in a primary runoff contest against incumbent Luther Strange for the seat vacated when Jeff Sessions was appointed U.S. Attorney General by President Donald Trump. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP

WASHINGTON, Sept 27, 2017 (BSS/AFP) -US President Donald Trump’s pick to be the next senator from Alabama crashed to defeat Tuesday against a populist former judge in a runoff election likely to send shock waves through establishment Washington.

With just over half of precincts reporting, Fox News, CNN and other news outlets called the race for former Alabama state chief justice Roy Moore, who was leading incumbent Luther Strange by 56.7 percent to 43.3 percent.

Strange was appointed to the US Senate earlier this year to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, whom Trump picked to be his attorney general.