Marsh: GOP Powerbrokers Wrong to Treat Strange as Incumbent

A prominent Alabama Republican says the Senate GOP campaign operation is discouraging challengers to Sen. Luther Strange in the August primary to fill the seat formerly held by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

State Senate leader Del Marsh said he responded that it was wrong to treat a “hand-chosen” senator as an incumbent.

Marsh met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Friday as he mulls a run.

Gov. Robert Bentley in February appointed Strange, then the state’s attorney general, to Sessions’ seat. Bentley resigned last month and the state’s new governor called a special election for this year.

Marsh said he contacted several national firms about working for him, but they “backed away I guess from this influence from Washington.”

A NRSC spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.

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