Alabama's newest senator faces learning curve in first month in office

WASHINGTON — Sen. Luther Strange was just steps behind Vice President Pence on Tuesday as they dashed out the Capitol and jumped into the waiting motorcade.

Minutes later, the new junior senator from Alabama stood behind President Trump as he signed an executive order rolling back some of former President Obama’s environmental regulations.

“I was going to get a cab,” said Strange, who instead chatted with Pence on the ride to the ceremony at the Environmental Protection Agency. “We talked about Alabama, talked about how important the executive order was, which was really great. It was a real treat to ride in the vice president’s motorcade. I wasn’t expecting it … it was really cool.”

A week earlier, Strange stood behind Trump at the White House as the president signed a $19.5 billion bill to fund NASA programs.

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Strange — the newest member of the Senate. Strange was sworn in Feb. 9 to replace fellow Republican Jeff Sessions, who is now attorney general. In the month he's been on the job, Strange has attended committee hearings, including the confirmation hearing of Sonny Perdue for Agriculture Secretary, presided over the Senate, and cast his first vote: backing Tom Price to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

On Wednesday, Strange moved from his temporary cramped office space to a suite of offices on the third floor of the ornate Russell Senate Office Building.

“It’s going really well,” Strange said. But “there’s a learning curve to understanding how the Senate operates.”

To help with that transition, Strange has latched on to Alabama's senior senator, Richard Shelby, who after six terms is one of the longest-serving senators.

But Strange, 64, a former Washington lobbyist for an Alabama-based gas utility company, is no stranger to the nation’s capital. And after being elected twice as Alabama’s attorney general, he’s no political novice.

Strange said issues in the Senate aren’t new to him in part because of his six years as state attorney general.

“We spent a lot of time on federal issues,” he said.

Strange was involved in negotiating the BP oil spill settlement. The 2010 spill killed 11 and devastated coastal communities in his state. He also joined lawsuits challenging some of Obama's actions, including one in 2014 to protect 5 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Strange also sided with other states in the South, praising a 2013 Supreme Court decision that eliminated a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The case — Shelby County v. Holder — came out of Alabama.

In Washington, Strange said he's focused on supporting the Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Health Care Act.

Strange said he’s also on a mission to help get Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court. He said he's particularly interested because as attorney general he had to litigate dozens of cases involving federal regulations.

“I’ve got that hands-on experience with federal judges and how important it is to have judges like Neil Gorsuch, who will take a rule of law approach to the decision-making process,” he said. “I think he’s eminently qualified. My hope is that I’ll be able to vote to confirm him on the Supreme Court before we get to the Easter recess.”

Meanwhile, Strange said he's also trying to get to know his colleagues, who he said have welcomed him.

"They’ve made it very easy for me to fit in,” he said. “The welcome has been bipartisan across the board. I really appreciate that."

But he chuckled, “Give it some time."

Democrats and Republicans say it’s too early to say how Strange is doing — they just haven’t had much time to get to know him.

But Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, a Republican leader, was quick to joke about the obvious.

“He’s head and shoulders above the rest of us,” he joked.

Strange, who is 6 foot 9, got a basketball scholarship to Tulane University in New Orleans. He’s also a graduate of Tulane’s law school.

“I like him a lot. I really do. He’s well spoken. He’s sensible," Wicker continued. “He’s just got a winning way about him. He’s going to do well."

Wicker said he has family in Alabama, particularly in Mobile, so he knows about Strange. "We are next-door neighbors,” Wicker said. “I’ve watched his career over the years.”

Democrats are reserving judgment, but they say so far he seems nice enough.

“I’m pleasantly impressed so far, but I haven’t really gotten to know him,” said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine. Nevertheless, “Any guy who is a former tenant of Mark Warner’s deserves great sympathy and affection,” Kaine joked.

Strange rented an apartment from Warner, a Democratic senator from Virginia, when he was a lobbyist in Washington in the 1980s.

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Some lawmakers back in Alabama were troubled by Strange's appointment.

State lawmakers, including some Republicans, raised questions about Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley appointing Strange as senator because they said the attorney general office was investigating the governor.

Separately, the Ethics Commission and the House Judiciary Committee are investigating allegations Bentley used state resources to pursue an affair. State lawmakers had begun looking into possible impeachment of Bentley over the allegations. They said they suspended the process after Strange asked them to and said his office was investigating.

Strange said last month during the announcement of his appointment that he never said his office never was investigating Bentley. Steve Marshall, Strange's successor as attorney general, however, confirmed an investigation. Marshall has recused himself.

Strange was among nearly 20 possible candidates to replace Sessions.

In Washington, Strange is replacing Sessions on the Budget Committee and the Armed Services Committee. He is also serving on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee, both key panels for his state.

He says he has made good progress getting staff in place, including some of holdovers from Sessions' office, “so we’ve been able to hit the ground running."’

Moving In

On Wednesday, the wood bookcase in the senator's office was bare. A folder with his name printed on it and a loose-leaf notebook sat on the desk. The mantle over the fireplace was empty.

Strange eyed a spot above a brown leather couch to hang a framed green and white Tulane University basketball jersey. The number 25 is emblazoned across the chest.

One picture was in place on the windowsill. It was a picture of Strange on the day he was sworn in holding his young grandson as they look out the window at the Capitol from Shelby’s office.

“That’s a really special picture,” Strange said. “I’m going to put that right here on my credenza so it will remind me of what’s important in this job.”

Just last week, chairs, wood desks and cabinets lined the hallway outside Strange’s new office. Inside, painters had spruced up the suite of offices with blue paint and freshened up carpets. Strange’s office walls got a coat of warm taupe.

Strange was quick to reach out to his neighbor in the corridor, Sen. John Hoeven, a fellow Republican from North Dakota.

“We’re going to buy pizza for his office to thank them for putting up with all the mess they had out there in the hallways,’’ Strange said. “He’s been great. He’s really nice.’’

Just around the corner is Shelby’s office.

“Sen. Shelby has been super helpful to me and to our whole team, so being able to walk around the corner and stick my head in on him and get some advice or run an issue by him is really helpful, extremely helpful,’’ he said.

Strange said he and Shelby have been friends for more than 30 years. He calls Shelby a mentor.

"He’s been tremendous in sort of taking me under his wing and showing me the ropes,” Strange said. "I seek his advice at every turn. You’ll probably see me with him a lot. Whenever I can spend time with him I always learn something."

Meanwhile, Strange is already preparing for a bid to keep the seat: His first Senate election is November 2018. On Tuesday, his campaign sent a tweet asking for donations.

Contributing: Brian Lyman, Montgomery Advertiser