Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange speaks to members of the Cullman County Republican Party on March 5, 2016.

MONTGOMERY — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said Tuesday he will seek the U.S. Senate seat left open if incumbent Jeff Sessions is confirmed to be attorney general under president-elect Donald Trump.

Republican Gov. Robert Bentley would appoint Sessions’ interim replacement until there’s an election either next year or in 2018 to fill the rest of the term, and Strange said he would run.

“The voters will make the ultimate decision about who will represent them, and I look forward to making my case to the people of Alabama in the months to come as to why they can trust me to keep protecting and fighting for our conservative values,” Strange said in a statement.

Strange, a Republican like Sessions, said already had filed the necessary paperwork with federal election officials.

Strange is the first person to announce for the seat, which Sessions has held since 1997. Strange had considered a run for governor before Trump tapped Sessions as his nominee for attorney general.