Republican Attorney General candidate Luther Strange made a stop in Troy Wednesday to address the Pike County Republican Women.

His message at its heart — fight public corruption.

“Alabama is the fourth worst state in terms of public corruption,” Strange said.

And if elected to office, he said changing that statistic would be his top priority.

“We had federal prosecutors put the Jefferson County mayor in prison. We have every one of their county commissioners in jail, on the way to jail or just getting out of jail,” Strange said.

Strange said his opponent AG Troy King, also Republican, doesn’t tackle some of these big-state issues.

He used the example of the current bingo investigation.

“It’s happening right under the nose of the attorney general, and federal people are investigating,” Strange said. “I’m sick and tired of talking about bingo. I don’t see it as a bingo issue. I see it as a law and order issue, and it’s the attorney general’s job to enforce it.”

Strange said he believes the electronic bingo machines in current state facilities are slot machines and are illegal. If elected, he said he would take over the governor’s task force and work alongside him to enforce the law.

Strange said he also would work to fight for the U.S. Constitution.

“The attorney general’s the number one person responsible for defending the U.S. Constitution. It is under assault right now in my opinion,” he said.

Strange said he has the endorsement of both U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions.

Several other candidates were present at Wednesday’s meeting.

GOP Treasurer candidate George Wallace Jr. joined the group for lunch.

“I didn’t intend to stand before you as a political candidate,” he said. “I was in the group that helped give birth to the PACT program, and when I left office it was cited as one of the finest in the country.”

Wallace said just one of the reasons he wants to seek that office again is to help honor the commitments made in that program.

Congressional candidates Rick Barber, Stephanie Bell and Martha Roby; Senate candidate Bryan Taylor; Circuit judge candidates Clif Hastings and Shannon Clark; and District Attorney candidates Tom Anderson and Gary Bradshaw were also present.

Earl Ellis, county co-chair for Bradley Byrne’s gubernatorial campaign, was at the meeting representing Byrne.