Governor Robert Bentley had confirmed earlier this month that 11 potential candidates could be in line for an appointment to Senator Jeff Sessions’ seat. Now, he’s just added six new names to that list.

New candidates up for consideration include Congresswoman Martha Roby, Congressman Gary Palmer, and former Republican gubernatorial candidate Tim James. Also included among the new interviewees are State Senators Greg Reed (R- Jasper) and Phil Williams (R- Rainbow City).

Attorney General Luther Strange is also interviewing for the post. Strange, who was once a presumptive gubernatorial candidate in 2018, has expressed interest in the seat and says that he will run for the position in the next election. However, some question whether or not he would accept an appointment out of concern that it could conflict with a possible investigation that his office is conducting against Bentley.

Others being considered for the job include ousted Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, Congressman Mo Brooks, State Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R- Anniston), State Senators Arthur Orr (R- Decatur) and Cam Ward (R- Alabaster), and State Representative Bill Poole (R- Tuscaloosa).

The Governor’s office says that Bentley will likely conduct interviews for the next few weeks, and then will make a decision at that time. He is expected to name an interim replacement to assume the seat, while a special election will determine who serves the remainder of Senator Sessions’ term, which lasts until 2020.

Senator Sessions is expected to face a confirmation process on January 10th and 11th. Senate Democrats have indicated that the Alabama senator will face a tough confirmation process, though it is unlikely they will be able to block him from winning the position.