Our “Political Insiders” say Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore should step down amid mounting allegations of sexual misconduct.
So far, nine women have come forward with allegations against Moore when he was working as an assistant DA in the 1970’s and 80’s. One of his accusers claims Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her when she was just 14 years old. Others say they were teenagers when the 30-year-old Moore pursued relationships with them.
Republicans have called on Moore to get out of the race as a result of the allegations, which Moore is refusing to do. Polls in Alabama show that Democrat Doug Jones has pulled ahead of Moore because of the growing scandal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called on Moore to withdraw from the race.
Moore, however, is still favored to win December’s special election to replace Jeff Sessions because of the overwhelming number of Republican voters in Alabama.
Senate Republicans who are uncomfortable with the allegations against Moore have hinted they could expel him from the Senate if he wins that election. Senate Majority Leader
Our “Political Insiders” overwhelmingly say Moore should step aside because of the accusations against him. 83% of the Republicans on our panel want him to withdraw, as do 88% of Democrats and 73% of our readers.
If, as expected, Moore does win December’s election, our “Insiders” say the Senate should move to expel him. 73% of the Republicans who responded want Moore out, as do 93% of Democrats and 69% of our readers.
Selected anonymous comments:
I miss the days when the Republican Party took the high road.
His behavior is unconscionable, and the claims just keep coming. If he had a decent bone in his body (doubtful), he would step down.
He will run, and I bet he will still win. Then the Senate needs to step up to keep him out.
First off we do not need to rush to judgment because we all should have learned a lesson from the Duke Lacrosse rape case where those boys were tried and convicted in the media. We should take a cautious approach but be steadfast in finding the truth. The man has been in public office for many years, and only now these events are coming to light which I see as very troubling. If the accusations are true, then he should be dealt with accordingly.
If you are a sexual predator and want to stay in office, you need to run as a Democrat.
If allegations can disqualify one from running for office, then it will become a part of every campaign. It is too early to decide. Second Alabama should be able to decide who its Senator is not Congress. Remember Reed Smoot from Utah.
It’s amazing this kind of conduct did not surface earlier. It’s even more amazing his poll numbers are similar to his main opponent.
I think we should let AL voters show us who they really are.
This seems like a no-brainer, but many Alabama Republicans would rather overlook his pedophilia, as long as he has an R by his name. Incomprehensible!
Moore appears to be cut from the same cloth as Trump and will never drop out. He will continue to deny the accusations and probably win the election. So much for family values.
Whether he should or not, he will not drop out. He will lose the election and become a co-host with Hannity, using his miniature handgun to shoot Keurig coffee machines on the set.
The best indication Moore is directly over the DC swamp is the amount of flak he’s receiving. His best endorsements are the pearls being clutched by McConnell, Graham, and the Bushes.
The allegations are obviously not unfounded. We can and must expect higher standards from our elected officials.
Moore is a disgrace to America’s commitment to the rule of law. He disqualified himself twice when he refused to follow valid court orders. The current allegations against him, which he has failed to adequately deny or explain, are an entirely independent reason that also fully justifies him being rejected by the people of Alabama for public office and, even if he is elected, having the Senate refuse to seat him or expel him.
Moore lacks the temperament to serve at this level, we can and must do better.
It would be a destructive precedent to allow unproven allegations to interfere with an election. If this is allowed to happen, unproven/unprovable allegations against candidates will become the new normal.
Innocent until proven guilty should apply to this situation. It is a sad situation that people can use personal attacks to discredit candidates enough they can’t run, even though they may be innocent of all accusations. The timing of the Moore accusations is seriously suspect.
The concept of “innocent until proven guilty” only applies to a criminal court case. If Mr. Moore is elected, he will be spending the next several years trying to defend himself and will not have the time to represent his state.
Double standard: the actions of Bill Clinton are worse than anything being alleged against Roy Moore. It doesn’t excuse any sexual harassment that actually occurred, but anyone looking to punish Roy Moore should be more than willing to hold Bill Clinton accountable. But since the Roy Moore allegations are politically timed and motivated, his accusers look the other way when confronted by Bill Clinton’s actions.
I have watched with great interest the coverage of this vilification of a great man. Of course, the Democrats want him out and dredge up fame seekers to concoct memorized statements, obviously written and coached by Democratic politicians. What an easy way to get rid of the opposition.
I think he should step down as a Republican and then run again as a Democrat, being a sexual pervert in seen as something positive in the party of Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy.
If the allegations are true, then why have the alleged victims remained silent until now? It seems suspicious to me. Also, what happened to innocent until proven guilty?
If he is innocent, then he should stay in the race and fight because to do otherwise would appear to be an admission of guilt.
Innocent until proven guilty. He has run for supreme court twice and Governor twice and nothing. Now he runs for US Senate and this. Looks suspect. I don’t know if he did it or not. If he is guilty or convicted of violating the law, he should drop out. We don’t know.
Roy Moore needs to drop out of the campaign to attempt to clear his name (provided the accusations against him are false in the first place), if he can. Or, he needs to confess to his alleged heinous behavior and drop out of the race. Either way, he is out of the race. Bluster does not get the job done here.
I am both concerned and confused why this is even a question. Is this where we are in our national dialog, moral turpitude is now debatable as a disqualifying factor for public service.
I worry that if he drops out, he will be replaced by someone just as bad or worse. I’m concerned about the whole party; they are increasingly corrupt. The only good thing that can happen in this situation is for Jones to win.
Moore should stay in the race so he can lose badly. Senate didn’t “expel” Bob Packwood after THREE YEARS of Senate Ethics Committee. Despite diary detailing his sexual abuse of 19 women, the Senate didn’t “expel” Bob Packwood, he finally (three years later) resigned. (Mitch McConnell chaired the ethics committee 1992-1995.)
If this is the best the GOP can do for US Senate candidates, there is a very serious problem in the party. He had a habit of chasing and groping teenagers as a thirty-something adult!
It’s Alabama’s decision, and it should be honored. It is not Mitch McConnel’s or the swamp’s business!
Only the fourth branch of government (the media) convicts without proof.
