Roy Moore already defeated the Republican National Committee and GOP establishment during the Republican primary. Following allegations of sexual abuse, Moore is coming under fire from the establishment yet again with several current Republican senators trying to push him out of the race.
Moore was initially accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old when he was 32 years old. More accusers have stepped forward.
Moore’s anti-establishment candidacy has come under intense fire in recent days as sexual abuse allegations have emerged. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated that he believes Moore’s accusers. Now, Senate GOP campaign chair Cory Gardner is calling on Moore to be expelled if he does win the election.
Moore was first accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old when he was 32 years old. More accusers have since stepped forward. Moore has vehemently denied the allegations and voted to stay in the race. So far, a total of five women have accused Moore of improper sexual conduct.
Moore was expelled from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from a court house and for refusing to uphold gay marriage.
The most recent accuser, Beverly Young Nelson, alleges that Moore had sexual relations with her when she was 16 years old. At the time, Moore was a prosecutor in Etowah County, Alabama. Nelson alleges that she tried to fight Moore off and that Moore forcibly grabbed her by the neck and forced her head into his crotch.
Reports are also circulating that Moore used to spend time prowling the local shopping mall in Gadsden, Alabama. Allegedly, Moore was pestering teens while he was in his mid-30s. He was kicked out of several stores, and security guards were instructed to refuse him entry.
In spite of the allegations, Moore stands a good chance of securing the Senate election. Moore has a strong firebrand following owing to his time in the Alabama Supreme Court. Moore was expelled from the Alabama Supreme Court on two separate occasions: first, for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from a court house, and second for refusing to uphold gay marriage.
In both cases, the federal government was compelling Moore to uphold rulings handed down from the Supreme Court. As such, many of Moore’s supporters see him as a strong proponent for gay rights.
An Emerson College survey found that Moore has held onto a solid 10 point lead in polls for the December election, but his numbers have cratered since sexual abuse allegations made their way into the headlines. Previously, Moore had held a solid 22 point lead over his Democratic rival Doug Jones. A Democrat hasn’t won the Alabama Senate race in 25 years.
However, a separate poll by Louisiana-based JMC Analytics found that Jones was leading Moore 46 to 42 percent. Meanwhile, McConnell has raised the specter of the Republican Party supporting a write-in candidate. Such an insurgency by the establishment is essentially unheard-of in modern politics.
