Tag: Roy Moore
God and Politics, 2017 Edition: Roy Moore Brings Religion to the Forefront Like Few Campaigns Before It
John F. Kennedy faced questions about his Roman Catholic religion in the 1960s, when he ran for president and won. Religion’s role in elections grew with the rise of politically outspoken religious figures such as the Rev. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.
But in Alabama’s special U.S. Senate election this year, religion is featured front and center — due in large part to the presence of Republican candidate Roy Moore, who gained fame years ago as the “Ten Commandments Judge” and proclaims his views today on issues linked to religious values, such as same-sex marriage, abortion rights and prayer in public schools.
A Google search turns up dozens of articles mentioning Moore’s name along with the word Bible. His campaign rallies are mostly in churches.
Moore was removed from his first term as chief justice of Alabama because he refused to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments that he had installed in the state Judicial Building. After being re-elected to the post, he was kicked out again when he ordered county clerks to disregard a federal court ruling allowing same-sex marriages. Both acts were in keeping with his fundamentalist Christian beliefs. Read more.
Little-Known PACs Fund a Deluge of Ads in the Days Leading Up to the Senate Election
Alabama’s two U.S Senate candidates and independent groups working on their behalf have raised more than $20 million that they are using to bombard voters with broadcast and internet ads, mail, and phone calls as the Dec. 12 special election approaches.
The candidates’ final pre-election financial reports, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Nov. 22, show Democrat Doug Jones has raised $11,707,585 this year, with $10,182,025 coming in since Oct. 1, a few days after the Republican runoff. Republican Roy Moore reported a total of $5,260,974, with $1,767,693 of that collected during the same period.
The FEC has not finished processing the detailed lists showing people, PACs and committees and the amounts they gave to Moore and Jones.
In addition to the money contributed to the candidates, outside groups and political action committees reported spending about $5.7 million in support or opposition of Moore and Jones since Moore won the GOP nomination Sept. 26. Much of that money flooded in during the final few weeks of the campaign.
Some PACs supporting each of the candidates have found legal loopholes that allow them to avoid naming contributors until after the election.
The majority of the money spent by independent groups came from Highway 31, a super PAC working to elect Jones. Read more.
Moore Campaign Promises Lawsuit for “Patently False” Pro-Jones Ad
Roy Moore’s campaign announced Wednesday morning that it would consider legal action against television stations continuing to air what it describes as a “patently false” advertisement from the pro-Doug Jones Highway 31 Super PAC.
The 30-second ad in question focuses on rumors, as reported in a Nov. 13 New Yorker article, that Moore had been banned from the Gadsden Mall for soliciting sex from teenage girls. Moore has denied these accusations, as well as multiple other allegations of sexual contact with underage women.
Stories of the ban have been corroborated by some former Gadsden Mall employees and dismissed by others. Former mall manager Barnes Boyle told WBRC that, “to my knowledge, he was not banned from the mall.” Read more.
Senate Candidate Doug Jones Disses Roy Moore, Says People of Both Parties Need to Work Together
U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones in a speech Tuesday didn’t mince words about his opponent and the ramifications of electing a man embroiled in a scandal, while also stressing a need for unification, civility and a willingness to work across the political aisle to move Alabama forward.
The Democratic Senate hopeful was in Birmingham for a campaign stop at Pepper Place on Southside. Jones told the crowd of about 100 supporters that electing former state Chief Justice Roy Moore could have dire consequences for the state’s business climate as it tries to lure automobile makers Toyota-Mazda. Alabama and North Carolina are in the running for a $1.6 billion plant that would create about 4,000 new jobs.
Jones also said Moore was an “embarrassment” to the state, and he said he supports the women who have complained that Moore had inappropriate sexual contact with them as minors.
The candidate said the “extreme partisanship” in Washington has hampered the government from making progress on critical issues, and he would work with Republicans as well as Democrats to find solutions. Read more.
Doug Jones and Roy Moore Vary Widely on Top Issues in Senate Race
Alabama voters will choose between candidates with contrasting views on topics ranging from health care to abortion, and taxation to immigration when they vote for a new U.S. senator on Dec. 12.
Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones have outlined their positions on a broad array of issues as they campaigned for votes in the special election. The winner will succeed Sen. Luther Strange, an Alabama Republican who was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Robert Bentley after Jeff Sessions resigned to become attorney general.
Following is a look at the stances of Jones and Moore on several leading issues, drawn from their comments on the campaign trail and in various media reports, as well as from material posted on their web sites. Read more.
After Week of Silence, Alabama Republican Leaders Say They’ll Stand by Roy Moore
The Alabama Republican Party is standing by its man.
A week after allegations of sexual improprieties with teenagers surfaced about U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore, the state party has finally broken its silence and announced it will continue to support Moore in his race against Democratic candidate Doug Jones.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Democrat Jones Leads Roy Moore by 8 Points in Alabama, Per Fox News Poll (Washington Post)
Alabama Senate Race Aggravates Deep Divide in Republican Party (New York Times)
Marsh Opposes Write-In Alternative to Moore (Anniston Star)
Moore Scandal Creates Difficult Politics for Alabama Republican Women (Decatur Daily)
Birmingham Young Republicans Censure Roy Moore, Pull Endorsement (AL.com)
Will Alabama’s Politics Scuttle Its Chances at Toyota-Mazda? (AL.com)
In Sex Crimes and Other Cases, Roy Moore Often Sided With Defendants (New York Times)
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
Lawyer for Roy Moore Demands Analysis of Signature in Yearbook of Woman Who Said He Sexually Abused Her<.a>
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
Roy Moore Says Sexual Allegations Were Raised to ‘Defrock’ His Campaign, Fallout Continues as Some Republicans Defend Him and Others Look for Ways to Bounce Him From the Ballot
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Roy Moore Throw Senate Race Into Turmoil
Lawyer for Roy Moore Demands Analysis of Signature in Yearbook of Woman Who Said He Sexually Abused Her
Representatives for Roy Moore this afternoon said he insists it is not his writing in a yearbook that a woman who says Moore tried to force himself on her released to bolster her claim.
Phillip Jauregui, who is representing Moore, in a press conference demanded that Gloria Allred, who is representing the woman, send the yearbook to an independent handwriting expert for verification.
Meanwhile, the GOP steering committee has gathered in a special called meeting this afternoon. The meeting was set to be conducted at party headquarters but was moved to a nearby hotel.
Moore is running for U.S. Senate in the Dec. 12 special election to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed attorney general.
But his campaign has been clouded with controversy in the past week as five women reported that Moore had inappropriate contact with them when they were teenagers.
Wednesday, three more women added their voices to the choir. Two women who worked at the Gadsden Mall when they were teens reported unwelcome advances by Moore to the Washington Post. One of them said Moore was such a known quantity at the mall that girls were advised to just stay away from him when they saw him.
Another woman told AL.com that Moore groped her in his law office in 1991, when she was 28 and he was married.
Read more.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Senate Republicans Look to Trump to Restore Order Amid Alabama Upheaval Washington Post
GOP Braces for Extended Clash in Alabama Associated Press
Fox News’ Hannity Decides Not to Pass Judgment on Roy Moore Associated Press
‘Absolutely Not’: Richard Shelby Won’t Vote for Roy Moore Montgomery Advertiser
Sex Abuse Allegations Put Spotlight on Roy Moore’s Allies Anniston Star
Doug Jones: Roy Moore Allegations ‘Have More Credibility Than the Denials’ AL.com
Roy Moore Announces 12 Testimonials From Women Affirming His Character AL.com
NRSC Poll: Moore Trails Jones by 12 Politico
In Roy Moore’s Senate Race, Anonymous Threats, Deceptive Texts, Alternative Facts Washington Post
Two More Women Describe Unwanted Overtures by Roy Moore at Alabama MallWashington Post
New Roy Moore Accuser: ‘He Didn’t Pinch It; He Grabbed It’
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
Roy Moore Says Sexual Allegations Were Raised to ‘Defrock’ His Campaign, Fallout Continues as Some Republicans Defend Him and Others Look for Ways to Bounce Him From the Ballot
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Roy Moore Throw Senate Race Into Turmoil
National Backlash Against Roy Moore Grows
The backlash against Roy Moore in Washington grew Tuesday over allegations by women who say he made sexual advances on them when they were teenagers. The RNC pulled out of a joint fundraising agreement it had with Moore, saying it would put no more money into the Senate campaign. As more Republicans rescinded support for Moore in the Dec. 12 special election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that if Moore is elected, he immediately will be the subject of a Senate Ethics Committee investigation.
Read the day’s reports on the Moore situation.
Amid Calls to Step Down, Moore Finds Refuge With Base (Associated Press)
National Republican Move Against Roy Moore Grows — But Key Alabama Republicans are Not Joining In (Washington Post)
RNC Cuts off Moore (Politico)
McConnell: Moore Will Face Senate Ethics Probe If He Wins Election (The Hill)
Roy Moore Says He’s Being ‘Harassed’ by the Media Over Allegations (CNN)
He Said He Was a Washington Post Reporter Offering a Reward for Dirt on Roy Moore. But It Wasn’t True. (Washington Post)
Roy Moore, Long Divisive in his Hometown, and Even More So Now (New York Times)
When Did Roy Moore Meet His Wife? (Al.com)
Ala. Senate Race on Track as Moore Scandal Grows (AP video)
Read BirminghamWatch’s coverage of the controversy
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
Roy Moore Says Sexual Allegations Were Raised to ‘Defrock’ His Campaign, Fallout Continues as Some Republicans Defend Him and Others Look for Ways to Bounce Him From the Ballot
Accusations of Sexual Misconduct Against Roy Moore Throw Senate Race Into Turmoil
Another Woman Accuses Roy Moore of Attack, Senate Leader Calls for Vote to Expel, and Pastors Publish Letter of Support
The whirlwind continues to swirl around Roy Moore, the Republican candidate in the special election for the U.S. Senate, as events surrounding his embattled campaign continue to unfold at a frenetic pace.
On Monday afternoon, another woman came forward to accuse Moore, Alabama’s former chief justice, of making sexual advances toward her when she was a teenager and he was a district attorney in Gadsden.
Beverly Young Nelson said that Moore tried to force himself on her in his car, which was parked in the back of the Old Hickory House barbecue restaurant where she worked. The attack is alleged to have taken place in December 1977, when she was 16 years old and Moore was 30.
Nelson detailed her version of the incident during a press conference in Madison, New York arranged by attorney Gloria Allred, who’s made a reputation of taking on high-profile, often controversial cases involving sexual harassment and women’s rights.
In a prepared statement, Nelson said that she worked at the Old Hickory House while she was a student at Gadsden High School, and that Moore was a regular customer there, usually sitting in the same seat at the counter. Nelson said that she had long red hair at the time and would often compete in beauty pageants, and that Moore would sometimes flirt with her by tugging on the ends of her hair.
Nelson said that one night her boyfriend was late in picking her up from her job after closing time, and when Moore saw her waiting outside, he offered to take her home, which she accepted. But instead of pulling out onto Meighan Boulevard, she said, Moore drove his car around to the back of the restaurant, parked in a dark area between the restaurant and a dumpster and began to force himself on her.
“He reached over and began groping me, putting his hands on my breasts,” Nelson said. “I tried to open my door to leave, but he reached over and locked it so I could not get out. I tried fighting him off, while yelling at him to stop, but instead of stopping, he began squeezing my neck attempting to force my head onto his crotch … . I thought he was going to try to rape me.”
Moore denies the claims. Read more.
Read coverage of the story:
GOP Chair Warns Republican Office-Holders Against Supporting Write-In Candidates (Alabama Political Reporter)
Senate Republicans Repudiate Roy Moore’s Candidacy and Urge Him to Leave the Race (Washington Post)
GOP Confronts Long-Shot Options for Dealing With Moore (Associated Press)
No State Precedent for Successful Statewide Write-In Candidate (Decatur Daily)
Sen. Richard Shelby Says Roy Moore Should Seriously Consider Dropping Out (WAAY)
What All 52 Republican Senators Say About Embattled Alabama Candidate Roy Moore (ABC News)
Sexual Misconduct Allegations Against Roy Moore Make Senate Race in Alabama a Toss-Up (Anniston Star)
Roy Moore Allegations Prompt Reflections on Fundamentalist Culture in Which Some Christian Men Date Teens (Washington Post)
Gadsden Locals Say Moore’s Predatory Behavior At Mall, Restaurants Not A Secret (AL.com)
Friends of Moore’s Accuser Defend Her Decision to Discuss Allegations Now
“They are not dishonest people. They are not attention seekers. They are Republicans.”
That’s what Henrietta Speaks wants people to know about Nancy Wells, her friend since high school in Gadsden decades ago, and Wells’ daughter, Leigh Corfman.
Corfman, backed up by her mother, has thrown Alabama’s race for a U.S. Senate seat into turmoil with her account to The Washington Post of a sexual encounter with candidate Roy Moore in 1979. Corfman was then 14 and Moore was 32 and an assistant district attorney.
Other women also have told the Post they dated Moore when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s, but they’ve said the encounters did not go past kissing.
As the allegations drove some leading Republicans to rescind their endorsements of Moore, they also seem to have hardened the support from his base. Moore received a standing ovation at the conclusion of a speech he gave Saturday to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club in Vestavia Hills, his first public appearance since the allegations were published. Read more.
Read coverage of the story:
Roy Moore Says Allegations are Intended to Derail Senate Bid (Washington Post/Associated Press)
Allegations Against Roy Moore Roil US Evangelical Ranks (Associated Press)
Roy Moore Alabama Senate Candidate Under Siege, Tries to Discredit Accusers (The New York Times)
Roy Moore’s Supporters Still ‘Believe in Him’ as GOP Senators Withdraw Endorsements (ABC News)
Democrat Doug Jones Charts An Unlikely Path in Alabama Senate Race as Scandal Isolates GOP’s Roy Moore (Los Angeles Times)
