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| McConnell Calls for Roy Moore to Drop Out of Senate Race | McConnell Calls for Roy Moore to Drop Out of Senate Race |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said Monday that Roy S. Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, “should step aside” and that he believes the women who have accused Mr. Moore of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers. | WASHINGTON — Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said Monday that Roy S. Moore, the Republican Senate candidate in Alabama, “should step aside” and that he believes the women who have accused Mr. Moore of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers. |
| “I believe the women, yes,” Mr. McConnell said at a news conference in Louisville. | “I believe the women, yes,” Mr. McConnell said at a news conference in Louisville. |
| Mr. McConnell also said that encouraging a write-in candidate to run in the Dec. 12 special election is “an option we’re looking at.” | Mr. McConnell also said that encouraging a write-in candidate to run in the Dec. 12 special election is “an option we’re looking at.” |
| A second Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, also called for Mr. Moore to drop out of the race. | A second Republican senator, Susan Collins of Maine, also called for Mr. Moore to drop out of the race. |
| Mr. Moore, a judge who was twice removed from the state’s high court, first for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from the Supreme Court grounds, then for refusing to accept gay marriage, responded defiantly. He showed no sign of leaving the race ahead of Alabama’s Dec. 12 special election date. | Mr. Moore, a judge who was twice removed from the state’s high court, first for refusing to remove the Ten Commandments from the Supreme Court grounds, then for refusing to accept gay marriage, responded defiantly. He showed no sign of leaving the race ahead of Alabama’s Dec. 12 special election date. |
| In a fund-raising appeal, Mr. Moore reached out to his supporters with the subject line: “Mitch McConnell’s plot to destroy me.” | In a fund-raising appeal, Mr. Moore reached out to his supporters with the subject line: “Mitch McConnell’s plot to destroy me.” |
| “Apparently Mitch McConnell and the establishment G.O.P. would rather elect a radical pro-abortion Democrat than a conservative Christian,” he wrote. | “Apparently Mitch McConnell and the establishment G.O.P. would rather elect a radical pro-abortion Democrat than a conservative Christian,” he wrote. |
| Republicans here and in Alabama have been up in arms over the accusations, published last week in The Washington Post, that Mr. Moore pursued sexual or romantic relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s. The reports have upended a race in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in 25 years. | Republicans here and in Alabama have been up in arms over the accusations, published last week in The Washington Post, that Mr. Moore pursued sexual or romantic relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s. The reports have upended a race in a state that has not elected a Democratic senator in 25 years. |
| And the issue shows no sign of quieting down. At 2:30 p.m. Monday, Gloria Allred, a New York lawyer who has championed victims of sexual harassment, will publicly introduce a new woman accusing Mr. Moore of sexual impropriety. | And the issue shows no sign of quieting down. At 2:30 p.m. Monday, Gloria Allred, a New York lawyer who has championed victims of sexual harassment, will publicly introduce a new woman accusing Mr. Moore of sexual impropriety. |
| “The new accuser wishes to state what she alleges Roy Moore did to her without her consent,” a news release from Ms. Allred said. | “The new accuser wishes to state what she alleges Roy Moore did to her without her consent,” a news release from Ms. Allred said. |
| Mr. Moore’s wife, Kayla Moore, lashed out in a Facebook post on Monday, complaining about “a witchhunt” in Alabama and claiming that “we are gathering evidence of money being paid to people who would come forward.” | Mr. Moore’s wife, Kayla Moore, lashed out in a Facebook post on Monday, complaining about “a witchhunt” in Alabama and claiming that “we are gathering evidence of money being paid to people who would come forward.” |
| “Washington establishment and Democrat Party will stop at nothing to stop our campaign,” she wrote. “Prayers appreciated.....” | “Washington establishment and Democrat Party will stop at nothing to stop our campaign,” she wrote. “Prayers appreciated.....” |
| But with Mr. McConnell now firmly against his election, Mr. Moore and his candidacy promise to deepen the divide between Republican leaders in Congress and the populist wing of the party that is standing by the Alabamian. | But with Mr. McConnell now firmly against his election, Mr. Moore and his candidacy promise to deepen the divide between Republican leaders in Congress and the populist wing of the party that is standing by the Alabamian. |
| Anxious Republican officials spent much of the weekend trying to determine what, if anything, they could do to halt Mr. Moore without simply turning over the seat. If Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee, wins, it would narrow the Republican advantage in the Senate to a single seat. | Anxious Republican officials spent much of the weekend trying to determine what, if anything, they could do to halt Mr. Moore without simply turning over the seat. If Doug Jones, the Democratic nominee, wins, it would narrow the Republican advantage in the Senate to a single seat. |
| But if Mr. Moore stays in and goes on to win, it could leave Senate Republicans with the difficult question of whether to stop him from being seated or seating him and immediately moving to expel him from the chamber. | But if Mr. Moore stays in and goes on to win, it could leave Senate Republicans with the difficult question of whether to stop him from being seated or seating him and immediately moving to expel him from the chamber. |
| One idea now being discussed under this scenario, brought up by two different White House officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, would be for Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama to immediately appoint Attorney General Jeff Sessions to what had been his seat when it becomes vacant again. Mr. Sessions remains highly popular among Alabama Republicans, but his relationship with President Trump has waned since he recused himself from the investigation of the role that Russia played in last year’s campaign. | |
| Republicans in Washington, though, have not ruled out fielding a write-in candidate and some of the party’s outside groups were expected to conduct surveys this week of who would be most formidable prospect, according to officials familiar with the plans. | Republicans in Washington, though, have not ruled out fielding a write-in candidate and some of the party’s outside groups were expected to conduct surveys this week of who would be most formidable prospect, according to officials familiar with the plans. |
| Democrats, who have been restrained about their prospects in such a conservative state, said that if additional women like the one joining Ms. Allred tell their stories, it would undermine Mr. Moore’s case that he is being smeared in a single newspaper article. | |
| “The more people that come out of the woodwork, the more women with similar stories, the more credible it becomes,” said Zac McCray, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster. “It’s going to become easier to see through Roy Moore’s non-denial denials.” | “The more people that come out of the woodwork, the more women with similar stories, the more credible it becomes,” said Zac McCray, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster. “It’s going to become easier to see through Roy Moore’s non-denial denials.” |
| Democrats have begun raising money in earnest for Mr. Jones, a former prosecutor who sent Ku Klux Klansmen to jail for the infamous Birmingham church bombing of 1963 that killed four young girls. | Democrats have begun raising money in earnest for Mr. Jones, a former prosecutor who sent Ku Klux Klansmen to jail for the infamous Birmingham church bombing of 1963 that killed four young girls. |