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Roy Moore Is Mired in a Sexual Misconduct Scandal. Here’s How It Happened. Roy Moore Is Mired in a Sexual Misconduct Scandal. Here’s How It Happened.
(6 days later)
That Roy S. Moore, the Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, would cruise to victory seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Now, after a series of women have come forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, very little is certain in a race that could have major implications for the party’s ability to govern in Washington. Updated on Nov. 21.
Senate Republicans have distanced themselves from Mr. Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, and are openly discussing expelling him from the chamber if he wins. Democrats, for their part, are contemplating the near impossible: flipping a seat in a deeply red state that last elected a Democratic senator in 1990. That a Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama would cruise to victory seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Now, after a series of women have come forward to accuse that candidate, Roy S. Moore, of sexual misconduct, very little is certain in a race that could have major implications for the party’s ability to govern in Washington.
As voters prepare for the Dec. 12 special election — in which Mr. Moore will be on the ballot come what may — here is a breakdown of The Times’s coverage on the race since the accusations emerged. President Trump has defended Mr. Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, but Senate Republicans have distanced themselves from Mr. Moore and are openly discussing expelling him from the chamber if he wins. Democrats, for their part, are contemplating the near-impossible: flipping a seat in a deeply red state that last elected a Democratic senator in 1990.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that four women said Mr. Moore had pursued them sexually or romantically when they were 18 or younger and he was in his 30s, and one of them said that he touched her sexually when she was 14, below the age of consent. As voters prepare for the Dec. 12 special election, here is a breakdown of The Times’s coverage on the race since the accusations emerged.
Mr. Moore, 70, remains defiant, trying to discredit the accusers while denying the most serious charges against him and insisting that the women are part of a conspiracy to stop him from putting God at the center of American politics. On Thursday, he refused to answer questions about the allegations. On Nov. 9, The Washington Post reported that four women said Mr. Moore had pursued them sexually or romantically when they were 18 or younger and he was in his 30s. One of them said that he touched her sexually when she was 14, below the state’s age of consent.
On Monday, a woman accused Mr. Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16. (Read her statement here.) On Wednesday, four more women accused him of sexual misconduct or unwanted overtures in accounts published by the Alabama Media Group and The Post. Over the next several days, a woman accused Mr. Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 16 (read her statement here), and four more women accused him of sexual misconduct or unwanted overtures.
Republican responses to the allegations have evolved. You can check out how Alabama party officials have staunchly defended Mr. Moore or watch a video of clips of his defenders,while national party leaders said he should drop out of the race if the claims proved to be true. Mr. Moore, 70, remains defiant, trying to discredit the accusers while denying the most serious charges against him and insisting that they are part of a conspiracy against him. He has said he is opposed by “the forces of evil who are attempting to relegate our conservative Christian values to the dustbin of history.”
Track how the Senate Republicans have reacted with our list. For instance, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a fund-raising arm of the national party, severed ties with Mr. Moore. President Trump commented on Tuesday, defending Mr. Moore and saying, “he totally denies it.” Though he did not explicitly endorse Mr. Moore, he said that voters should reject Doug Jones, the Democrat in the race.
For his part, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, on Monday said “I believe the women.” Mr. McConnell is a sharp-elbowed partisan who is already having trouble passing legislation with his 52-vote Republican majority, but he has, as the Times’s Carl Hulse reported from Washington, shown little tolerance for sexual misconduct that he thinks reflects badly on Republicans or the Senate. Mr. Trump’s vigorous defense came as members of his administration argued that having Mr. Moore in the Senate was important for advancing the president’s agenda, including tax cuts as part of an overhaul of the tax code.
On Thursday, the White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Trump believes the allegations are “very troubling” and “should be taken seriously” and that voters in Alabama should get to decide on their next senator. The allegations have aggravated the hostility between the populist and establishment factions of the party. You can check out how Alabama party officials have staunchly defended Mr. Moore or watch a video of clips of many of his defenders, while national party leaders have said he should drop out of the race if the accusations proved to be true.
After the allegations emerged, our reporters in Alabama interviewed women in a Birmingham suburb, finding few fans of Mr. Moore’s, but that many felt he had a good chance of being elected anyway. Our reporters also talked with residents in Gadsden, his hometown: To them, he is more divisive now than ever. You can check out the latest polls on the race on RealClearPolitics. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader, has said “I believe the women,” and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a fund-raising arm of the national party, severed its ties with Mr. Moore. Track how the Senate Republicans have reacted with our list.
Nate Cohn, The Upshot elections analyst, took a look at how the Democratic candidate, Doug Jones, might fare, and how the race tests the limits of what might be most Republican state in the county. Mr. McConnell is a sharp-elbowed partisan who is already having trouble passing legislation with his 52-vote Republican majority, but he has, as The Times’s Carl Hulse reported from Washington, shown little tolerance for sexual misconduct that he thinks reflects badly on Republicans or the Senate.
The state Republican Party said Thursday that it would stand behind Mr. Moore’s candidacy, putting it at odds with the national party. The ballots have been printed with his name on them, and some people have already cast their votes. If the nomination were taken away from him, any votes for Mr. Moore could be rendered null and void, even if he collected more than any other candidate. After the allegations emerged, our reporters in Alabama interviewed women in a Birmingham suburb. Few were fans of Mr. Moore, but many felt he had a good chance of being elected anyway. Our reporters also talked with residents in Gadsden, his hometown: To them, he is more divisive now than ever.
Mr. McConnell and others have also floated the idea of a write-in candidacy for another Republican — possibly none other than Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the previous officeholder, whose standing with the president has been shaky. At church services on Sunday, we found mixed feelings about Mr. Moore among parishioners, while pastors steered clear of the subject. We examined Mr. Moore’s combative history, which has won him passionate fans and detractors.
For Republicans, the problem with the idea is that a write-in candidate could split the conservative vote and hand the election to Mr. Jones. Here’s our breakdown of options the Republicans have open to them. Nate Cohn, elections analyst for The Upshot, took a look at how Mr. Jones might fare, and how the race tests the limits of what might be the most Republican state in the county. You can check out the latest polls on the race at RealClearPolitics.
National Democratic organizations and the party’s most prominent figures have largely steered clear of the race, our political correspondents report, acutely aware of how unpopular they are in such a conservative state. The national groups have not even spent money on ads supporting Mr. Jones, a former federal prosecutor we took a closer look at in September. Here you can read our 2001 profile on him. There was talk for a while among Alabama Republicans of withdrawing Mr. Moore’s nomination, but the state party said last week that it would stand behind Mr. Moore’s candidacy, putting it at odds with the national party. Here is our breakdown of options Republicans have open to them.
Since the allegations against Mr. Moore became public, Mr. Jones has said little about them, content to let the story unfold without his input. Watch the ad the Jones campaign released, which makes only indirect references to the charges, questioning Mr. Moore’s decency. Mr. Jones used the allegations to attack Mr. Moore head-on in this campaign ad that quotes Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, as well as Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whose former Senate seat is the one at stake in the special election.
The national Republican Party has never really embraced Mr. Moore, and the feeling is mutual — he has railed against Mr. McConnell as a creature of a malevolent Washington establishment. During the Republican primary, Mr. McConnell and Mr. Trump endorsed the incumbent, Senator Luther Strange, who lost to Mr. Moore. Previously, the Jones campaign released this ad that features people questioning Mr. Moore’s decency, without making direct reference to the charges.
Mr. Moore has long courted controversy, making incendiary comments about gays, Islam and race, and portraying himself as a defender of Christianity under siege in America. Even some of his fellow conservative officials in Alabama are wary of him, and he was twice removed from office as the state’s highest judge. Read our reporting on both cases. Without a strong state party to rely on, or much help from the national party, National Democratic organizations and the party’s most prominent figures have largely steered clear of the race, acutely aware of how unpopular they are in such a conservative state, our political correspondents report. That has left Mr. Jones, a former federal prosecutor, mostly to go it alone in this race. We took a closer look at him in September, and you can read our 2001 profile on him.
The national Republican Party has never embraced Mr. Moore, and the feeling is mutual — he has railed against Mr. McConnell as a creature of a malevolent Washington establishment. During the Republican primary, Mr. McConnell and Mr. Trump endorsed Luther Strange, the interim Senator appointed to the seat when Mr. Sessions gave it up. Mr. Moore beat him handily in a runoff.
Mr. Moore has courted controversy for years, making incendiary comments about gays, Islam and race, and portraying himself as a defender of Christianity under siege in America. Even some of his fellow conservative officials in Alabama are wary of him, and he was twice removed from office as the state’s highest judge. Read some of our reporting on both cases.