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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.
(14 days later)
Updated on Nov. 21. Updated on Dec. 4.
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. That a Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama would cruise to victory seemed almost a foregone conclusion. But after a series of women came forward to accuse that candidate, Roy S. Moore, of sexual misconduct, less is certain in a race that could have major implications for the party’s ability to govern in Washington.
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. President Trump has gone from largely avoiding mention of Mr. Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, to endorsing him, which prompted the Republican National Committee to restore its financial support. Senate Republicans have distanced themselves from the candidate, and some called on him to withdraw from the race, but the intensity of those demands has faded as the election has neared.
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. 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.
As voters prepare for the Dec. 12 special election, here is a breakdown of The New York Times’s coverage on the race since the accusations emerged.
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 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.
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.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.
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.” Mr. Moore, 70, remains defiant, trying to discredit the accusers while denying the most serious charges against him — though he has not denied that when he was in his 30s, he dated women in their teens. He has claimed that his accusers are part of a conspiracy against him, and that he is opposed by “the forces of evil who are attempting to relegate our conservative Christian values to the dustbin of history.”
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. On Nov. 27, The Post reported that a woman working for a conservative group had attempted to trick the newspaper into publishing false allegations against Mr. Moore, apparently in hopes of damaging The Post’s credibility.
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. At first, President Trump remained largely silent, but he then began defending Mr. Moore and saying that voters should reject Doug Jones, the Democrat in the race. Finally, on Monday, he formally endorsed Mr. Moore.
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. Mr. Trump’s position has put him sharply at odds with many of his party’s national leaders, who have said that Mr. Moore should drop out of the race. Our reporters examined why Mr. Trump, who has also faced sexual harassment and assault allegations, has stood by Mr. Moore while the Alabama race split national Republicans. Several weeks after the Republican National Committee severed its ties with Mr. Moore, it decided to again offer its fund-raising power to the campaign.
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. Members of his administration have argued that holding on to a Republican seat in the Senate, where the party has only a narrow majority, was important for advancing the president’s agenda. The allegations against Mr. Moore 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 many of his defenders.
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. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican majority leader — who has said “I believe the women” and took the stand for weeks that Mr. Moore should drop out of the race, on Sunday that the race was for the people of Alabama to decide. The National Republican Senatorial Committee, a fund-raising arm of the national party, severed its ties with Mr. Moore.
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’s colleagues have discussed the possibility that, if Mr. Moore is elected, he could be subjected to an ethics investigation, or even expelled from the Senate. But the intensity of that talk has faded to some extent as the election has approached.
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. National party leaders discussed a possible write-in campaign by a prominent Republican — possibly Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the seat previously, or Luther Strange, who was appointed to replace Mr. Sessions but lost to Mr. Moore in the primary.
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. Neither man has jumped in, but a little-known write-in candidate has emerged: Lee Busby, a retired Marine colonel. In a tight race, any votes he draws away from Mr. Moore might affect the outcome.
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. Mr. Moore’s solid lead in voter surveys evaporated just after the scandal broke, but his poll numbers have edged upward again since then.
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. Standing in Mr. Jones’s way, our Alabama team reported, is the deeply negative view of Democrats that is held even by many Alabamians who dislike Mr. Moore.
Previously, the Jones campaign released this ad that features people questioning Mr. Moore’s decency, without making direct reference to the charges. 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 was more divisive than ever.
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. At recent church services, we found mixed feelings about Mr. Moore among parishioners, while pastors steered clear of the subject. We also examined Mr. Moore’s combative history, which has won him passionate fans and detractors.
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. Nate Cohn, an elections analyst for The Upshot, took a look at how Mr. Jones might fare, and how the race tests the limits of party loyalty in what might be the most Republican state in the country. You can check out the latest polls on the race at RealClearPolitics.
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 Mr. Sessions.
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 reported. That has left Mr. Jones, a former federal prosecutor, to mostly go it alone in this race, and he is relying heavily on turnout by black voters.
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 Mr. Strange. 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.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.