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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)
Updated on Dec. 4. Updated on Dec. 11.
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. 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 an unlikely nail-biter of a race that could have major implications for the party’s ability to govern in Washington.
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. President Trump has gone from largely avoiding mention of Mr. Moore, a former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, to unequivocally endorsing him. Many Senate Republicans distanced themselves from the candidate, and some called on him to withdraw from the race.
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. Democrats, for their part, are contemplating the near-impossible: flipping a seat in a deeply red state that last elected a Democratic senator in 1992.
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. As voters prepare for the special election on Tuesday, 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 — 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.”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.”
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.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.
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. On Friday, one of Mr. Moore’s accusers, Beverly Young Nelson, said she added a note to an inscription in her high school yearbook that she says was written by Mr. Moore.
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. 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. After he formally endorsed Mr. Moore on Dec. 4, the Republican National Committee restored its financial support.
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. On Friday, Mr. Trump held a political rally in Pensacola, Fla., less than 30 miles from the Alabama border, and urged Alabamians to vote for Mr. Moore.
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. “We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda,” Mr. Trump said.
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. 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. Many of his party’s national leaders have said that Mr. Moore should drop out of the race, which veteran Alabama politicians describe as unlike any they’ve ever seen.
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. The dean of the state’s congressional delegation, the Republican Senator Richard C. Shelby, excoriated Mr. Moore in a rare national television appearance on Sunday, telling CNN that Alabama “deserves better.”
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. 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. Moore’s solid lead in voter surveys evaporated just after the scandal broke, but his poll numbers have edged upward again since then. 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 — said last week that the race was for the people of Alabama to decide.
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.
In a tight race, any votes cast for a little-known write-in candidate, Lee Busby, might affect the outcome.
Mr. Moore’s solid lead in voter surveys evaporated just after the scandal broke, but his poll numbers later edged upward again. Conflicting polls have highlighted how difficult it is to predict an unusual December 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.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.
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. Few women interviewed by our reporters in a Birmingham suburb 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.
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. At recent church services, we found mixed feelings about Mr. Moore among parishioners. We also examined Mr. Moore’s combative history. Five of Mr. Moore’s supporters told us why they plan to vote for him.
Though polls indicate about half of voters think the accusations against Mr. Moore are not the most important issue in the race, policy questions have largely been ignored.
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.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 had largely steered clear of the race, our political correspondents reported, which had initially left Mr. Jones, a former federal prosecutor, to mostly go it alone. But in the last, frenzied days of the campaign, a constellation of outside liberal groups discreetly launched a multimillion-dollar operation to get out the Democratic vote. Mr. Jones is relying heavily on turnout by black voters.
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 Jones in September, and you can read our 2001 profile on him.
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.