The Alabama GOP announced Thursday it is sticking with Roy Moore in the special election to fill Jeff Session’s old seat, pushing back against national Republicans who have called on Mr. Moore to pull the plug on his bid.
The statement of support came a day after the 21 members of the Alabama Republican Party steering committee met to discuss the allegations of sexual misconduct that have been leveled against Mr. Moore and led national GOP leaders to oppose his candidacy.
“The ALGOP Steering Committee supports Judge Roy Moore as our nominee and trusts the voters as they make the ultimate decision in this crucial race,” the party said in a statement.
“Judge Moore has vehemently denied the allegations made against him. He deserves to be presumed innocent of the accusations unless proven otherwise. He will continue to take his case straight to the people of Alabama.”
Mr. Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, the U.S. attorney general.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan are among the GOP leaders who are concerned that the accusations against Mr. Moore are going to tarnish the party’s brand, weakening its ability to govern and its hand in coming election cycles.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump ‘troubled’ by Roy Moore allegations, won’t call for him to quit Senate race
The Alabama Republican Party, though, said voters have a clear choice between Mr. Moore — “a conservative who supports President Trump” — and Mr. Jones — “the liberal Democrat who will fight and thwart the agenda of our president.”
“We trust the Alabama voters in this election to have our beloved state and the nation’s best interest at heart,” the Alabama GOP said. “Alabamians will be the ultimate jury in this election — not the media or those from afar,” the state party said.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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