Roy Moore has regained his footing in the Alabama special election for a seat in the U.S. Senate, according to a poll released Wednesday that showed the Republican has taken back the lead from Democrat Doug Jones.
Mr. Moore holds a 48 to 43 percent margin over Mr. Jones in a JMC Analytics and Polling survey after trailing the Democrat by a 42 to 46 percent margin earlier this month.
The survey of likely households found that undecided voters are leaning toward Mr. Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, after leaning toward Mr. Jones, a former U.S. attorney, and that men and evangelical Christian voters are coming back to Mr. Moore.
“There are three main takeaways from this poll: (1) Roy Moore has regained the lead he lost in the last poll, as partisan preferences have reasserted themselves, (2) similarly, Republicans have regained their plurality lead on the generic ballot test, and (3) sexual misconduct allegations against Moore have not materially impacted the race,” the poll analysis said.
Allegations of sexual misconduct against Mr. Moore shook up the race this month, boosting the hopes of Democrats, who are eager to score their first statewide win in Alabama since 2008 and to cut into the GOP’s slim Senate majority.
The survey showed that 29 percent of voters were more likely to vote for Mr. Moore in the wake of the allegations compared to 38 percent who said they are more likely to vote against him.
Voters head to the polls on Dec. 12.
The poll carried a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percent.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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