Senate candidate’s wife says he won’t step aside
The wife of Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama has said her husband would not end his campaign in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, dismissing reports about his past behavior toward some women as political attacks.
“He will not step down,” Kayla Moore said at a news conference on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery. “He will not stop fighting for the people of Alabama.” The former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice’s campaign has been in turmoil since the Washington Post published a story last week detailing the accounts of three women who claim Moore pursued them while they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. More women have since spoken out with allegations of their own.
Before the allegations came to light, Moore was heavily favored to defeat Democrat Doug Jones in the special election next month. Two polls this week showed Moore now trailing Jones. Fox News released a poll on Thursday putting Jones ahead with 50% to 42% for Moore.
But Moore’s embattled candidacy also got a boost on Thurs- day, when the Alabama Republican Party said it would continue to support him, putting it at odds with Republican leaders in Washington who want him to withdraw. Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Friday told reporters she would vote for Moore, emphasising the importance of keeping Republican control of the US Senate.
Asked whether she believed the women accusing Moore of sexual improprieties or unwanted romantic overtures, Ivey said, “the timing is a little curious but at the same time I have no reason to disbelieve them.” REUTERS
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