Moore defiant; GOP sees Alabama Senate seat at risk

when he was in his early 30s.

Asked if that would have been usual for him, Moore said, “Not generally, no.” He MONTGOMERY, ALA. — His added: “I don’t remember party suddenly and bitingly ever dating any girl without divided, Alabama Republithe permission of her mother.” can Roy Moore emphatically As for the encounter with rejected increasing pressure 14-year-old Leigh Corfman, to abandon his Senate bid on as described by Corfman in Friday as fears grew among Thursday’s Post article, he GOP leaders that a once-safe said, “It never happened.” Senate seat was in jeopardy The story has produced a just a month before a spewave of concern among anx- cial election. ious GOP officials in Wash-

Moore, an outs p oken ington but little more than a Christian conservative and collective shrug from many former state Supreme Court Republicans in Alabama, judge, attacked a Washing- which holds a special elec- ton Post report that he had tion Dec. 12 to fill the seat sexual contact with a 14-yearpreviously held by Attorney old girl and pursued three General Jeff Sessions. other teenagers decades ear“Humphrey Bogart started lier as “completely false and dating Lauren Bacall when misleading.” she was a teenager,” said

In an interview with constate Auditor Jim Ziegler, servative radio host Sean referring to the then-19-yearHannity, he did not wholly old actress. rule out dating teenage girls “I’ll always vote for him,” said 28-year-old Erica Richard, of Altoona, Alabama, adding that she wouldn’t change her mind even if the allegations of sexual misconduct are proven true. “He’s a good man. I love him and his family, and they are all good people.”

Paul Reynolds, Alabama’s Republican National Committeeman, called it “a firestorm designed to shipwreck a campaign in Alabama. I think it’s sinister.”

Despite such support, experienced Republican operatives believe the Alabama Senate seat, held by the GOP for the last 20 years, is now at risk. They fear the controversy could exacerbate the party’s broader Trumpera challenge in appealing to college-educated suburban voters — the same group that fueled a big Democratic victory in the Virginia governor’s race this week.