Robocalls ramp up ahead of vote
Obama and Biden join Trump in recording calls supporting Alabama Senate hopefuls
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — National political forces continued to impact the contested Alabama Senate race Monday as the candidates prepare to make their final push in an off-year contest that has attracted more than $41 million in spending.
Former president Barack Obama and former vice president Joe Biden both recorded robocalls for Democrat Doug Jones, aiming to boost the party’s turnout Tuesday.
President Donald Trump has recorded a robocall to support Republican Roy Moore.
Meanwhile, a Republican committee member from Nebraska, Joyce Simmons, announced that she has resigned her post in protest of her party’s continued support of Moore, who has been accused by women of sexual misconduct when they were teenagers and Moore was in his 30s.
“I strongly disagree with the recent RNC financial support directed to the Alabama Republican Party for use in the Roy Moore race,” Simmons said in an email to party leaders. “There is much I could say about this situation, but I will defer to this weekend’s comments by Senator Shelby.
Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, who voted for a write-in candidate, said Sunday that he found Moore’s accusers to be “believable” and that Moore would not represent the state well.
“I think Alabama deserves better,” Shelby said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Reports of the robocalls from Obama and Biden created some awkwardness for Jones, who has tried to project distance from the national party as he closes out his campaign. Though his campaign confirmed the calls, the candidate claimed he was not aware of them.
“I know that there have been a lot of robocalls that have been recorded. I don’t know what’s being used. That is just not something I’m doing,” Jones said at a campaign stop at a local restaurant, where members of the media outnumbered diners.
Giles Perkins, chair of the Jones campaign, said that about 30 different calls have gone out to voters and that “most of them are local.”
Throughout his campaign, Jones has tried to thread a difficult needle, portraying himself as an independent figure who is unbeholden to party leaders in an attempt to win over Republicans. At the same time, he has relied on marquee national names to help boost Democratic turnout.
In addition to Obama and Biden, Jones campaigned Sunday with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a potential 2020 presidential candidate. Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick also stumped for Jones.