Alabama: Trump Decides

In what will likely be a closing theme in the Alabama Senate race as more Republicans see their alternative as supporting embattled GOP nominee Roy Moore or losing another seat in the already tight US Senate, President Trump issued his endorsement yesterday.  While saying that allegations alone from decades ago should not be allowed to destroy a person’s life, the President believes that Judge Moore will still step aside if the claims are true.  Otherwise, Mr. Trump said, “we don’t need a liberal person in there…” meaning Democrat Doug Jones being elected to the Senate.  
 
The Alabama special election to permanently replace former Sen. Jeff Sessions (R), now US Attorney General, is scheduled for December 12th.  Republicans have no mechanism of removing Moore from the ballot since the allegations came well within the 76-day period before the election, the time when the ballots become frozen under Alabama election law.  The latest polling gives Mr. Jones a slight lead, and he has a major resource advantage as we approach the closing days.

--Jim Ellis