Conservative ad campaign targets Moore

A new ad campaign by an anti-Trump nonprofit group is urging Alabama conservatives not to vote for Republican candidate Roy Moore at the poll next week. 

Stand Up Republic, the group founded by former independent conservative presidential candidate Evan McMullin, spent more than $500,000 on the two 30-second ad spots, according to The Washington Post. 

One ad homes in on the accusations that Moore inappropriately tried to date teenage girls, and that he had a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old when he was 32.

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“What if she was your little girl?” a voiceover asks as several teenage girls look sternly into the camera. “Your daughter, your sister? What if she was 16 years old, or 15, or 14? Would you let a 32-year-old man be alone with her?”

The other features an Alabama Republican man in his backyard, who claims he has voted for conservatives his whole life, but who cannot support Moore.

“I love our country, and I want decent people in office. That’s why I can’t vote for Roy Moore. What he’s done and what he stands for makes us Republicans and us Christians look bad,” the man says. 

The ad does not endorse another candidate for the Senate seat.

Many Alabama conservatives have wrestled with supporting Moore’s Democratic opponent Doug Jones, who supports abortion rights. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) made news this week when he donated to Jones as a call to conservatives to put “country over party.” 

McMullin, who aimed to force the House of Representatives to vote for president by depriving both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton of the required electoral college votes, said his group “believes that the character of our elected leaders has great influence over the character of our nation.” 

The Utah conservative also said the allegations against Moore are “credible” and that his history as a judge and political statements “demonstrate that he does not respect the dignity and safety of young girls, has no commitment to the rule of law and no respect for religious liberty.”

After a brief dip in the polls when the allegations came out, Moore is now leading Jones by a small margin ahead of the Tuesday election.