Top Alabama newspaper group: Voters must reject Moore

A top newspaper group in Alabama is calling on the state’s voters to reject Roy Moore in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations levied against the Republican Senate nominee and cast their ballots for Democrat Doug Jones.

In an editorial published late Saturday, AL.com, which is home to three leading state newspapers, including The Birmingham News, argues the election “is about the moral values of the people of Alabama.”

The editorial board urges voters to cast their ballots based on how the results will affect individuals at home, rather than on the national stage of politics.

“By the various misdeeds, miscalculations and mistakes of its voters and leaders, Alabama has left itself with few options. Alabamians must show themselves to be people of principle, reject Roy Moore and all that he stands for,” the board writes.

“There is only one candidate left in this race who has proven worthy of the task of representing Alabama. He is Doug Jones.” 

The editorial board says Alabama voters cannot dismiss the allegations against Moore, which include one woman saying she had sexual contact with the former judge when she was 14 years-old and Moore was a man in his 30s. Moore has denied that accusation.

“A vote for Roy Moore sends the worst kind of message to Alabamians struggling with of abuse: ‘if you ever do tell your story, Alabama won’t believe you,’” the board says.

The editorial argues that Moore is also unqualified based on his other views on issues ranging from immigration to religion.

“This utter disregard for people unlike himself, his pathological fixation on sex, and the steps he’s taken to actively diminish other people’s freedoms, is more than enough to have disqualified him from this office long before these women stepped into the public eye,” the editorial reads.

The woman’s claims appeared in a Washington Post report that included accounts from three other women who said Moore made advances toward them decades ago when they were between 16 and 18 years old.

Moore admitted in an interview just after the first allegations were revealed that he may have dated women in their later teens during that period in his life, but said he did not “remember anything like that.”

Multiple other women have come forward with allegations against Moore in the days since the Post’s report, including one woman who said Moore assaulted her when she was 16.

The accusations have caused numerous Senate Republicans to revoke their endorsements of Moore. 

The Alabama Republican has remained defiant, insisting he will remain in the race despite both the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (RNC) ending their fundraising relationships with his campaign.

Moore will face off against Jones on Dec. 12 in the special election for the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.