Fox News has been polling likely Alabama voters since last month gauging where their loyalties lie in the upcoming special election to replace former Sen. Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. It seems the accusations against Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore have taken a huge toll. His Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, now leads by eight points. The two were tied on Oct. 16.
Tracking the same @FoxNewsPoll over the past month shows a real shift in the #ALSen race:
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) November 16, 2017
October 16th
• Moore: 42%
• Jones: 42%
November 15th
• Moore: 42%
• Jones: 50% https://t.co/7DlSFt4p5f
Nine women have now come forward accusing Moore of some sort of unwanted sexual misconduct. A few of the accusers say he sexually abused them when they were just teenagers. Moore has denied the charges and refuses to leave the race.
The controversy explains some of the more particularly unsettling numbers for the Republican in the Fox poll.
The poll, released Thursday, finds a 15-point gap between the number of Alabama voters who think Jones has strong moral character (56 percent) and those who feel that way about Moore (41 percent). Plus, 85 percent among Democrats think Jones has strong moral character, while just 65 percent of Republicans say the same of Moore.
Alabama voters aren't the only ones beginning to distance themselves from Moore. Top Republicans on Capitol Hill are asking him to step aside for another candidate to take his place. Others, like Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, say Moore is "unfit to serve."
Asked to respond to the scandal at Thursday's press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the decision should be left in the hands of Alabamans.
Looking further into what Alabama voters think about the sexual abuse allegations, it appears that 38 percent think they're true, while 37 percent do not. Twenty-five percent don't know for sure.
Most voters, 54-38 percent, think Moore should stay in the race.