Controversial Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore lost his race in 2017 but announced on Thursday that he will seek the GOP Senate nominee again in 2020. Not surprisingly, party leaders have already sworn to prevent the man who became a national embarrassment from coming anywhere close to winning state's primary.
Moore, a former Alabama judge who was credibly accused of sexual harassment as well as having inappropriate relationships with girls under the age 18, announced Thursday that he will be running in the 2020 election.
The 2017 election loser told reporters today that the approach he will take this time around is a more hands on one. "I would like to make more personal contact with people," he told media.
Despite claiming that he was not going against President Donald J. Trump's wishes, the president's son vehemently denied that his father would in any way support Moore.
"This is pure fake news. I can assure everyone that by running, Roy Moore is going against my father and he’s doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country in the process," Don Jr. tweeted.
This is pure fake news. I can assure everyone that by running, Roy Moore is going against my father and he’s doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country in the process. https://t.co/pjfDKfoIO0
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 20, 2019
In Washington, several Republican senators had a resounding rebuke of the Moore.
"Give me a break. This place has enough creepy old men," said Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) told Politico.
"There will be a lot of efforts made to ensure that we have a nominee other than him and one who can win in November," Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-SD) promised. “He’s already proven he can’t."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for his part, said the GOP will "be opposing Roy Moore vigorously."
There are currently four other candidates vying for the nominee, but the Republican National Senate Committee hopes that former attorney general Jeff Sessions will throw his hat into the ring.
Alabama's other Senator Richard Shelby hopes so, too. "If Sessions runs, I think he would dominate the field. Now, I don’t know if he’ll run. He hasn’t said he wouldn’t run," he told Politico. "I would oppose Roy Moore..I will not be by myself, I hope. I think Alabama can do better than that."