Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) on Sunday harshly criticized Roy Moore, Alabama’s Republican candidate for Senate and Shelby’s possible junior colleague who numerous women have accused of sexual misconduct, days before the upcoming special election.
“The state of Alabama deserves better,” Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Shelby said he “couldn’t vote” for Moore and “wrote in a distinguished Republican name” instead.
“If he wins, we have to seat him. Then there will immediately be an ethics investigation,” Shelby said. “The allegations are significantly stronger than the denial.”
He said that the women accusing Moore of misconduct are “credible” and “believable.”
“When it got to the 14-year-old story, that was enough for me,” Shelby said, referring to Leigh Corfman, who alleged that Moore initiated a sexual encounter when she was 14 years old and he was in his early 30s. “I said, I can’t vote for Roy Moore.”
Republican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby: “I couldn’t vote for Roy Moore, I didn’t vote for Roy Moore, I wrote in a distinguished Republican name" #CNNSOTU https://t.co/gV85oBU51h
— CNN (@CNN) December 10, 2017
Moore’s senior campaign adviser Brett Doster fired back later Sunday.
Alabama deserves better than "establishment Shelby." #alsen https://t.co/k02XS6zEqb
— Brett Doster (@BrettDoster) December 10, 2017
This post has been updated.
Wouldn’t name the “distinguished Republican’”?
2 days before the election. If you feel this strongly, why not make the announcement weeks ago and spend the time campaigning on behalf of the “distinguished Republican?”
My money is on “Abraham Lincoln.” Yeah, that’s it. I’m sure of it.
Likely reception by the Trumpsters: Burn him! He was once a Demoncrat!
Likely reception by most of the Christian Conservatives who buy the persecution grievance: But the Supreme Court… Babies! Perhaps Shelby really is a RINO.
Reception of a sliver of Christian Conservatives who are slightly torn/or at least uncomfortable: Well… maybe. If Shelby is voting for a write in Repub, and knows that works like a vote for Jones, maybe he really knows there will just be another election soon to replace Moore - and maybe we should send a message. (And then for most of this group)… nah… Supreme Court… Babies!
Net change - maybe 1.2 of 1 %.
That was exactly my guess.