Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) on Monday joined a growing list of Republican senators calling for Roy Moore to step aside from his campaign for U.S. Senate, saying Moore “would be doing himself, the state, the GOP, and the country a service” by doing so.
In light of the most recent allegations and the cumulative effect of others, I believe #RoyMoore would be doing himself, the state, the GOP, and the country a service by stepping aside.
If he continues this will not end well for Mr. Moore.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) November 13, 2017
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called for as much Monday morning, Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) followed suit.
McConnell did not rule out a write-in campaign featuring Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL), who was appointed to fill Attorney Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat on an interim basis, and who Sessions supported against Moore in the Alabama Republican Senate primary.
Of the handful of senators who explicitly endorsed Moore, only two listed on Moore’s website have not withdrawn those endorsements: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rand Paul (R-KY).
Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) withdrew his endorsement Monday but stopped short of calling for Moore to withdraw his candidacy, leaving it to Alabama voters to decide the Senate hopeful’s fate.
On Monday, Beverly Young Nelson alleged that Moore sexually assaulted her when she was 16. And the Washington Post reported last week that Leigh Corfman claimed Moore made sexual advances on her when she was 14.