President Trump on Wednesday signaled that he’s opposed to Roy Moore running for Senate in Alabama again, arguing the former judge “cannot win.”
“Republicans cannot allow themselves to again lose the Senate seat in the Great State of Alabama. This time it will be for Six Years, not just Two,” Trump tweeted.{mosads}
“I have NOTHING against Roy Moore, and unlike many other Republican leaders, wanted him to win. But he didn’t, and probably won’t,” the president continued. “If Alabama does not elect a Republican to the Senate in 2020, many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost, including our Pro-Life victories. Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating….Judges and Supreme Court Justices!”
Moore is considering a bid to become the Republican nominee against Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) when the senator is up for reelection in 2020.
The former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice lost to Jones in a 2017 special election, with Jones becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate from the state in 25 years.
Several women came forward during that campaign to accuse Moore of sexual misconduct, alleging he made advances toward them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.
Trump stood by Moore during the campaign, holding rallies in nearby Florida and recording a robocall in the final days leading up to the election. Jones ultimately won in a stunning victory to flip then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s vacated Senate seat for the remainder of his term.
The president’s opposition to another Senate bid from Moore came a day after Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), who launched his Senate campaign in February, told The Hill he’s spoken to GOP sources close to Moore who said the former judge will announce his own candidacy in the coming days.
Moore, who lost the 2017 race by 1.7 percentage points, responded by tweeting that he could “beat Doug Jones.”
News that the former judge was planning to seek the GOP nomination in 2020 raised concerns among conservatives who feared losing again in reliably red Alabama.
The president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., urged Moore to stay out of the race.
“You’re literally the only candidate who could lose a GOP seat in pro-Trump, pro-USA ALABAMA,” Trump Jr. tweeted Tuesday night. “Running for office should never become a business model. If you actually care about #MAGA more than your own ego, it’s time to ride off into the sunset, Judge.”
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate, but 22 GOP senators are up for reelection in 2020 compared to 12 Democratic senators.
Updated at 8:11 a.m.