Just the suggestion of former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore making another run at the U.S. Senate draws adverse reactions from some in the political class, and in recent days that has shown to be the case.
In 2017, Moore lost by nearly 22,000 votes, a margin of 1.7%, to now-Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) for a seat that is up once again in 2020.
During an interview on Friday with Huntsville radio’s WVNN, Moore said he had not yet made a decision on whether or not to run again but expects to during June.
“I said I would announce in the month of June,” Moore said on WVNN’s “The Jeff Poor Show.” “I haven’t made the final decision. I will when I announce, of course. But it’s a very serious step forward. And you know, there’s been a lot of things that have come up, and I must consider it carefully, but I’m seriously considering it.”
Moore said adverse reactions to a possibility of a U.S. Senate run were a surprise but attributed them to the fear from the so-called Washington, D.C. establishment of him pulling out an electoral victory.
“I am surprised,” he replied. “Why is there such fear in Washington, D.C. at the mere mention of my name? This opposition is coming from the Washington, D.C. establishment. And the only reason they fear me is because they know I can win a race. And yet they say, ‘Well, I can’t win a race.’ Well, they wouldn’t be doing it if they knew I couldn’t. They are doing it because they know I can. The recent polls – that Mason-Dixon poll – and the other polls they’ve taken show exactly that. So, they’ve got to come up with some reason to try to dissuade me from running so that their chosen candidate can get elected, whoever that may be. But it’s not me. They plainly know what I stand for, that I’ll not be a part of the club, that I’ll represent the people of Alabama if I choose to run. That is what I’ve always done, and that’s what I’ll do if I choose to run.”
The Etowah County Republican declined to comment on the current announced GOP field, which includes State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs), former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope). Instead, he explained how he saw the “establishment” attempting to control Alabama politics.
“I’m not one to run negative advertisements,” Moore said. “I’ve never done that in my life, although I’ve had a lot of negativism and falsehoods alleged against me. And I’m not going to start now. Everybody has a right to run for the United States Senate. I will say this: The Washington establishment has more control over what happens in Alabama than people realize, just like the last election showed. That election was so fought by established Republicans, and of course Democrats, which naturally would than you could imagine. So, I think people should know there is an attempt to steal to their vote.”
Moore also said he was surprised that both President Donald Trump and his son Donald Trump, Jr. spoke out on social media against him running again in 2020.
…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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2019
You mean like last time? You’re literally the only candidate who could lose a GOP seat in pro-Trump, pro-USA ALABAMA. 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. https://t.co/Twg9isFRkY
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 28, 2019
“It surprises me because I’ve always supported the things and the positions that Donald Trump has taken about securing our borders, about restoring our military,” he said. “I fought in Vietnam. I’m a graduate of the United States Military Academy. I have a special feeling for the military. I have a son up there now at the United States Military Academy, and one in the Army. You know, I think we have to look at the issues that he’s talked about, and I fully support those issues. So it surprises me that his son would take this tactic.”
Moore said he likes his chances should he run again and that he had faith in the public to see through “false tactics.”
“I think the polls indicate that the false tactics that they used in the last election, which even my opponent recognized — you know, they failed,” Moore added. “People see through this stuff. I mean, you know, I heard about the false news and fake news from Donald Trump when he ran, and I guess I didn’t even realize how fake it was – that it had come apparently to the American population that there’s a lot of attempts to deflect and distract from the truth by the national media. And I think they see through that, too.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
