Alaska’s U.S. senators are among those issuing conditional calls for Alabama’s Republican nominee for Senate to leave the race. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan say Roy Moore should step aside, if the claims of sexual abuse made against him are true.
The Washington Post on Thursday reported the on-the-record account of a woman who says Moore asked her out and had sexual contact with her when she was 14. He was in his 30s at the time.
“If these sickening claims are true, Mr. Moore should step aside,” Sullivan said in a written statement.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said much of the same.
Moore beat Sen. Luther Strange in a Republican Primary and is running in a special election next month. According to Alabama law, it’s too late for to remove Moore’s name from the ballot. So Murkowski has a suggestion for Strange. Murkowski told reporters she’s encouraging Strange to run as a write-in candidate. That strategy worked for Murkowski after she lost her Primary in 2010, and “Strange” is likely easier to spell than “Murkowski.”
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her atlruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Lizhere.
