We May Get Roy Moore To Kick Around Again

Next year, conservative Democrat, Senator Doug Jones (AL) is up for reelection. He is considered the most vulnerable incumbent from either party-- especially if the Republican national and Alabama establishments are able to shoe-horn their favorite candidate, Congressman Bradley Byrne, into the nomination. Over a dozen other Republicans are also considering running for the nomination-- although, significantly, Jeff Sessions is not one of them. The one who is and who could probably guarantee that Jones keeps the seat is far right crackpot and child molester Roy Moore.

It';s being widely reported that Moore wants to run again. Yesterday Alex Donuzinskis reported for Reuters is "seriously considering" running again. Jones must be praying with all his might that Moore, whose 2017 campaign "was marred by allegations he sexually assaulted or pursued teenage girls while in his 30s," does just that.

In an interview on the Christian program “Focal Point” on American Family Radio, host Bryan Fischer asked Moore about the 2020 race for the Senate in Alabama. “Tell me what you’re thinking about throwing your hat back into the ring,” Fischer said.

“I’m seriously considering it, I think that it (the 2017 Senate race) was stolen,” Moore responded, citing what he described as misinformation campaigns against him.

Senator Doug Jones, a former federal prosecutor, defeated Moore by a narrow margin in a special election in December 2017 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jeff Sessions when he became U.S. attorney general. Jones was the first Democrat in a quarter-century to be elected to the U.S. Senate in conservative-leaning Alabama.

If Moore, a 72-year-old former chief judge in Alabama known for staunchly conservative views, does decide to run for the Senate in 2020 and secures the Republican nomination, he could find himself facing Jones again. The term that Jones was elected to fill expires at the end of 2020.

Moore’s 2017 campaign to fill Sessions’ seat was beset by allegations from women who told the Washington Post that he had sexually assaulted or pursued them while he was in his 30s and they were teenagers. Moore denied the misconduct allegations.

Alabama voters, who had given Trump a massive 1,318,255 (62.08%) to 729,547 (34.36%) win over Hillary in 2016, apparently didn't believe Moore, electing Jones 673,896 (50.0%) to 651,972 (48.3%). That was the first time since 1986 that Alabamans elected a Democrat to the Senate, in that case, Richard Shelby who, after being reelected in 1992, switched to the GOP two years later.

ProgressivePunch has rated Jones' voting record an "F," but even with his reelection coming right up in a deeply red state, his record this year is better than two other even further right Senate Dems, neither of whom will be facing the voters until 2022:

• Doug Jones (AL)- 41.67%
• Joe Manchin (WV)- 38.46%
• Kyrsten Sinema (AZ)- 38.46%