Hatch Is Out. Republicans Will Probably Keep His Seat.
David Byler · January 3, 2018 Sen. Orrin Hatch announced Tuesday that he would retire at the end of his term. Hatch’s retirement is interesting from a political perspective—former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, one of President Trump’s most vocal opponents within his party—may end up in the Senate. But it’s less…
Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer voted for Doug Jones, raised money for his campaign
Mandy Mayfield · January 2, 2018 Editor's note: Kayla Moore told AL.com two days after this story published she was referring to another lawyer the family has employed, Martin Wishnatsky. This story has been corrected to note the change.
Republicans Have a Turnout Problem. Also, a Few Other Problems.
David Byler · January 2, 2018 As far as elections go, 2017 wasn’t a good year for Republicans. Democrats won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, frequently outperformed their baselines in special elections across the country and won a senate seat in Alabama—arguably the most GOP-friendly state in the country.
Roy Moore loss doesn't faze Steve Bannon's Senate candidate in Mississippi
David M. Drucker · December 17, 2017 Chris McDaniel, a state legislator, is leaning toward challenging Sen. Roger Wicker next year in Mississippi in the Republican primary, saying the GOP’s stunning loss of a Senate seat this week in a special election in neighboring Alabama hasn’t discouraged him from running.
What Lessons Will Democrats Learn from Alabama?
Jonathan V. Last · December 15, 2017 Roy Moore’s defeat in Alabama has taught the Republican party a number of things about the current political environment: (1) That no state is impregnable, no matter how red. (2) That there is, at least for now, a limit to what Republican voters are willing to forgive in a bad candidate. (3) That…
'He Looks Like Some Disheveled Drunk that Wandered onto the Political Stage'
Jenna Lifhits · December 13, 2017 Republican lawmakers and officials are feeling a moment of relief after the defeat of embattled GOP candidate Roy Moore in Alabama’s special election Tuesday.
Doug Jones Shocks the World
Chris Deaton · December 13, 2017 Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama Slamma: Four Takeaways from Roy Moore's Devastating Loss to Doug Jones
David Byler · December 13, 2017 Last night, a Democratic candidate won a Senate seat in deep red Alabama.
White House Watch: Trump Surveys the Wreckage of Roy Moore
Michael Warren · December 13, 2017 Doug Jones’s victory in Tuesday’s special Senate election in Alabama is an “embarrassment,” as one Washington Republican told me. Embarrassing because it’s Alabama, one of the most GOP-friendly states in the country. Embarrassing because the party’s candidate, Roy Moore, was perhaps one of the only…
If Doug Jones Loses, Don't Attribute It to Any Old Tribalism
Chris Deaton · December 12, 2017 The New York Times suggested there would be two lessons from a Roy Moore victory: “It would illustrate the enduring limitations of Democrats in the South and suggest that the tug of partisanship is a forbiddingly powerful force.”
Doug Jones Earns the Upset Win in Alabama
Tws Staff · December 12, 2017 THE WEEKLY STANDARD live-blogged the Alabama Senate special election between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones on Tuesday night. Moore campaigned under the shadow of credible allegations of sexual misconduct when he was in his 30s, though by the end he had the support of both President…
Mitch McConnell: Alabama's new senator won't be seated this year
Susan Ferrechio · December 12, 2017 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that no matter who wins Tuesday’s Senate election in Alabama, Republican Luther Strange will remain in the seat until the end of the session this year.
Everything You Need to Know about Roy Moore, Doug Jones, and the Alabama Senate Vote Tonight
David Byler · December 12, 2017 Tonight, Alabamians will cast their ballots in what’s probably the most consequential election of the year for national politics. Republican Roy Moore and Democratic candidate Doug Jones are in a tight race for the Senate seat currently held by Luther Strange (who was appointed to replace Attorney…
White House Watch: Heads Roy Moore Wins, Tails the GOP Loses
Michael Warren · December 12, 2017 It’s Election Day in Alabama, and what might have been a sleepy affair—replacing long-time senator Jeff Sessions with another conservative Republican—has been anything but. The wildly divergent polls show everything from a relatively modest victory for the Republican, former state supreme court…
Where Is Roy Moore? Mostly Not on the Campaign Trail.
Andrew Egger · December 11, 2017 How does an accused sex offender go about getting elected to public office? With Alabama’s special Senate election taking place Tuesday, Republican Roy Moore has chosen to pursue a bold strategy: putting on the full armor of Trump and vanishing almost entirely from the voters’ view.
RNC Committeewoman's Resignation Over Moore Support Reveals Party Divide
Alice B. Lloyd · December 11, 2017 Members of the Republican National Committee are responding to the news that Joyce Simmons, committeewoman for Nebraska, resigned her post Monday in response to the RNC renewing its support for Roy Moore.
Jones, Moore Wage a Fight for Alabama's Soul Neither Man Can Win
Chris Deaton · December 11, 2017 Birmingham, Alabama
Shock Poll: Fox News Shows Roy Moore Losing by 10 Points
David Byler · December 11, 2017 A Fox News poll released on Monday shows Democratic Senate candidate Doug Jones ahead of Republican Roy Moore by 10 points. That’s different from what other polls are showing—the RealClearPolitics average has Moore up by 2.5 points, with polls ranging from Fox’s 10-point lead for Jones to a 9-point…
As Election Approaches, 13 RNC Members React to the Party's Re-embrace of Roy Moore
Alice B. Lloyd · December 11, 2017 The Republican National Committee reversed its decision to withdraw financial support from Roy Moore’s Senate campaign last week, in the wake of President Trump’s endorsement and Moore’s gains in the polls.
White House Watch: Why Did Trump Go All-In for Roy Moore?
Michael Warren · December 11, 2017 Here’s the president’s message to Alabama voters ahead of Tuesday’s special election for the U.S. Senate: “Get out and vote for Roy Moore.” That’s what Donald Trump said Friday in Pensacola, just across the state line in Florida and well within the Mobile media market.
Bannon Attacks Romney's Mormonism
Chris Deaton · December 6, 2017 Former Trump administration adviser Steve Bannon opined that Mitt Romney “hid behind” his religion instead of serving in the Vietnam War during a rally Tuesday night for Senate candidate Roy Moore.
Flying Blind in Alabama
David Byler · December 6, 2017 Next Tuesday, we’ll finally know whether Republican Roy Moore or Democrat Doug Jones will become the next Senator from Alabama.
Doug Jones Runs Right—Right at Roy Moore
Chris Deaton · December 6, 2017 Birmingham, Ala.
Telling Alabamans Not to Vote for Moore Will Make Them Vote for Roy Moore
Philip Terzian · December 1, 2017 Despite everything we know, or think we know, about the private life and opinions of Judge Roy Moore, I have no doubt that he will win the Alabama special election on December 12, and succeed to Attorney General Jefferson Sessions's old Senate seat.
Actually, a Roy Moore Victory Could Set Back the Pro-Life Cause for Years
Jonathan V. Last · December 1, 2017 The other day my pals at the Federalist ran a piece by Tully Borland, an associate professor of philosophy at Ouachita Baptist University, titled “Why Alabamans Should Vote for Roy Moore.” Mind you, that’s not “Why an Alabaman Might Vote for Moore”—this was not an explainer, or a reported piece.…
Five Reminders American Politics Is a Clown Show
Chris Deaton · November 30, 2017 As if there was a need to remind everyone that American politics has lost its marbles and then pulverized them with a steamroller, here are five observations from recent domestic events and the president’s Twitter feed.
A Rising Tide in Alabama? Roy Moore Gains Ground in Polls.
David Byler · November 29, 2017 The Alabama special Senate Election is a bit of a rollercoaster. Republican Roy Moore held a real lead over Democrat Doug Jones for most of the race—until the Washington Post and other outlets published credible allegations that Moore had inappropriate sexual contact with teenagers while he was in…
Moore Tries to Play to the Crowd While Avoiding Cameras at Rally
Andrew Egger · November 28, 2017 Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore made his first public appearance in nearly two weeks Monday night, dodging press and refusing to take questions at a rally in Henagar, Alabama, as he railed against “malicious and false attacks which reflect the immorality of our time.”
Doug Jones Ad Names Moore Accusers: 'Will We Make Their Abuser a U.S. Senator?'
Chris Deaton · November 22, 2017 Doug Jones’s Senate campaign called Roy Moore a sexual “abuser” in an advertisement released Wednesday, its bluntest attack yet against the Republican candidate’s alleged history of pursuing teenage girls sexually, some of them underage.
White House Watch: The Trump Administration Moves to Embrace Roy Moore
Michael Warren · November 21, 2017 For nearly two weeks, the White House has been tiptoeing around the sexual assault allegations against Roy Moore, neither condemning nor defending the embattled Senate candidate, who has been accused of pursuing teenage girls for dates as a grown man and even touching a 14-year-old girl sexually…
Surprise: The Polling on the Roy Moore - Doug Jones Race In Alabama Is Awfully Close
David Byler · November 20, 2017 If you had told me last year that there was going to be a competitive Senate election in Alabama before 2017 was over, I would have probably smiled politely and slowly backed away. The idea of a close Senate race in the Yellowhammer state should be absurd. Trump won the state by 28 points,…
Sessions Not Considering Running as Write-In for His Old Seat
Michael Warren · November 13, 2017 Attorney general Jeff Sessions has told political allies in Alabama he is not considering running for his old Senate seat as a write-in candidate in next month’s special election. That’s according to a spokeswoman for Sessions at the Department of Justice, Sarah Isgur Flores, who also tells me…