Three major newspapers owned by an Alabama Media Group carried identical front-page headlines Sunday, telling voters to “reject Roy Moore.”
Moore is the Republican candidate in a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Moore, who overcame the opposition of the GOP establishment to score a primary victory, has recently been accused of dating underage girls back in the 1970’s, while he was in his 30s.
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The allegations, which were initially reported by The Washington Post, have been denied by Moore.
However, all three newspapers carried the same editorial, which supported Moore’s opponent: Democrat Doug Jones. One editorial in particular added that voters should ignore the national spotlight on the race.
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“Alabamians have never cared about what the rest of country thinks of them. And we do not expect all the handwringing from national pundits, conservative or liberal, to make much of a difference,” the editorial read. “This election isn’t about what a late-night comedian may think of Alabama or whether Sean Hannity can sell advertisements; it’s not about ‘Saturday Night Live’ or Mitch McConnell.”
The editorial further insisted that a vote against Moore sends the right kind of message to women facing sexual harassment.
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“A vote for Roy Moore sends the worst kind of message to Alabamians struggling with abuse: ‘if you ever do tell your story, Alabama won’t believe you.’ Or, worse, we’ll believe you but we just won’t care,” the editorial said.
The editorial then made it clear that the allegations against Moore are only part of the Alabama Media Group’s dislike of Moore.
“If we vote for Roy Moore, Alabama will also show that we don’t care about you if you’re gay or Muslim or Catholic. If you’re an atheist or an immigrant. We’ll show each other that we only care about Roy Moore’s definition of Alabama. And that there’s not room for the rest of us,” the editorial said.
Moore’s campaign portrays attacks on the campaign as part of the establishment’s effort to stop him.
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However, not all took the same stance as the newspapers who suggested Moore is unfit for office. One Alabama radio personality said that the unprecedented action by the newspapers will backfire.
And many of Moore’s supporters have suggested that they will stand by Moore no matter what.
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“He has staunchly defended the Constitution of the United States, he has stood for the word of God … he is against the murder of the unborn by abortion. He is for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. He is against a redefinition of marriage and believes firmly that it is only between a man and a woman. And he is against all threats against the traditional family,” said Mike Allison, a minister.
“He is a fighter and a champion for right,” Allison added.
Moore supporter John Giles, who runs a SUPER PAC supporting the candidate, said that Moore attracts voters because his record shows he stands up for his beliefs.
“Every election cycle there’s this tendency among the electorate to say ‘Let’s get rid of these rascals,” said Giles. “They say one thing and govern another way.”
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“The one thing about this man is what he says he means, and at all cost.”
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