Kasich: Write-in campaign possible in Alabama Senate race

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Sunday suggested another Republican candidate could run a write-in campaign to win the Senate seat up for election in Alabama and again called on the current GOP candidate Roy Moore to drop out.

“[GOP Sen.] Lisa Murkowski won as a write-in candidate in Alaska and she won, so let’s see where it goes,” Kasich said on ABC’s “This Week.”

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Murkowski previously suggested Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) should run a write-in campaign for the seat, even after he lost to Moore in a primary in September, and has renewed that call in the wake of allegations that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl in 1979, when he was in his 30s.

“We’re not talking now about convicting somebody of some criminal offense. It’s just really a matter as to whether he ought to be the candidate, the standard bearer of the Republican party. And I just think he shouldn’t be, and I hope the people of Alabama, the party officials will look at it again,” Kasich said.

“I just think it’s inappropriate and I really would like it if he stepped aside,” he continued.

Leigh Corfman, now 53, accused Moore of initiating sexual contact with her when she was 14 and he was 32, The Washington Post reported. Three other woman also said Moore approached them when they were between the ages of 16 and 18.

Moore has denied Corfman’s accusations, saying they are “completely false,” and suggesting it is a smear campaign. He did not deny that he may have dated girls in their late teens while he was in his 30s, saying he did not remember.

The Republican Party shouldn’t support Moore moving forward, Kasich said. A number of Republican senators said following the report that if the allegations are true, Moore should step aside.

“I think he should step aside on this,” Kasich said. “He can continue to defend himself, but I think at the end the party ought not to be for this and give somebody else a chance.”

Alabama law prohibits candidates from removing their name from the ballot this soon before an election.

Kasich said he’s unsure if Democratic nominee Doug Jones has a chance to win the Senate seat in the aftermath of the Moore allegations.

“Everything in life can’t be about who wins an election,” he said. “It just can’t be that way.”

During a separate appearance Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Kasich expressed hope that the issue will be addressed “in the next few days,” refusing to comment on what the Senate should do if Moore wins.

— Mallory Shelbourne contributed.