Alabama GOP chair warns party officials against write-in campaign

The chair of the Republican Party of Alabama on Sunday cautioned against supporting a write-in candidate in next month’s Senate race as concerns in the party grow over allegations of sexual misconduct against Roy Moore.

“It would be a serious error for any current elected GOP official or candidate to publicly endorse another party’s candidate, an independent, a third party or a write in candidate in a general election as well,” Terry Lathan told the Alabama Political Reporter. 

“I have heard of no GOP elected official or candidate that is even considering this option.”

{mosads}There has been increasing talk of a write-in campaign since The Washington Post published last week a report containing allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior against Moore, the Republican nominee in the Senate race.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Moore should “step aside” and acknowledged that the party was exploring a write-in bid.

The Post’s story detailed an account from 53-year-old Leigh Corfman, who claims that Moore began sexual contact with her in 1979, when she was 14. Moore would have been 32 at the time. The story also included accounts from three other women who said Moore tried to court them during the same time period, when they were between 16 and 18 years old.

Moore has denied any wrongdoing. However, in a Friday interview with Sean Hannity the former judge admitted he may have dated teenage women during that time in his life, but that he did not “remember anything like that.”

In her interview with the Alabama Political Reporter, Lathan read the state GOP’s regulation that can deny ballot access.

The rule stipulates that the state party can refuse access “to a candidate for public office if in a prior election that person was a Republican office holder and either publicly participated in the primary election of another political party or publicly supported a nominee of another political party,” according to the state party’s bylaws. The rule is enforced for six years.

Several lawmakers outside of Alabama have mentioned a write-in campaign in the wake of the report. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who said Moore should exit the race, suggested on Sunday that Alabama voters back a write-in campaign for Sen. Luther Strange (R). Strange lost the primary runoff earlier this year to Moore.

Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Steve Daines (Mont.) have all pulled their endorsements of Moore following the accusations.

Moore has shown no signs that he will exit the race. He is slated to face off against Democrat Doug Jones on Dec. 12 for the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

The Alabama Political Reporter journalist who authored the interview with Lathan, Brandon Moseley, is openly backing Moore and appeared on CNN on Monday to defend the candidate against the allegations.