Roy Moore: I could run for governor

Former Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who lost a December special election after allegations of past child molestation and sexual misconduct surfaced, floated a possible future bid for office in a statement released Thursday.

“I have no plans at this time to run for office. Nevertheless, plans change. If the opportunity arises to make a difference, I will have no reluctance to again run for political office, including that of governor,” he said in the statement.

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Moore lost the recent special election to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s Senate seat in no small part thanks to the allegations that surfaced against him weeks before the election — including accusations that he initiated a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl and sexually and romantically pursued teenagers decades ago while he was in his 30s.

But he and his allies have been defiant, raising money for a legal defense fund and arguing in a Tuesday press conference that he’s a victim of a “political conspiracy.”

Most Republicans stood by Moore as the party’s nominee — the Alabama state GOP and the Republican National Committee refused calls to disavow his candidacy — and President Trump not only questioned the accusation but headlined a rally on Moore’s behalf in the final days of the campaign.

However, the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee cut its fundraising ties with Moore and its head, Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), called on the Senate to expel him if elected.

Moore had been floated as a possible gubernatorial candidate earlier this year as Gov. Kay Ivey (R) considered running for reelection, but he ultimately did not file a candidacy.

He’s previously staged two failed campaigns for governor, while winning two elections to serve as the state’s chief justice of the Supreme Court.