--- title: Republican Senate Leaders Call on Roy Moore to Step Aside description: Mitch McConnell and others called on Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore to step aside follow a bombshell report in the Washington Post canonical: https://time.com/5017647/mitch-mcconnell-roy-moore-alabama-senate/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-09T20:00:09.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T00:26:30.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Senate Republicans Call on Roy Moore to Step Aside Amid Allegations og:description: Including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell og:url: https://time.com/5017647/mitch-mcconnell-roy-moore-alabama-senate/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32381d415295ebc3/69889250428a9e0b26cd2887/roy-moore.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Alabama Chief Justice og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Senate Republicans Call on Roy Moore to Step Aside Amid Allegations twitter:description: Including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt32381d415295ebc3/69889250428a9e0b26cd2887/roy-moore.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:35 video:published: 2017-09-27 section: politics topics: Alabama Republican primary runoff, U.S. Senate race, election result, concession remarks, congratulating the winner, second amendment, campaign pledge, Republican politics genre: news, election coverage tones: determined, gracious, political, celebratory emotions: disappointment (medium), determination (medium), celebration (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: political news followers, voters, Republican voters, general news audience people: Judge Moore organizations: United States senate, Republicans content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:35] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # 'Disturbing and Disqualifying.' Senate Republicans Call on Roy Moore to Step Aside Amid Allegations > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=acc3eff1-5a3d-46c3-93e5-97fa9d84f9a5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Roy Moore Has Won the Alabama GOP Primary Runoff [Watch (HLS stream): Roy Moore Has Won the Alabama GOP Primary Runoff](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7eIX6cvP.m3u8) (1:35)  _Published 2017-09-27. Firebrand jurist Roy Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents short clips from the aftermath of an Alabama Republican Senate primary runoff. A speaker pledges to fight for the people of the state and nation and to bring the country back to its greatness. A second speaker says the result was not what they wanted, says they have congratulated Judge Moore by phone, and wishes him the best. A final segment features a speaker contrasting a statement of not believing in the second amendment with a statement of believing in it, followed by applause. ## Key points - A speaker pledges to fight for the people of the state and of the nation in the United States Senate. (00:00) - The speaker says they want to bring the country back to its greatness and that they can and will. (00:07) - A speaker states the outcome was not the result that they wanted. (00:11) - The speaker says they have congratulated Judge Moore and already spoke to him on the phone. (00:11) - The speaker wishes Judge Moore the best. (00:14) - The speaker says Republicans care very much about the country and about the State. (00:17) - A speaker states 'I don't believe in the second amendment' and then states 'I believe in the second amendment', contrasting the two positions. (00:30) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:30] Campaign pledge and concession remarks. One speaker pledges to fight for the state and nation, and another says they congratulated Judge Moore by phone and wish him the best. - [00:30 to 01:35] Second amendment statements and applause. A speaker contrasts disbelief and belief in the second amendment, followed by applause and music. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Unidentified speaker: "And I'll fight for you at the United States senate, I'll fight for the people of the state and of this nation" - [00:11] Unidentified speaker: "This is not the result that we wanted, but I've congratulated Judge Moore." - [00:14] Unidentified speaker: "I've already talked to him on the phone." - [00:22] Unidentified speaker: "we care very much about this State and we wish him the best." - [00:57] Unidentified speaker: "I believe in the second amendment" ## Questions this video answers - What does the speaker say about the result of the runoff? [00:11] - Has the speaker spoken to Judge Moore after the result? [00:14] - What does the speaker pledge to do in the United States Senate? [00:00] - What do Republicans say they care about, according to the speaker? [00:17] - What position on the second amendment is stated at the end of the video? [00:30] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:35]: Election coverage of a Republican Senate primary runoff, including concession remarks and statements about the second amendment.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:26 AM UTCPublished: Nov 9, 2017 8:00 PM UTC Firebrand jurist Roy Moore won the Alabama Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:26 AM UTCPublished: Nov 9, 2017 8:00 PM UTC Within an hour of the _Washington Post_ [dropping its bombshell report](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/woman-says-roy-moore-initiated-sexual-encounter-when-she-was-14-he-was-32/2017/11/09/1f495878-c293-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.a44aab8b7601) that alleges Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore initiated a sexual encounter with a 14 year old when he was in his 30s, lawmakers within his own party were calling on him to step down from the race. As of Thursday afternoon, at least nine Republican Senators called on Moore to step aside, and that number was rapidly growing. Those calling on Moore to leave the race included Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who had backed Moore’s primary opponent, Senator Luther Strange, and Colorado Senator Cory Gardener, who is chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. But there’s a catch if this happens. According to Alabama state law, it is too late to remove Moore’s name from the ballot should he or the GOP withdraw his name. Moore’s name will consequently remain on the ballot either way. But if he wins despite withdrawing his name, the election would be voided. The Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill told _TIME_ that if this happens, the only way Moore’s Democratic opponent Doug Jones, could win the election is if he receives over 50 percent of the vote. Otherwise, the election process would start all over again. The Republican National Committee did not immediately respond to request for comment and had not issued a public statement. The person who answered the phone at the Alabama GOP office deferred all comments to the Moore campaign. “If these allegations are true, he must step aside,” McConnell said in a statement Thursday afternoon. The comment from Utah Senator Mike Lee, who was one [of four current Senators to endorse Moore](https://www.roymoore.org/Endorsements/), according to his campaign website, was nearly identical. “If these allegations are true, Roy Moore needs to step down,” said Lee. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who also endorsed Moore, called the allegations “serious and troubling,” but said Moore should be given a chance to respond. “If they are true, Judge Moore should immediately withdraw. However, we need to know the truth, and Judge Moore has the right to respond to these accusations,” Cruz said in a statement. Lee and Cruz’s offices did not immediately respond to follow up questions about what would constitute verification of these allegations. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski also said Moore should step aside if these allegations were true, per her spokeswoman. And Ohio Senator Rob Portman told reporters at the Capitol Thursday, “I think if what we read is true, and people are on the record so I assume it is, then he should step aside.” Gardner echoed these sentiments, calling the allegations “deeply troubling.“If these allegations are found to be true, Roy Moore must drop out of the Alabama special Senate election,” he said. Sens. Susan Collins and Jeff Flake took to Twitter to voice their disapproval and urge him to step aside if the allegations are true. John McCain called the allegations “deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” calling on Moore to “immediately step aside.” Sen. Orrin Hatch’s spokesman, Matt Whitlock, issued a statement [on Twitter as well:](https://twitter.com/mattdizwhitlock/status/928713545340080133) “If the deeply disturbing allegations in the Washington Post are true, Senator Hatch believes that Judge Moore should step aside immediately,” he wrote. And Alabama Senator Richard Shelby, according to NBC News, said that if the allegations are true, “I don’t believe there’d be any place for him in the United States Senate.” > [](https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain/status/928709913953624066) > [](https://twitter.com/JeffFlake/status/928699607122628608) > [](https://twitter.com/SenatorCollins/status/928704041298874368) The _Post_ [interviewed](https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/woman-says-roy-moore-initiated-sexual-encounter-when-she-was-14-he-was-32/2017/11/09/1f495878-c293-11e7-afe9-4f60b5a6c4a0%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.a44aab8b7601) with four women who said Moore had pursued them when they were teenagers and he was in his thirties, including an encounter with Leigh Corfman, who said that when she was 14 Moore had taken off her shirt and pants, undressed himself, and touched her over her bra and underwear before she asked him to take her home. Moore denied the allegations in a written statement to the _Post,_ calling them “completely false and are a desperate political attack by the National Democrat Party and the Washington Post on this campaign.” Moore’s campaign issued a subsequent, lengthier statement from the chair Bill Armistead claiming that the _Post_ had purposely written the story to undermine Moore and help his Democratic opponent Doug Jones. “National liberal organizations know their chosen candidate Doug Jones is in a death spiral, and this is their last ditch Hail Mary,” the statement reads. The statement also notes that Moore has been married nearly 33 years and had ran for office before, so it was curious these allegations were only surfacing now. “After over 40 years of public service, if any of these allegations were true, they would have been made public long before now,” the statement reads.“Judge Roy Moore is winning with a double-digit lead. So it is no surprise, with just over four weeks remaining, in a race for the U.S. Senate with national implications, that the Democratic Party and the country’s most liberal newspaper would come up with a fabrication of this kind.” > [](https://twitter.com/ShanicaJohnson/status/928702727789666307) **Correction:** The original version of this story misstated in one instance who was accused of sexually pursuing underage girls. It is Roy Moore, not Luther Strange. ## Transcript [00:00] And I'll fight for you at the United States senate, I'll [00:04] fight for the people of the state and of this nation, who [00:07] want o bring our country back to it's greatness and we [00:11] can and we will. This is not the result that we wanted, [00:14] but I've congratulated Judge Moore. I've already talked [00:17] to him on the phone. Listen I wish him the best. We, [00:20] Republicans, we care very about this country, we care [00:22] very much about this State and we wish him the best. [00:26] Going forward [ INAUDIBLE ] [ MUSIC ] [ MUSIC ] [00:30] Then I don't believe in [00:35] the second amendment, [00:55] I believe [00:57] in [00:59] the [01:01] second [01:03] amendment. [ APPLAUSE ] [01:16] [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5017647/mitch-mcconnell-roy-moore-alabama-senate/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5017647/mitch-mcconnell-roy-moore-alabama-senate/"},"headline":"'Disturbing and Disqualifying.' 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