--- ---  # Jeff Flake: There Is 'No Doubt' I'd Support a Democrat Over Roy Moore by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Nov 14, 2017 12:11 AM UTC  Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after announcing he will not seek re-election Oct. 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill after announcing he will not seek re-election Oct. 24, 2017 in Washington, DC.Win McNamee—Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Nov 14, 2017 12:11 AM UTC Republican Sen. [Jeff Flake](http://time.com/4999724/jeff-flake-roy-moore-endorsement-muslim-congress/) of Arizona said he would support a Democratic candidate over GOP candidate [Roy Moore](http://time.com/5022011/roy-moore-mitch-mcconnell-susan-collins-republicans/) in Alabama’s special election for Senate. “If this choice is between Roy Moore and a Democrat, a Democrat,” Flake told reporters Monday after questioned about who he would support. “I would literally — if I were in Alabama — I would run to the polling place to vote for the Democrat,” Flake added, later tweeting the same sentiment. > [](https://twitter.com/JeffFlake/status/930218697213571073) Flake, who last month [announced he would not seek re-election to Senate](http://time.com/4995801/john-mccain-jeff-flake-arizona/) following his highly-publicized criticism of President Donald Trump, made his recent comments in the wake of sexual assault allegations against Moore involving minors. A fifth accuser, [Beverly Young Nelson](http://time.com/5021756/roy-moore-alabama-senate-race-fifth-accuser-beverly-young-nelson/), said in a Monday news conference that Moore assaulted her when she was 16\. The Washington _Post_ detailed the other four women who made allegations against Moore in a report last week. Republicans in the Senate, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, said Moore should step aside in light of the latest accusations. Flake said that if Moore manages to get elected, he would back calls to expel Moore from the Senate. “I don’t think it will get to that, but if it does, yes,” Flake said. Moore is running against Democratic candidate Doug Jones. The election is slated for Dec. 12 and will fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ vacated seat. Jeff Flake: I'd Support a Democrat Over Roy Moore ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5022231/jeff-flake-roy-moore-democrat-allegations-alabama/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5022231/jeff-flake-roy-moore-democrat-allegations-alabama/"},"headline":"Jeff Flake: There Is 'No Doubt' I'd Support a Democrat Over Roy Moore","datePublished":"2017-11-14T00:11:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:13:36.054Z","description":"The Republican Arizona senator added that he would back calls to expel Moore if elected","url":"https://time.com/5022231/jeff-flake-roy-moore-democrat-allegations-alabama/","keywords":["Roy Moore","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt96d0e8ec8a2b9071/6988e3360a4a2261159d0769/flake.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aric Jenkins","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt96d0e8ec8a2b9071/6988e3360a4a2261159d0769/flake.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Se. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)","caption":"Se. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election And Rebukes President Trump In Senate Chamber Speech","creditText":"Win McNamee—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/roy-moore/","name":"Roy Moore"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5022231/jeff-flake-roy-moore-democrat-allegations-alabama/","name":"Jeff Flake: There Is 'No Doubt' I'd Support a Democrat Over Roy Moore"}}]}] ```