Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said he would support a Democratic candidate over GOP candidate Roy Moore 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.
Flake, who last month announced he would not seek re-election to Senate 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, 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.
- TIME's Top 100 Photos of 2021
- Inside Frances Haugen's Decision to Take on Facebook
- Why We Should Stop Freaking Out About Inflation
- Austria's Plan to Make COVID-19 Vaccines Compulsory Is Dividing Citizens — and Experts
- Inside the 80-Year Quest to Name Pearl Harbor's Unknown Victims
- Buying a House Feels Impossible These Days. Here Are 6 Innovative Paths to Homeownership
- 'They're Very Close.' U.S. General Says Iran Is Nearly Able to Build a Nuclear Weapon
- A Charter School's Racial Controversy Reveals the Real Battle For America's Classrooms
