Thursday, former Chief Justice Roy Moore officially qualified to run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Doug Jones (D).
Moore signed his qualifying papers at Republican state headquarters in Hoover.
“I know it is Halloween, and no I did not do this to scare the wits out of the people in Washington,” Moore said to reporters.
Moore said that, “The thing that has been on my mind is the two young girls, Anaiah Blanchard and Kamille McKinney, you know this is a terrible thing that is happening in our country and this is a sign of the immorality of our times. I think especially in this area all across the state we are seeing this happen. It is a sign that we have lost our bearings in our country.”
“Washington D.C. does not like me,” Moore said. “They don’t wan\t somebody that will not follow their agenda and will oppose the establishment.”
“I am tired seeing politics as usual in this state,” Moore said. “Of politicians saying one thing, then they go to office and doing quite another,” Moore said. “Take for example the gas tax that was passed recently. The people of Alabama did not want a gas tax. How many time have the people running for the Senate or the House asked about this gas tax that was passed by a Republican Administration in Alabama. We see the same thing in Washington. The people get elected. They go to Washington to do their jobs and they run on the basis that they oppose abortion; then they give Planned Parenthood $500 million a year, for abortion. It is wrong.”
“Gun rights is always at the top level of every Republican Administration,” Moore said. “What do we do? We pass red gun laws, Republicans and Democrats. They pass Red flag laws. That is simply a way to take away u\your guns.”
Moore was asked how this race was going to be different than 2017.
“Getting to the issues. I had a hard time getting to the issues in the last campaign,” Moore answered. “People don’t want to talk about the issues and the differences between the candidates. I will be the only former military in the race I believe. That matters when you go to Washington and dealing with armed services. As far as law goes, I know the Constitution. That is what I worked in for years and I think that is very important. Every state and federal officer is sworn to follow the Constitution. It is important to know what the Constitution says.”
“We have seen the Obamacare fail in this state and this nation,” Moore said. “They say they are going to do something about it and they never do.”
Moore said that Obamacare needs to be repealed. “It has hurt businesses. A lot of businesses have cancelled insurance for their people because of Obamacare.
“Costs are rising and the government is hurting because of this,” Moore added. “Republicans were in the past standing against Obamacare.”
Moore said that there are several cases before the courts arguing that Obamacare is unconstitutional. “It needs to go back before the United States Supreme Court and we are working on that.”
“The national debt is now $21 trillion,” Moore said. “We are doing exactly opposite what the first President said we should do about the national debt.”
“Gun rights is always at the top level of every Republican Administration,” Moore said. “What do we do? We pass red gun laws, Republicans and Democrats. They pass red flag laws. That is simply a way to take away your guns.”
“We have taken God out of everything we have done in our society and wonder why people are killing each other on the streets,” Moore said.
Moore said that religious liberty is under assault “thankfully they stalled the equality bill” but that was supported by even some Republicans. “Now we are forcing gender education on our kids in schools. Out in California, as young as four years old.”
Moore was asked how the allegations and complaints filed against him in 2017 would affect this campaign.
“It will not effect my campaign, they were false allegations,” Moore said. “The people of Alabama saw what they did to Kavanaugh. We are not concerned about this and I hope the press gets off these scandals and things that they have cooked up.”
Moore was asked how this campaign would be different from last time.
“We are out meeting people,” Moore said. “We are getting in touch with the people. I think they saw what happened in the last campaign. There were eleven candidates for about a year last time. It was just one forum after another after another and we attended all of them, basically all of them. This is going to be a much shorter campaign, so it is going to be a little different.”
Moore was asked how his campaign would be affected if Jeff Sessions enters the race.
“It won’t affect my campaign,” Moore said. “Jeff Sessions I have known for a long time. I consider him my friend.”
Moore said that Sessions was being encouraged to enter the race by some in Washington.
“I don’t know whether he will get in or not; but it won’t affect my campaign,” Moore emphasized.
The Alabama Political Reporter asked Moore if the allegations being made by House Democrats against President Trump rise to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors as demanded by the Constitution.
“I don’t think it does,” Moore said. I think we need to get off impeachment proceedings and get on with the business of the country. I think the President has every right to coordinate with foreign entities.”
“Dealing with ambassadors and things that affect foreign relations has always been the duties of the chief executive officer being the President,” Moore continued. “Inquiring into why a vice President’s son is sitting on a foreign gas board making $650,000 a year that is something that should be inquired into; but as far as impeaching procedures that is something that we should get off of and get back to the business of the country.”
“What is needed today is the knowledge that we are all equal in the eyes of God and we should love our fellow man and treat our fellow many with kindness and respect and virtue and reality are very important,” Moore said. “Immorality affects us all. It affects the law, the Church, it affects our political system.”
“I think we need to get back to an understanding that God is the basis for our morals,” Moore continued. “We are forgetting God and we are suffering the consequences.”
A reporter asked Moore if he would be able to get anything passed in the Senate given the status quo.
“The status quo and the way it is operating now is that nothing is getting passed anyway,” Moore said.
“They still don’t want me, and it has been voiced from the Washington establishment and I think that is exactly why people should vote for me,” Moore said. “If Washington does not want you there is a reason for it.”
“We need to address the United Nations,” Moore said. “We need to quit funding them. We are the major funders and yet China has more influence in the United Nations than we do.”
“We don’t need the United Nations,” Moore said. Thomas Massey of Kentucky has already introduced the bill in the House. I think the Senate needs to move on that. We need to get rid of it.”
APR asked Moore: The last time you won the majority of the White vote handily; but by some exit polls, you lost 96 percent of the Black vote. By some math, if you had just gotten nine percent support from the Black community you would be the Senator today. What are you going to do differently this time to try to reach out to Black Alabamians?
“I think just what I stand for. I think the things that I stand for benefit the Blacks as much as the Whites,” Moore said. “I have had more people come up to me from the Black community than I have the White community. I don’t understand why the vote came out differently, There were a lot of things that were done. We drew up a complaint against it; bit dropped it because we simply did not have the money to pursue it. I trust that Black people as well as White people understand what went on last time.”
Moore narrowly lost to Doug Jones in the 2017 special election to fill the seat which was vacated by Jeff Sessions (R) when Sessions was confirmed as Donald Trump’s Attorney General.
Moore joins a crowded GOP field that included: businessman Stanley Adair, Secretary of State John H. Merrill, Congressman Bradley Byrne, former Auburn football Coach Tommy Tuberville, and State Representative Arnold Mooney. There are media reports that former Attorney General Jeff Sessions may also qualify for his former Senate seat.
The Republican primary will be March 3.
