Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Kingston has joined the growing chorus of GOPers demanding Alabama’s Roy Moore, whose own Senate campaign is under siege due to recently-surfaced reports alleging the Republican pursued teen-age girls when he was in his early 30s, withdraw from the race.
Kingston, who is mounting a 2018 challenge to U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, announced Tuesday that he is “deeply troubled” by the allegations facing the former Alabama judge. Kingston released his statement a day after a fifth woman came forward to publicize her own experiences with Moore, claiming he assaulted her in a car when she was just 16 years old.
In a prepared statement, the Winchester businessman said he “believe(s) it is clear Judge Moore does not have the character or judgement to serve in the U.S. Senate.”
“I hope he will step aside so Alabama Republicans can rally behind a candidate worthy of their support in a write-in effort,” Kingston added. “If Judge Moore remains in the contest, and ultimately is elected, I encourage all Republican senators to take a stand for what is right and use whatever means available to expel him from the chamber.”
Moore earlier this fall defeated GOP opponent and interim U.S. Senator Luther Strange, who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump and had been appointed to the post by the Alabama governor at the time following Trump’s appointment of Jeff Sessions to head the Justice Department. The allegations facing Moore never surfaced during his primary campaign and were first reported earlier this month by the Washington Post.
Moore is slated to face Democrat Doug Jones on December 12.
Kingston is hardly the only Republican asking Moore to withdraw. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) has called on Moore to end his bid. Moore, however, has refused to go away and has been openly combative with McConnell, claiming in a statement that the Kentuckian has “failed conservatives.”
Kingston is currently one of four Republicans angling to defeat Warren. State Representative Geoff Diehl (R-Whitman), former Mitt Romney aide Beth Lindstrom, and Allen Waters of Mashpee are also running for the GOP nod.
A fifth candidate, scientist and entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai, announced over the weekend that he will be leaving the Republican Party and running as an independent.
Lindstrom was the first of the candidates to publicly condemn Moore, calling him “unfit for office” in a November 10 Twitter post.
No Republican should remain silent on Roy Moore. He is unfit for public office.
According to the State House News Service, Diehl is urging Moore to withdraw from the race if the allegations are true.
In his statement to the News Service, Diehl also criticized Warren for fundraising on behalf of Moore’s challenger and not devoting more of her time to Massachusetts.
“Unfortunately, Sen. Warren has been more interested in scoring partisan victories by focusing on fundraising for the Alabama Democrat candidate than what is happening in Massachusetts,” Diehl said. “Alabama should not be our focus. I would once again ask Senator Warren to donate the funds she received from admitted gropers.”
Roy Moore 
