The Republican National Committee is getting back into the Alabama Senate race after pulling back its support from GOP candidate Roy Moore after reports surfaced that Moore dated and tried to date teenage girls when he was in his 30s.
An official at the RNC confirmed to the Washington Examiner Monday night the organization is involved in the Alabama Senate race. That official couldn’t immediately confirm to what extent the party will be supporting Moore in fundraising or canvassing efforts.
The RNC pulled out of a joint fundraising agreement and canceled a planned canvassing event for Moore after the Washington Post reported four women accused the former Alabama Supreme Court judge of trying to date them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.
One of the allegations came from a woman who said Moore groped her when she was 14 and he was 32.
The RNC’s decision is another sign of the Republican establishment softening its stance on Moore as the Dec. 12 election nears in Alabama.
In the wake of the Washington Post report, many Republican lawmakers called on Moore to step out of the race if the allegations against him are true. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell went so far as to say he believed Moore’s accusers and called on him to step aside.
However, Moore decided to stick it out and that decision may end up paying off with a seat in the Senate — polling shows Moore has recovered from an initial drop that allowed Democratic candidate Doug Jones to seize the lead in the race for a couple weeks.
President Trump, after weeks of staying away from endorsing Moore in the race, explicitly gave his endorsement to the GOP candidate Monday morning in a tweet and then a phone call.
McConnell himself softened his tone in an interview on Sunday, saying he’d leave it up to the voters of Alabama to decide if Moore should serve in the Senate.
