In a poll conducted by Sky Research on Tuesday Nov. 21 among registered Alabama voters, the results show Moore with 46.7 percent support to Jones’ 39.6 percent. 13.7 percent of voters polled remain undecided. With a margin of error of 3.1 percent, Moore maintains significant lead over Jones, but the undecided voters could swing the election either way.
When asked “Do you consider your political views to be more in line with the Republican or Democrat party?,” 62.3 percent of 1,059 respondents identified as Republican, while 37.7 percent Democrat.
The results come as President Donald Trump on Tuesday avowed his support for the former Alabama Chief Justice for first time since Moore was accused of sexually pursuing at least nine women when he was in his 30s and they were in their teens. Trump had previously said, through the White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, “Like most Americans, the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case, one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life. However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside.”
On Tuesday, Trump himself said Moore “totally denies” the allegations against him. Reiterating that the country doesn’t “need” liberal Jones in the seat.
“Let me just tell you, Roy Moore denies it. That’s all I can say. He denies it. By the way, he totally denies it,” Trump told reporters as he was departing Washington for his Mar-a-Lago resort for the Thanksgiving holiday. “I can tell you one thing for sure, we don’t need a liberal person in there, a Democrat. I’ve looked at his record — it’s terrible on crime, it’s terrible on the border, it’s terrible on the military.”
Tuesday’s poll comes in sharp contrast to Louisiana-based JMC Analytics poll AL.com reported on just a week ago Sunday, just three days after the allegations first came out.
“The poll had Jones received 46 percent support in the poll to Moore’s 42 percent. With a margin of error of 4 percent, however, the race is essentially a statistical tie,” reported AL.com.
Since that time, women from across the state have stepped forward defending Moore’s character. On Friday, on the steps of the Alabama State Capitol, more than 30 women stood united in their support of the embattled nominee.
There, Ann Eubank, the statewide co-chair of Rainy Day Patriots, and the legislative chair of the Alabama Legislative Watchdogs, spoke on behalf of Moore’s character going so far as to say if the ” state Republican Party decide to remove Moore from the ballot, or if they worked to disallow or decertify an election won by Moore, there would be a revolt, which she said would be ‘bad’ for Republicans in next year’s statewide election.”
Among the accusations that have been debunked is that Moore was banned from the Gadsen Mall. A former manager appeared on WBRC news to say though they did have written reports of those who were banned he did not recall Moore ever being on that list.
That report is in addition to statements released on Monday, where several witnesses came forward to discredit the accusations made by Beverly Nelson and her lawyer Gloria Allred against Moore. On Monday, Rhonda Ledbetter, a retired public school teacher who is currently the senior choir director at a Baptist church and teaches children at a local, church-sponsored day care center, went on record debunking Beverly Nelson’s claim against Moore.
“When I heard Beverly Nelson’s story, there were several details that were different from what I remember. I was nervous at coming forward because of all the attention this story has gotten, but as a moral and ethical person I had to speak up about what I know to be true,” Ledbetter recounted. “I was a waitress at Olde Hickory for almost three years from 1977-1979, and I never saw Roy Moore come in to the restaurant. Not one time.”
Moore faces the Democratic nominee Doug Jones in the special election on Dec. 12.
