Alabama businesses are concerned that Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore’s candidacy and potential win could hurt the state’s economy, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
According to the report, some members of the state’s business community are uneasy about how the sexual misconduct accusations levelled against Moore could affect business.
“The business community has concerns about the image of Alabama because we have attracted a lot of domestic and foreign investment,” Sen. Richard ShelbyRichard Craig ShelbyHouse pushes back schedule to pass spending bills Top Republican says Trump greenlit budget fix for VA health care GOP senators not tested for coronavirus before lunch with Trump MORE (R-Ala.) told the newspaper.
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“In the last 25 years, a lot of us have tried to tell the world that Alabama is open for business, a good place to do business.’’
Shelby said late last month that he filled out an absentee ballot for “a distinguished Republican write-in” rather than Moore.
The concerns come as Alabama is pushing for Amazon’s second headquarters to be in the city of Birmingham.
The newspaper noted that the Business Council of Alabama has not backed Moore, who has been accused of varying degrees of sexual misconduct, including assault. A woman told The Washington Post last month that Moore initiated sexual contact with her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s, while other women have said the Alabama Republican made advances toward them when they were in their later teens.
Moore has denied the allegations, but admitted in an interview after the initial story that he may have dated women in their later teens at that point in his life.
Image is another concern, according to the sources The Wall Street Journal spoke to for its story.
“I don’t think it is good for our image to have all the controversy and negativity going on around Roy Moore’s candidacy,” Birmingham-Southern College’s president emeritus, Neal Berte, told the newspaper.
”You have to think if you were interested in either relocating or expanding your business, this would not be good for Alabama.”
Moore has remained defiant in the face of the accusations, despite losing endorsements from multiple Republican senators and the fundraising backing of the Republican National Committee (RNC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
While Republican lawmakers distanced themselves from Moore after the accusations, some are now signaling a change in tone, saying the decision is ultimately up to the people of Alabama.
Moore will face off against Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 special election for the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff SessionsJefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsMcCabe, Rosenstein spar over Russia probe Rosenstein takes fire from Republicans in heated testimony Rosenstein defends Mueller appointment, role on surveillance warrants MORE.