Roy Moore, the 2017 Republican nominee for Senate in Alabama who lost the race after being accused of sexual misconduct, announced on Thursday he's running again.
Moore in a press conference announced his intention to run for the Senate seat in 2020, telling reporters, "Can I win? Yes, I can win." Sen. Doug Jones (D-Al.), who defeated Moore in the 2017 special election to replace Jeff Sessions, has previously announced he'll be running in 2020 for a full term.
During his press conference on Thursday, Moore said that there is "such opposition" to his run because "they know I can" win. When asked what he'll do differently in his campaign this time, Moore responded, "I would like to make more personal contact with people."
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Moore while running in 2017 was accused of sexual assault as numerous women also said he pursued sexual relationships with them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. Moore denied the allegations from nine women, saying he did not "generally" date teenagers in his 30s. He contended on Thursday that he would have won in 2017 if not for the "false information" put out about him.
President Trump supported Moore during the 2017 election in spite of the allegations against him. But he cautioned Moore last month against entering the 2020 Senate race, saying he "cannot win." Donald Trump Jr. also went after Moore in a tweet, saying he's "literally the only candidate" who could lose the seat and that he should "ride off into the sunset."
Moore told reporters on Thursday he supports Trump, a comment Trump Jr. quickly seized on, writing, "I can assure everyone that by running, Roy Moore is going against my father and he's doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country in the process."
