The Republican National Committee (RNC) has pulled its financial support from GOP Senate hopeful Roy Moore by severing official fundraising ties, leaving Moore "increasingly isolated as he confronts charges of sexual misconduct with teenagers." According to Politico, the RNC is terminating a joint fundraising agreement it had with Moore and is also canceling a field program it had set up ahead of the state’s Dec. 12 special election. The committee had about a dozen paid canvassers in Alabama working for Moore. It will no longer transfer any money to the race.
New documents filed Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission show the RNC is no longer listed alongside other groups involved in the joint fundraiser. The two parties now listed on the documents include “Judge Roy Moore for US Senate” and the Alabama Republican Party. According to The Hill, the initial FEC filing, dated Oct. 24, included both the RNC and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) . The new filing does not include either of those groups.
Practically, this means that whereas a donor could have given up to $521,200 per year to the joint fundraising committee when it included both the RNC and NRSC. Now that they have pulled out, a donor can only give a max of $12,700 per year to the committee.
The severing of financial ties comes as the GOP intensifies its effort to pressure Moore out of the race. On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on the candidate to “step aside.” McConnell, whose view was also echoed by Paul Ryan on Tusday, also said he believed the accounts of Moore’s female accusers, who told the Washington Post that Moore pursued them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.
Moore, a former state Supreme Court justice, has denied the allegations and has vowed to remain in the race. "We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again: Judge Moore is an innocent man and has never had any sexual misconduct with anyone,” his campaign said on Monday.
“The person who should step aside is @SenateMajLdr Mitch McConnell,” Moore tweeted on Monday. “He has failed conservatives and must be replaced. #DrainTheSwamp.”
Meanwhile, Even if Moore were to exit, his name would still appear on the ballot because state law prevents a candidate from withdrawing from a race within 76 days before an election.
One possibility being discussed is waging a write-in campaign. But with just over four weeks until the election, such an effort would be a long-shot. Strange, who Moore defeated in a September runoff, has expressed little interest in being a write-in candidate, according to three people with direct knowledge of his thinking.