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U.S. Senate candidate Moore's wife says 'he will not step down'

[November 18, 2017] By Justin Mitchell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The wife of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama said on Friday her husband would not end his campaign in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, dismissing reports about his past behavior toward some women as political attacks.

"He will not step down," Kayla Moore said at a news conference on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery. "He will not stop fighting for the people of Alabama."

The former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice's campaign has been in turmoil since the Washington Post published a story last week detailing the accounts of three women who claim Moore pursued them while they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. More women have since spoken out with allegations of their own.

Reuters has been unable to independently confirm any of the accusations.

Before the allegations came to light, Moore was heavily favored to defeat Democrat Doug Jones in the special election next month.

Two polls this week showed Moore now trailing Jones. Fox News released a poll on Thursday putting Jones ahead with 50 percent to 42 percent for Moore.

But Moore's embattled candidacy also got a boost on Thursday, when the Alabama Republican Party said it would continue to support him, putting it at odds with Republican leaders in Washington who want him to withdraw.

Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Friday told reporters she would vote for Moore, emphasizing the importance of keeping Republican control of the U.S. Senate.

Asked whether she believed the women accusing Moore of sexual improprieties or unwanted romantic overtures, Ivey said, "the timing is a little curious but at the same time I have no reason to disbelieve them."

The White House has said President Donald Trump finds the allegations troubling and believes Moore should step aside if they are true.

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Republican Roy Moore, along with his wife Kayla, arrive at the RSA Activity Center in Montgomery, Alabama, U.S. September 26, 2017, during the runoff election for the Republican nomination for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. REUTERS/Marvin Gentry

White House legislative director Marc Short on Friday said Trump previously backed Moore's opponent, Luther Strange, in the primary contest and that Moore's explanations "so far have not been satisfactory."

"At this point, we believe it is up to the people of Alabama to make a decision," Short told CNN. "The president chose a different candidate."

During the 2016 presidential campaign, several women went public with accusations that Trump had in the past made unwanted sexual advances or inappropriate personal remarks about them. Trump denied the accusations, accused rival Democrats and the media of a smear campaign, and went on to be elected president.

Kayla Moore noted that the Washington Post endorsed Hillary Clinton over Trump in last year's election, accusing it of being part of a concerted effort to push back against anti-establishment conservative candidates.

"All of the very same people who were attacking President Trump are also attacking us," she said.

The Post's editorial board, which endorsed Clinton, works separately from the reporters and editors who work on news stories, as is common at most newspapers.

(Reporting by Justin Mitchell; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tom Brown)

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