Republicans blame Steve Bannon for Roy Moore's shocking loss in Alabama
Many Republicans slammed political strategist Steve Bannon for throwing his weight behind former judge Roy Moore, who lost to Senator-elect Doug Jones in a massive upset that delivered Alabama's first Democratic-controlled Senate seat in decades.
Jones, a Democrat, clinched the US Senate seat in Alabama in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Bannon, the former top adviser to President Donald Trump, threw his full weight behind Moore in a contested GOP primary. He stayed loyal to him despite numerous allegations of sexual misconduct and assault over the last month.
Top allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Bannon, the head of far-right site Breitbart News who pledged to run opponents against candidates backed by McConnell if the they were deemed not sufficiently conservative.
"This is a brutal reminder that candidate quality matters regardless of where you are running," Steven Law, president of the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund PAC, said in a statement. "Not only did Steve Bannon cost us a critical Senate seat in one of the most Republican states in the country, but he also dragged the President of the United States into this fiasco."
Before we get the results, I'd just like to thank Steve Bannon for showing us how to lose the reddest state in the union and Governor Ivey for the opportunity to make this national embarrassment a reality
— Josh Holmes (@HolmesJosh) December 13, 2017
Some prominent "never Trump" Republicans also reamed into Bannon.
Steve Bannon is a cancer.
Good people in Alabama were the first dose of chemo.— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) December 13, 2017
The Coalition of the Decent has spoken again. This is a proud night for Alabama and should send a clear message to GOP leadership: Continue to appease the populist, nationalist movement of Bannon and Trump at your peril.
— Evan McMullin 🇺🇸 (@EvanMcMullin) December 13, 2017
Some conservative media figures like the Drudge Report also blamed Bannon for Moore's loss.
Other top Republicans and Trump allies also blamed Bannon on background to reporters.
A top Republican in close touch to the White House says: “This should be a wakeup call" -- of President Trump following Bannon's lead in Alabama. Silence now at the White House.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) December 13, 2017
Source close to WH: "It's devastating for the president... this is an earthquake... Virginia but on steroids... the president has egg on his face" because of Bannon.
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) December 13, 2017
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