MONTGOMERY, Al. — The eyes of the nation are on Alabama as voters head to the polls to elect the state’s next senator.
An indication of just how hotly contested this seat is, President Donald Trump, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden all recorded robocalls that went out to voters urging them to vote.
The race has divided the Republican party. The President and the Republican National Committee stand behind Roy Moore. Other prominent GOPers, including the state’s senior Senator, Richard Shelby, have spoken out against him.
Monday night, Moore and Democrat Doug Jones held big, last-minute rallies headlined by some big names. For Moore, who’s been dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct towards teenagers, it was conservative heavyweight Steve Bannon urging residents not to let outsiders dictate the election.
“Judge Moore is a righteous man and Judge Moore, they’ve tried to destroy Judge Moore like I told you they would, remember I told you this.”
Moore, once again denied and questioned the timing of the allegations against him, and asked voters to judge this former judge on his record.
“If you don’t believe in my character, don’t vote for me,” he said.
Against the backdrop of anti-Moore protestors, his challenger brought out Alabama native and former basketball star Charles Barkley.
“If somebody sent you this as a movie script you would throw it in the trash. You’d say ‘there’s no way possible this other dude could be leading in any polls,'” Barkley told Jones’ supporters.
Jones is trying to become the state’s first Democratic senator in two-decades, and insists the race goes beyond traditional red/blue lines.
“It is time that we put our decency, our state, before political parties.”
Moore has had a slim lead in most polls, but he latest two are split: one poll has Moore in the lead the other shows Jones winning. The count that matters happens Tuesday evening.