Roy Moore announces another run for US Senate

In this Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, file photo, Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore walks off the stage with wife Kayla Moore after he spoke to supporters after an election-night watch party at the RSA activity center, in Montgomery, Ala. Moore has scheduled a news conference, Thursday, June 20, 2019, to announce whether he is running for U.S. Senate in 2020. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File

by: Associated Press

Posted: Jun 20, 2019 / 02:31 PM AST

Updated: Jun 20, 2019 / 02:31 PM AST

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Alabama Republican Roy Moore has announced he is running for U.S. Senate again in 2020 after failing to win the seat two years ago amid sexual misconduct accusations.

Moore announced his campaign Thursday, seeking an eventual rematch against Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. The announcement upends an election viewed by Republicans as a top priority in 2020 and ignores President Donald Trump’s warning that he “cannot win.”

Moore joins a crowded GOP primary field vying to challenge Jones.

In 2017, Moore narrowly lost the special election to fill the seat that had belonged to Jeff Sessions. He faced allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago.

The former Alabama chief justice has a following among evangelical voters after defying federal court orders regarding same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments.