The Trump Effect: Poll Shows Alabamians Abandoning Roy Moore after President Warns He Cannot Win Senate Race

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Kyle Morris

A poll released Wednesday revealed that Roy Moore is in third place in Alabama’s 2020 Republican U.S. Senate primary race.

The survey, which was conducted through June 22-23 and released by Montgomery-based Cygnal, measured 612 likely 2020 GOP primary voters in Alabama.

Of those surveyed, 29.3 percent stated they intend to support former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, while 21.4 percent said they will vote for Rep. Bradley Byrne (R-AL). Only 13 percent of respondents signaled they intend to support Roy Moore.

Trailing behind Moore with 12 percent of support from those surveyed is Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who at the time the poll was conducted had not announced his candidacy. Coming in last in the poll is Alabama State Rep. Arnold Mooney, who only garnered two percent of support from respondents.

Twenty-two percent of those surveyed in the poll said they are still undecided on who to vote for in the 2020 Alabama Republican U.S. Senate primary race.

Also highlighted in the poll was Alabamians’ view of President Trump and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey. Alabamians who view President Trump favorably reached nearly 85 percent in the poll, while only 14.9 percent said they view him unfavorably.

As reported by Yellowhammer News, Moore’s “poll results showed 27.7% of respondents viewed him favorably, but 65.4% responded unfavorably. His very favorable and unfavorable ratings were 10.3% and 49.5% respectively.”

A different survey question revealed that only 57.4 percent of Republican respondents voted for Moore in the 2017 special election against Jones. Twenty-two percent voted for Jones, while 7.2 percent chose a write-in candidate. An estimated 9.6 percent of respondents said they chose not to vote.

“Entering the race with a -38 net favorability is going to be an enormous hurdle for Moore to get over – even if he does have a horse,” said Brent Buchanan, Cygnal’s CEO and founder.

Both President Trump, and his son Donald Trump Jr., have come out against Roy Moore, saying he can not beat Democrat Alabama Sen. Doug Jones in 2020.

“Republicans cannot allow themselves to again lose the Senate seat in the Great State of Alabama,” President Trump wrote on Twitter. “This time it will be for Six Years, not just Two. I have NOTHING against Roy Moore, and unlike many other Republican leaders, wanted him to win. But he didn’t, and probably won’t.”

“If Alabama does not elect a Republican to the Senate in 2020, many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost, including our Pro-Life victories,” Trump added in a separate tweet. “Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating….Judges and Supreme Court Justices!”

“You’re literally the only candidate who could lose a GOP seat in pro-Trump, pro-USA ALABAMA,” Trump Jr. said in a tweet last month. “Running for office should never become a business model. If you actually care about #MAGA more than your own ego, it’s time to ride off into the sunset, Judge.”

Trump Jr. also took a shot at Moore earlier this month by saying he was “doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country” by running for U.S. Senate.

The Cygnal survey, which was conducted by phone, has a margin of error of 3.96%.

Follow Kyle on Twitter @RealKyleMorris and Facebook.

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