Trump to Hold Rally on Alabama's Doorstep Ahead of Moore Vote

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump will hold a rally next week in Pensacola, Florida, his campaign committee said Friday -- just miles from Alabama and four days before that state holds a controversial special election for a U.S. Senate seat.

Alabama Republican Roy Moore, who faces allegations that he pursued sexual relationships with teenage girls while he was in his 30s, has recently rebounded in his campaign against Democrat Doug Jones. The White House has said Trump had no plans to campaign on Moore’s behalf, though the president -- who faced sexual misconduct allegations of his own in his campaign -- has endorsed the Republican.

Advisers close to the president are considering flooding Alabama with robo-calls, emails and text messages to mobilize Trump supporters to vote for Moore, Politico reported Wednesday, citing three unnamed people. The Trump campaign said the Dec. 8 rally will be Trump’s fourth in Pensacola since he first began his run for the White House.

While the Alabama GOP continues to support Moore, a number of national Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have said they don’t want him in the Senate. Moore has denied allegations of sexual misconduct and has sought to cast doubt on his accusers’ stories.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joshua Gallu in Washington at jgallu@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu

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