MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Seated beneath the Ten Commandments plaque that first made him a conservative icon in the culture wars, U.S. Senate candidate and former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore invokes President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan – but with his own twist.
“I support President Trump’s agenda of making America great again. But I submit to you that we can only make America great again if we make America good,” Moore said in his downtown Montgomery office a day after announcing his bid for the Senate seat previously held by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Moore’s campaign theme puts a values-driven spin on the president’s populist slogan, “Make America Great Again,” and Moore’s campaign announcement spelled out what he believes isn’t good: divorce, abortion and same-sex marriage.
In what’s expected to be high-dollar slugfest of a GOP primary, with multiple candidates seeking to harness the president’s blunt-spoken outsider appeal, Moore is a far-right and polarizing entry.
“I am definitely not establishment,” Moore said with a chuckle.