By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, retired Alabama Supreme Court Justice Terry Butts, the gun rights group Alabama Second Amendment and U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., all announced their endorsements of Roy Moore in the Republican Senate runoff race.
“I have known and worked with Judge Roy Moore for the last 20 years,” Butts said. “He is a man of integrity, a leader, and a constitutional scholar. Judge Moore has spent his entire life in service and now is the time for him to serve the great State of Alabama and the United States of America as our U.S. Senator.
“The false ads against Judge Moore make me sick and I pray that the good citizens of Alabama will see through the deceit being spread on the airways by his opponent and the Washington establishment. I wholeheartedly endorse my friend Roy Moore.”
“I am grateful and honored to receive the support from my friend and colleague Justice Terry Butts,” Moore said. “Justice Butts has served, and continues to serve, the citizens of Alabama admirably. His leadership in the court system as a circuit judge and associate justice on the Alabama Supreme Court is very much appreciated.”
Justice Terry Butts has served as a circuit judge, an Alabama Supreme Court Justice, and is a leader in the Republican Party in Alabama. A growing number of Republican elected officials and conservative-thought leaders from across Alabama and beyond have endorsed Moore in the U.S. Senate race.
The gun-rights group, Alabama Second Amendment, also released a statement endorsing Moore: “Judge Joy Moore has shown himself to be a constitutional conservative who is willing to stand up to the federal government even when it causes personal hardship for him & that is the type of man we need to send to Washington.”
“Mr. Strange has proven himself to be not only unworthy of the office of Alabama Attorney General but also, in our opinion, unworthy of the U.S. Senate seat which he acquired from former Governor Bentley by questionable tactics at best,” Alabama Second Amendment said in a statement. “We, the citizens of Alabama, deserve better than to have a Senator who is only pro-gun and only follows the law when it suits his agenda.”
Specifically, Alabama Second Rights said that Strange improperly interpreted the Omnibus gun law, illegally denying gun owners their rights under Alabama law.
“For almost two years after the Gun Law changes in 2013 complaints filed with Attorney General Strange would be either ignored or answered with a simple no violation form letter & often went well over the 90 days allowed by law with no action from Mr. Strange,” the group said. “The law requires a public answer from the Alabama Attorney General within 90 days of receiving the complaint but Mr. Strange did not abide by that & only started to comply with the law after a BAR complaint was filed by one of our members against him at which time the same complaints he had previously found to be no violations began to be sent back in with hopes of an actual answer and were mostly ruled on in our favor proving that the first complaints were handled improperly.”
Gosar, a member of the Freedom Caucus, also announced his endorsement of Moore.
“I am endorsing Judge Moore because we need a Senator who will fight with us in the trenches, and Roy Moore is that man,” Gosar said. “As Chief Justice of Alabama, he has proven himself to be honorable, tough, and a man of his word.”
“I thank Congressman Gosar for his endorsement,” Moore said in a statement. “Congressman Gosar has stood up for conservative principles since arriving in Congress. I look forward to partnering with him and the rest of the House Freedom Caucus to make America great again.”
Gosar has represented Arizona’s 4th Congressional District since 2011. The Moore campaign said that he has been an outspoken advocate for securing our border and stopping illegal immigration.
“Paul believes that the Constitution is the cornerstone of our Republic, and he always pursues policies that allow for more individual liberty and less government involvement,” Gosar’s House Bio said.
The Republican Primary runoff is on Tuesday.
Doug Jones has already won the Democratic nomination. The former U.S. Attorney will face the winner of the Republican primary runoff on Dec. 12, 2017.
