Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is calling on Alabama voters to take part in Tuesday’s special election for the US Senate, dubbing the race “one of the most significant in Alabama’s history,” according to AL.com.
“This week’s special election will be one of the most significant in Alabama’s history. As a native daughter, I remain — at heart — an Alabaman who loves our state and its devotion to faith, family, and country,” Rice said in a statement, recalling her Alabama roots.
Republican Roy Moore will face off against Democrat Doug Jones in the special election to fill the seat that Republican Jeff Sessions occupied before he left last winter to become US attorney general.
The race has put a spotlight on a rift in the GOP over the 70-year-old Moore, a controversial candidate who has recently been accused by multiple women of attempting to engage in sexual relationships with them while they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. He has also been accused of molesting a 14-year-old and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old. Moore has denied any inappropriate behavior.
Despite condemnation of Moore from several Republican lawmakers, the White House and the Republican National Committee have put their support behind him.
Rice’s statement doesn’t cite any candidate by name but says it’s “imperative” to “not give way to side shows and antics,” AL.com reported.
“I know that Alabamans need an independent voice in Washington,” the statement on AL.com reads. “But we must also insist that our representatives are dignified, decent, and respectful of the values we hold dear.”
Jones is also known for his role as lead prosecutor in the lawsuit against two of four Ku Klux Klan members who were part of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963, which killed four African-American girls — who Rice knew as a child in Birmingham, Alabama.
“I encourage you to take a stand for our core principles and for what is right,” Rice’s statement continued, as reported on AL.com. “These critical times require us to come together to reject bigotry, sexism, and intolerance.”
AL.com reports that Rice also says, “Please exercise your right to vote — a privilege won by the sacrifices of our ancestors. Sustain the central ideals and values that make our country a beacon for freedom and justice for the sake of Alabama and for the good of the United States of America.”