The Alabama Senate Debate Went Totally Off the Rails

“Sodomy, sexual perversion sweep our land.”

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore smiles before announcing his candidacy for US Senate in Montgomery, Alabama.Albert Cesare/The Montgomery Advertiser/AP

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Luther Strange and Roy Moore—the Republican candidates vying for Attorney General Jeff Session’s former Senate seat—took the debate stage in Montgomery, Alabama, Thursday night, in the final event before Tuesday’s primary runoff. Moore, an ultra-conservative former judge, attacked Sen. Strange, who has been holding the seat since February, throughout the debate as being the establishment candidate, having been endorsed by President Trump and supported by the super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Luther got in a few jabs, but Moore really owned the night.

Though the debate went off the rails early. In what was perhaps the most attention-grabbing portion of the evening, Moore, as a Westpoint grad and Vietnam vet, emphasized his desire for a strong military before going on to explain his plans for the economy and to lament the fact that “crime, corruption, immorality, abortion, sodomy, sexual perversion sweep our land”:  

A few more lowlights here:

Watch the whole thing here:

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