Former GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Tuesday that Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore doesn’t deserve to win the special election in Alabama.
“I think he deserves to lose,” Cantor told CNN’s “New Day.” “And when I was in office as majority leader, I had the policy of zero tolerance for any of this kind of stuff.”
Moore has been accused of pursuing sexual relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s. In some cases, the women who have come forward about the relationships have alleged sexual abuse or assault. Moore has denied all the allegations.
Cantor added that voters “expect their leaders to live to a much higher standard, and that’s what ought to be maintained.”
President Donald Trump officially endorsed Moore on Monday, and the Republican National Committee has agreed to fund Moore’s campaign after withdrawing support last month.
Moore has faced several critics within his own party in the Senate, but as his campaign has endured the allegations, some have softened their stance.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for instance, told reporters in November that he believed the women who accused Moore and urged him to withdraw from the Senate race. But on Sunday, he said the people of Alabama should “make the call” on Moore.
Cantor, who lost a Republican primary in his Virginia district in 2014, took issue with the party’s decision to warm up to Moore, but told CNN’s “New Day” that ultimately, “Alabama voters will decide.”
“Does it bother me? Absolutely, it bothers me,” Cantor said. “And I think we ought to maintain that moral standard that I believe our party is about.”
