Alex Thomas
On Tuesday, Judge Roy Moore went to the polls in Alabama and the senate hopeful arrived in style — or more accurately, on horseback.
Videos by Rare
The 70-year-old Alabamian showed up on his horse “Sassy” to cast his vote and was joined by his wife Kayla, also on horseback. Moore has made a habit of taking his four-legged ride to the polls and said previously that it’s a “family tradition,” per the Kansas City Star-Telegram. He also took a horse to the polls during his run-off with contender Luther Strange. Reporters were waiting for the judge when he arrived at the polling station at the Gallant Fire Department and managed to capture a video of the spectacle.
WATCH: Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore arrives to vote on horseback pic.twitter.com/crp2cfsfNA
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 12, 2017
The polls between Moore and his Democratic contender, Doug Jones show them neck-and-neck but most experts are giving Moore the edge on Tuesday’s race. The RealClearPolitics average shows Moore up by 2.2 points — the only polls that show Jones ahead are the Washington Post (3 points) and Fox News (10 points). The Fox poll had a lot of people scratching their heads, but the network claims that they conducted their research through “traditional polling techniques, including a list-based probability sample with both landlines and cellphones.”
In the early stages of the race, Moore seemed to be galloping away (pun intended) with the seat but a series of stories outlining his alleged history as a sexual predator and pedophile caused his numbers to take a nosedive. Even more importantly, the Republican party’s war chests closed on Moore. However, the money machines of the GOP have quietly resumed funding to the far-right politician.
In the last week of his campaign, Moore disappeared and reemerged only on Monday night at a rally. Rumors swirled that the candidate was in Philadelphia at the Army-Navy football game, Politico reported, but Moore’s team refused to answer any questions.
Roy Moore rides away on his horse after voting in the Alabama Senate election.
Here's what to watch in today's hotly contested race: https://t.co/iONlmtfGJd #alsen pic.twitter.com/WI2xoJbi6s
— POLITICO (@politico) December 12, 2017
As far as Moore’s “family tradition” of riding his horse to the polls, it’s pretty hard to trace that back to anywhere. The biography listed on his website does not list any information on his family history. His Wikipedia page claims that his father, Roy Baxter Moore, was a construction worker and we can find no record of him running for public office.
