GOP/STEVE BANNON/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Both President Donald Trump and his former chief political strategist Steve Bannon are urging Roy Moore to concede, as the defiant Republican Senate candidate refuses to admit defeat to Democrat Doug Jones.
Moore lost Alabama’s Tuesday [12-12-17] special Senate election by more than 20,000 votes…
Bannon, the former White House chief strategist, was one of Moore’s longest and most fervent supporters. He visited the state three times to campaign on his behalf, including a rally the night before the election. He told the campaign that Moore needs to concede, a source familiar with the conversation tells CNN.
But Moore, who only addressed his supporters briefly on election night, said Wednesday that late-counted ballots could change the results of the election and urged his supporters to ‘stand against those who would take from us our country.’…
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who voted for Moore in the election, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that it’s highly unlikely that Jones would not be certified as the winner…
Moore’s decision also puts him at odds with most of his party. The Alabama Republican Party, which never dropped support for Moore despite the sexual assault allegations made against him, has declared Jones the winner. Republican Sen. Richard Shelby congratulated Jones on his victory, and Sen. Luther Strange, the temporarily appointed Republican whose seat Jones will be taking, has offered to help Jones with the transition.”
-Kaitlan Collins, “Trump and Steve Bannon urge Roy Moore to concede,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, Dec. 15, 2017 10:37am