Politico, reporting on the final days of campaigning in the special Senate election in Alabama, took note of a radio ad being run by the pro-Roy Moore group Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC, which accuses Moore’s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones, of using ads on black radio stations to try and “start a race war”:
Some pro-Moore groups are taking an even more pointed approach to energize conservatives. One Moore-aligned group, Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC, is airing commercials on nearly 60 stations around the state accusing Jones of “trying to steal the election with vile, racist ads on black radio.”
“Desperate to steal this Senate race, Jones and his race-hustling allies are trying to start a race war and it’s only going to get worse in the final weekend, with millions of dollars in street money to turn out the vote,” it adds.
Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC is run and partly funded by Steven Hotze, a Texas activist known for his over-the-top anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Hotze has been a loyal backer of Moore’s campaign. Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC, according to its spending report on the weekend’s radio ads, has spent $91,000 to date supporting Moore and opposing Jones. In addition, Hotze and his wife have each personally contributed a maximum donation of $2,700 to each of the three phases of Moore’s campaign, a total of more than $16,000.
The Hotzes sent their donations to Moore’s general election campaign on November 10, the day after the Washington Post published an explosive story on allegations that Moore had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl and pursued relationships with other teenagers when he was in his 30s. The next week, Hotze helped organize and spoke at a press conference of Religious Right activists supporting Moore.
Our former colleague Brian Tashman points out on Twitter that Restore Our Godly Heritage PAC also produced an online this summer video showing images of a gay pride event while a narrator says that Moore is “sick and tired of a small group of people telling the majority how to practice their faith in everyday life.”
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