Gov. Kay Ivey Has 'No Plans' To Move Election Despite GOP Urging

MONTGOMERY, AL - Despite some urging from Alabama Republicans, Gov. Kay Ivey said she has no plans to invoke her power to delay or postpone the Dec. 12 special election to fill Jeff Sessions seat in the U.S. Senate. Republicans have implied to Ivey they believe a postponement will buy time to deal with GOP candidate Roy Moore, who has been accused of pursuing at least five underage girls when he was in his 30s.

State law gives the governor authority to set the date of special elections, and Ivey, who is a Republican, already rescheduled the Senate election once, after inheriting the governor’s office in April when her predecessor, Robert Bentley, resigned in a sex and corruption scandal. But this time, the timing would make a postponement difficult, and Democrats have already started making noise regarding the prospect of a postponed election. In this case, as opposed to the spring, military members and absentee voters have already submitted ballots for the December election.

Despite the possibility to give her party the change to regroup, Ivey's communications director told Alabama Media Group the governor has "no plans" to postpone the election at this time. "The Governor is not considering and has no plans to move the special election for the U.S. Senate," said Ivey's communications director Josh Pendergrass.

Moore has insisted that he is staying in the race, even though several Republican lawmakers have called for him to step down.

Photo of Kay Ivey by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images