Republicans might be stuck with Alabama’s Roy Moore. Lee drops Moore endorsement. Utah state senator starts draft Mitt petition.
Happy Monday. Republican leaders desperately want Alabama GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore off the ballot after allegations of underage sexual contact but they have neither the legal nor the political leverage to force the defiant ex-judge out of the race. And Moore, who beat back a challenge by the GOP establishment to win the nomination, owes no loyalty to the party bosses.
Topping the news: Sen. Mike Lee announced he no longer supports Roy Moore’s candidacy for the Senate. [Trib]
-> State Sen. Dan Hemmert created a petition in hopes of recruiting Mitt Romney to run for a U.S. Senate seat in 2018. [Trib] [DNews] [KUER]
-> Republican members of Congress, with the exception of Utah’s three representatives, sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting he eliminate or shrink the national monuments under review. [Trib]
Tweets of the weekend:From @pourmecoffee: “I bet Trump will be glad to get back and sit at the foot of his own bed at 6 am tweeting ‘Thanks!’ at @foxandfriends for a segment on how mayonnaise tastes better since he’s been president.”
-> From @RadioFreeTom: “The President is tweeting like a mean girl at a rogue nuclear state while we argue over whether a guy in Alabama who dated teens as a grown man should be a US senator. We had a good run, America.”
Happy Birthday: To Congressional Budget Office’s Stephanie Hugie Barello.
In other news: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL, and Vice President Mike Pence shined the Vietnam Wall on Veterans Day. [Trib]
-> The Utah Department of Transportation confirmed Friday that its website for drivers paying tolls online is back up and running after shutting down earlier last week. [Trib]
-> With the unpopularity of Trump in Utah’s District 4, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee prepares to challenge Rep. Mia Love’s seat. [DNews]
-> While congressman-elect John Curtis prepares to be sworn in today, Provo has compiled a plan to fill the role of mayor in his absence. [Trib]
-> Pat Bagley evaluates the issues surrounding Roy Moore and the Republican Party. [Trib]
-> Robert Kirby considers the Pope’s acknowledgment that he sometimes falls asleep praying. [Trib]
-> Frank Pignanelli and LaVarr Webb review the Count My Vote announcement and last Tuesday’s election. [DNews]
Nationally: Gerrymandering continues to affect Democrats’ chances at taking back the House, despite last Tuesday’s election. [NYTimes]
-> President Donald Trump took to Twitter to respond a North Korean message that called him “old.” [WaPost]
-> Republican lawmakers’ tax bill is expected to pass the House this Thursday. [Politico]
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— Thomas Burr and Karenna Meredith Twitter.com/thomaswburr and Twitter.com/meredithkarenna
Follow @sltribpolitics