Ousted Alabama Supreme Court Justice
Roy Moore is considering a presidential run as a Republican, The
Wall Street Journal reported.
Moore was removed from the bench in 2003
for refusing to move a monument of the Ten Commandments on public
property that he had commissioned.
The
Journal reports that Moore is preparing to launch a
presidential exploratory committee.
Moore has already appeared at several
events in early caucus state Iowa.
At a rally organized by Bob Vander
Plaats' socially conservative group The Family Leader, Moore told
about 500 supporters of a constitutional amendment banning gay
marriage in the state that the institution leads to “child abuse.”
“No society is prepared to deal with
the problems arising out of same-sex marriages; child abuse,
adoption, divorce, foster care, alimony and the list goes on and on,”
Moore told a welcoming crowd. (The video is embedded in the right
panel of this page.)
Moore's views on gay rights are in line
with most GOP hopefuls vying for the state's large bloc of socially
conservative voters, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich,
former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, former Minnesota Governor
Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, Texas Rep. Ron Paul
and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain.
Real estate mogul Donald Trump, who
says he'll decide whether he's running by June, is
opposed to all forms of legal recognition for gay couples.
Two Republicans who break with
their party on gay rights are Fred
Karger, an openly gay candidate, and former
New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, a supporter of gay marriage.