PHOTO: A bi-partisan group of 13 Alabama Sheriff's endorsed Roy Moore yesterday, including Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin and Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver. (Cherokee County Sheriff's Office | Etowah County Sheriff's Office)

By Staff Reports

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Yesterday, a group of 13 prominent Alabama Sheriffs gave their endorsement to Roy Moore for U.S. Senate. Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver and Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin were among the group. The sheriffs held a press conference with Moore in Montgomery yesterday afternoon.

With a little over a month until election day (December 12), a poll released yesterday by the Raycom News Network and conducted by Strategy Research, shows Moore with an 11 percent lead over Democratic candidate Doug Jones (D - Birmingham). The poll was conducted from October 19 - November 8, and shows Moore with 51 percent of likely voters and Jones with 40 percent, with a further 9 percent undecided. 

Statement released by the Moore campaign regarding the endorsements: On Wednesday afternoon in Montgomery, more than a dozen Alabama Sheriffs announced their support for Judge Roy Moore in his bid for the United States Senate.

“The fact that Judge Moore served our country in uniform, as an Army officer in Vietnam, means a lot to law enforcement,” Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin said. “Judge Moore knows what it is to put your life on the line, and I know he will be a strong supporter of law enforcement as a U.S. Senator.”

Following the press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Judge Moore welcomed the sheriffs' support.

"We must restore a culture of respect for law enforcement in this nation,” Moore said. “I am honored to receive the endorsement of these sheriffs. They are true public servants who are committed to ensuring that our laws are upheld, that justice is served to lawbreakers, and that the weak and vulnerable of our society are protected.”

“I look forward to working alongside of them in the United States Senate to ensure safety for the people of Alabama,” Moore continued.

“Alabama’s sheriffs need a senator we can depend on Washington. There is a lot of anti-police, anti-law enforcement rhetoric out there right now, and it’s frankly concerning,” Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris remarked. “Judge Moore is a strong, conservative leader and I look forward to working with him to secure resources to fight drug and human trafficking and make our cities and counties safer.”

The bi-partisan coalition of sheriffs endorsing Judge Moore include:

- Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego
- Madison County Sheriff Blake Dorning
- Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris
- Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry
- Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin
- Covington County Sheriff Dennis Meeks
- Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade
- Talladega County Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore
- Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy
- Henry County Sheriff William Maddox
- Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver
- Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin
- Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms