Arizona Governor Doug Ducey Would Fire Roy Moore, but Doesn't Call for His Resignation

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said on Wednesday that he'd fire Roy Moore over the Alabama U.S. Senate candidate's alleged sexual assault and harassment of teenage girls.

But Ducey stopped short of calling Moore to resign, saying the final decision should rest with voters.

The Hill was one of the first to report Ducey's comments, which were made at a Phoenix food bank.

"When women step forward with these allegations, it's my experience that there is truth there," Ducey said. "This was bad behavior 40 years ago, this is bad behavior today ... If I was in the private sector, I’d terminate this guy. I’d like to see a different candidate, but you understand how our system works, and this is up to the people of Alabama."

The accusations against Moore, first reported by an explosive story in the Washington Post, also apparently led on Wednesday to the resignation of Moore's communications director and spokesman, John Rogers.

However, even as Moore helps fuel a new cultural battle that arose in October with revelations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, it's unclear whether Alabama voters are prepared to reject Moore.

Fivethirtyeight.com reported on Wednesday that an average of surveys on Moore's race with Democrat Doug Jones shows a statistical dead heat.

Ducey's reticence in calling for Moore's resignation puts him in the same category as President Trump, who said he was "troubled" by the allegations against Moore, but did not ask him to resign.

Ducey has also declined to push for the resignation of Arizona State Representative Don Shooter, R-Yuma. Shooter has been under fire by the accusations of multiple women, starting with Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, who claim he sexually harassed them.