GOP weighs options for Roy Moore’s Senate run

WASHINGTON—Republicans are preparing for worst-case scenarios amid sexual misconduct accusations against GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported Moore pursued inappropriate relationships with four girls between the ages of 14 and 18 while he was in his early 30s, an accusation Moore denied. Alabama’s special election to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ former U.S. Senate seat is Dec. 12. Moore, Alabama’s former chief justice, is running against Democrat Doug Jones to secure the seat for the GOP, which holds a tenuous 52-48 majority in the Senate. Many Republican leaders suggested Moore should quit if the accusations proved true, including President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. State law requires the final ballot roster be set 74 days before an election, which means Moore’s name cannot be taken off the ballot. Some voters have already submitted absentee ballots. Incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala., who lost to Moore in the GOP primary in September, could launch a write-in campaign but could not run as an independent under Alabama law. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who lost her primary in 2010 but secured reelection as a write-in candidate, told Politico she supported the idea. But so far Moore has expressed no intention of stepping aside. He wrote on Twitter Thursday night the “liberal media lapdogs” launched their most vicious attack against him yet: “We are in the midst of a spiritual battle with those who want to silence our message,” Moore tweeted. “So rest assured—I will NEVER GIVE UP the fight!”