Republicans and Democrats alike are bracing for the special election for Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, with senators in both parties already grappling with how embattled Republican candidate Roy Moore might be received on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Moore, who is squaring off against Democrat Doug Jones, is facing accusations he pursued a number of relationships with teenage girls as young as 14 years old while he was in his 30s during the 1970s.
But a top strategist for Mr. Moore’s campaign said Sunday that he didn’t think the Senate would pursue some sort of ethics investigation into the charges if Mr. Moore ultimately is elected, as some Republican leaders have hinted.
“Judge Moore’s going to go to Washington. Judge Moore’s going to win. And I highly doubt there’s going to be a Senate investigation,” Moore strategist Dean Young said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“But if there is, Judge Moore’s going to be found telling the truth just as he always has, and he will win,” Mr. Young said.
But Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, predicted otherwise, saying there would “immediately” be an ethics investigation if Mr. Moore defeats Mr. Jones on Tuesday.
“I’ve always said that so far, as far as I can tell, the allegations are significantly stronger than the denial,” Mr. Scott said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And I’m going to let my decision be made by the breadth of information and evidence that I’m able to review during that process.”
The latest Real Clear Politics polling average has Mr. Moore ahead by about 4 percentage points, and his campaign is hopeful that a recent rally attended by President Trump in nearby Pensacola, Florida, will be enough to push him over the top.
Mr. Trump also recorded a robocall in support of Mr. Moore in another part of the last-minute push.
“This is Donald Trump on trial in Alabama,” Mr. Young said. “If the people of Alabama vote for this liberal Democrat, Doug Jones, then they’re voting against the president who they put in office at the highest level.”
Democrats, though, are hopeful that the alleged sexual improprieties will help turn out their own voters in the deep-red state to deliver them an unexpected pickup, in a chamber Republicans currently control by a tight 52-48 margin.
“[The] people of Alabama deserve a senator whose character and integrity and veracity won’t be in question day one in the United States Senate, and we’re working hard to make the case for Doug Jones,” Rep. Terri Sewell, Alabama Democrat, said on “This Week.”
Some Republicans also have discussed potentially holding a vote to expel Mr. Moore from the Senate — which would require a two-thirds majority — depending on what allegations come out or what an investigation might turn up.
But Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said there’s a fine line on potentially overturning the will of the people who have at least some knowledge of the allegations beforehand.
“If the allegations are known prior to the election … then we have a very tough decision to make about whether it’s our role as senators to overturn the will of the people,” Mrs. Collins said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“I think it’s a different situation if the allegations are not known, or if they occur while the person is sitting in the Senate,” she said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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