Alabama Senate race: Republicans hatch desperate plan to stop vote amid Roy Moore controversy

Republican leaders are reportedly considering a desperate plan to try and get rid of controversial Alabama candidate Roy Moore that would suspend the current campaign and trigger a fresh election.

Mr Moore, 70, a social conservative who faces a barrage of accusations of sexual abuse and inappropriate behaviour involving girls and young women, has defied calls from senior Republicans to stand aside. Indeed, Mr Moore has continued to insist he is innocent and has said there is a “witch hunt” against him.

Increasingly concerned about the damage Mr Moore’s presence in the race is doing to the party, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and his top advisers are said to discussing the possibility of a last-ditch plan to get rid of him.

According to Politico, the plan would involve asking Senator Luther Strange to resign; he was appointed on a temporary basis to fill the seat left vacant when Senator Jeff Sessions joined Mr Trump’s cabinet. They believe this could then force a fresh special election.

The report said barely a month before the 12 December election, when Mr Moore is due to go head-to-head with Democrat Doug Jones, the McConnell team in unsure about the legality or possibility of pulling off such a move.

With allegations levelled at Mr Moore from at least six different women, and a poll showing him trailing Mr Jones by up to 12 points, the possible plot shows the desperation among senior Republicans such as Mr McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan, as they look ahead to the midterm elections of 2018.

“McConnell’s team had been high on the idea of asking Jeff Sessions, who held the Alabama seat for two decades prior to becoming Attorney General, to run as a write-in candidate,” the website said.

Mr Strange’s office did not immediately respond to inquiries. However, Mr Strange indicated to the Washington Examiner he was not supportive of the plan.

“I’m going to serve [my term] out, serve the people of the state, try and get tax reform, and be the best senator I can be,” Mr Strange said.

Meanwhile, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey also suggested the move was not going to take place.

“The election date is set for 12 December,” she told local media. “Were he to resign, I would simply appoint somebody to fill the remaining time until we have the election on 12 December.”

David Popp, a spokesman for Mr McConnell, told The Independent: “The Politico piece was all anonymous sourcing, didn’t come from us, and we don’t have any conversations to read out.”

Mr Moore and his team have doubled down on their denial of the allegations that claimed he sexually assaulted one teenage girl, and engaged in inappropriate behaviour with several others, when he was in his thirties and working as a local prosecutor.

Mr Moore’s lawyer, Phillip Jauregui, has demanded that one of the women who has accused the former judge, Beverly Nelson, release the high school yearbook she claims he signed the same evening he assaulted her.

“Judge Moore says there is no way in the world that's his handwriting,” said Mr Jauregui.

“I’ve been with him in probably over 100 different meetings and been around probably an excess of 10,000 different ladies … Not one time have I ever seen him act even remotely inappropriate against any woman.”