I think COOK is on the verge of re-rating AL-SEN...

[brooklynite]

Accusations Against Moore Put Race in Limbo

Revelations today that four women have accused former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, the GOP in the special election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, of sexual harassment in a series of events that occurred more than 30 years ago has put this race into limbo. With the December 12 special election just 32 days away, GOP strategists are scrambling to figure out their options.

As the downfall of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and "Game Change" author Mark Halperin proved, there is safety—and credibility—in numbers. It is easy to deflect allegations by one woman, but it's a lot more difficult to dismiss claims by four women who are willing to go on the record to tell their stories in vivid detail. This is an even thornier issue for Moore, who has held himself up aa a pillar of moral virtue in every sense. It is also worth remembering that GOP Gov. Robert Bentley resigned from office this past April after admitting to an extra-marital affair.

...snip...

Not surprisingly, the Alabama Secretary of State is not answering inquiries about how state election law would apply if Moore withdraws, and what the process would be. Over the next day or so, here are the questions that need to be answered. These answers will provide a roadmap for Republicans going forward.
- Have any absentee ballots been mailed?
- Can the Alabama Republican Party force Moore to step aside?
- Can they select a replacement? If so, what is the deadline?
- Write-in votes are allowed, but can another candidate mount an effective write-in campaign in a month?
- Would state and national Republicans endorse and provide financial support for such a candidate? (Note: nothing prevents Luther
Strange, who lost the run-off to Moore, from running as a write-in.)
- What happens if Moore refuses to withdraw?

...snip...

The rating won't change until some of the most critical questions are answered. At the very least, a sleepy special election has become a wild ride.

http://cookpolitical.com/analysis/senate/alabama-senate/accusations-against-moore-put-race-limbo

[OnDoutside]

1. Sounds like Big Luther might be back in the game ! That said

If Strange acts as a spoiler, is this the Repugs admitting Moore is so horrible, they'd rather lose a seat than see him win, and cause havoc in the Senate ?

[monmouth4]

2. If they really wanted Moore they would be out there defending him, they're not. He is an albatross

around their necks and they want him gone. I have no answers to the other questions but I do think he'll be gone soon.

[OnDoutside]

8. The next 48 hours will tell how much they mean it.

[Nevernose]

3. After Tuesday, can they afford Trump/Moore

As the face of the GOP in 2018?

[OnDoutside]

7. If they'd rather lose the seat, it could be an admission that

they've given up hope. It could also be a smokescreen.... Mock outrage and then say there's nothing they can do.

[LonePirate]

4. I think Moore still wins. Voters in Alabama hate Democrats more than they hate pedophiles.

[SeattlePop]

9. True

Scum.

[Codeine]

10. I'm inclined to agree.

At this point conservatism is just a way of saying "Fuck You!" to a rapidly-changing world that the knuckle-draggers no longer understand.

[grantcart]

11. The issue is: how many will stay home to avoid the question.

[Blue_true]

5. The thing about pedophiles.

Is unless they are stopped, they keep making victims. I won't be surprised at all if some now late teen or early twenties women emerge within the next two weeks if not sooner.

[Bleacher Creature]

6. An upset next month would completely change the tenor of the 2018 Senate race.

The map would still be pretty daunting for Democrats, but this would be pretty huge.