Roy Moore faces verdict of voters in Alabama Senate election

Voters in the US state of Alabama are choosing between a Republican accused of child abuse and a Democrat hoping for an upset win after an ugly Senate race in the Deep South.

President Donald Trump's populist brand will be tested after he backed ultra-conservative Roy Moore, who is accused of misconduct by multiple women.

Much of the Republican establishment has distanced itself from the 70-year-old former Alabama judge. The race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones is too close to call, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The Republican candidate has said homosexual activity should be illegal and argued against removing segregationist language from the state constitution.

But it is sexual misconduct claims against him by a number of women, mostly when they were teenagers, that have made Washington conservatives baulk.

One accuser alleges Moore molested her when she was 14. Another says he tried to rape her.

The scandal has put an Alabama Senate seat within reach of Democrats for the first time in more than two decades.

Elections are rarely competitive in Alabama. It's the kind of place Republicans might as well weigh their votes rather than count them, such is the party's dominance here.

This special election has upended all the normal expectations and still, at this late stage, remains too close to call.

Democrat Doug Jones can win if he manages to galvanise the black vote in cities such as Birmingham and Montgomery.

Roy Moore, his Republican rival, could easily lose if those rural, white, church-going conservatives stay at home amid the allegations against him.

Whatever the outcome, the repercussions will be felt beyond Alabama.

If the Republicans lose, their Senate advantage contracts to just one vote.

If they win, their candidate is likely to face months of ethics inquiries, and an outside chance of being expelled from the Senate.

For the Democrats, a win would bolster their bargaining power in Congress, and place control of the Senate within definite grasp at next year's mid-term elections.

--IANS

pgh/