In the midst of an American cultural moment surrounding sexual harassment and abuse of power, a woman named Leigh Corfman accused Roy Moore, a Republican running for one of Alabama’s two senate seats, of sexual assault in Etowah County, Alabama in 1979. Corfman alleges that the incident occurred when Moore was 32 and she was 14. Corfman’s mother, Nancy Wells, recalls that Moore approached her and her daughter, who sat on a bench outside a courthouse and offered to watch over Corfman when her mother went into the courthouse.

After her mother left, Corfman gave Moore her phone number upon his request. He, just days afterward, allegedly drove her to his house roughly a half hour away and kissed her. But this engagement was not the last. Visiting Corfman a second time, Moore allegedly undressed her.

Claiming that these allegations were false and a desperate effort by the Democratic Party and The Washington Post, Moore has vehemently denied the story and is continuing his Senate campaign. “The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” Senator John McCain (R-AZ) said. “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”

Moore is running against Democrat Doug Jones in a special election to seize the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he was appointed to be President Trump’s Attorney General.

Moore gained notoriety for being removed from the Alabama Supreme Court in 2003 after refusing to take down a statue of the ten commandments erected near the courthouse. Following a re-election to his post in 2013, Moore was removed once again for directing probate judges to enforce Alabama’s ban on same-sex marriage despite the practice being legalized nationwide.

The Republican Party, legally a private entity, can withdraw its endorsement of Moore – but his name will still appear on the ballot in Alabama. State law requires that candidates withdraw from the race no later than 76 days before their election–Moore’s contest will be held on December 12.

As of November 11, Moore had continued to enjoy the support of many of the state’s voters, holding an average lead of 4.7 percentage points according to the RealClearPolitics aggregation of statewide polls.  As of November 13, that lead had dropped to 2.0 percentage points.

UPDATE: Since the writing of this article, a fifth woman alleged that Moore made inappropriate sexual advances – claiming to have been 16 when the incident took place. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) publicly denounced Moore, saying he would be seeking write-in options for the Republican ticket.