Evangelicals aren't "the most devout Christians," they are the most ardent culture warriors. This has nothing to do with theology or doctrinal disputes over the role of the church in public life. This is about the aggrieved, old white people who wrap themselves in the cloth of faith in order to hate on people they don't like.
This is how they rallied around Donald Trump last fall after the tape came out where he boasted of sexually assaulting women. Didn't matter. Trump was willing to hate the same people the Evangelicals hate. He was willing to pick fights with the uppity Negroes of the NFL; feminists; LGBTQ activists; scientists; bureaucrats; reason; compassion...all the enemies of the narrow minded bigots who cloak themselves in the Blood of the Lamb. That mattered more than any actual behavior.
Trump's victory is, of course, why Moore is very unlikely to drop out of the race. If accusations of sexual assault weren't enough to deny Trump the presidency for 46% of the general population, why should it be enough to deny Moore a seat in deep red Alabama?
I honestly don't know if Moore or Jones will win. Any substantial write-in campaign for Jeff Sessions or Luther Strange could tip the balance to Jones. While Evangelicals make up a substantial part of the GOP, I don't think they make up a majority of Alabamans.
Keep an eye on the women of Alabama. Most of the people rushing to defend Roy Moore have been male. Republican women swallowed their pride and scruples to vote for Trump last year. But child molestation is, honestly, the worst thing out there. It's the crime even prison populations consider beyond the pale.
In prison, murderers get a certain respect, but child molesters are pariahs. Do Alabama Republicans have the moral scruples of felons?
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