Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey today described the allegations against former Chief Justice Roy Moore as "deeply disturbing," but said she is withholding judgment until all the facts are known.

"These allegations are deeply disturbing. I will hold judgment until we know the facts. The people of Alabama deserve to know the truth and will make their own decisions," a statement read.

Ivey on Wednesday said she would vote for Republican nominee Moore in the Dec. 12 Senate election but will not endorse him. That's in keeping with her standard practice of not endorsing candidates, according to a tweet from Alan Blinder, a New York Times reporter who covers Alabama and other southern states.

Ivey Press Secretary Daniel Sparkman declined to elaborate on Ivey's policy of not endorsing candidates.

Other Alabama officials are also speaking about the allegations.

"The allegations made against Roy Moore are very serious. If the allegations are true, then he does not need to be the Republican candidate for Senate," Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, who is running for the GOP nomination for governor, said in a press release.

Asked about the allegations earlier in the day, Battle told AL.com, "Any time you have a report like that, you are very concerned. You're concerned about the victims. And you're concerned to make sure it's true. I heard it two seconds ago. Any time that accusations come out, I think it's important for people to see what the truth is. You don't wash over things like that. You look at them and you look at them very seriously."

"I support the Republican candidate. That's what I've said I will do, support the Republican candidate. We don't condone anything. We don't condone actions. We support the Republican candidate and we're going to see where this all flies out. Lots of time and lots of more stories to come, I have a feeling, and more things to look at," Battle added.

State Auditor Jim Zeigler is sticking by his endorsement of Moore saying Moore had denied the allegations. "The Washington Post has had paid investigators in Alabama for the last month trying to dig up dirt on Roy Moore," Zeigler said. "The best they could come up with was something that happened 37 years ago that he denies."

"If there is merit to it and we lose the seat, we lose the seat. If there's not merit to it, yes. The odds are, there will be a lot of discussion. The typical feeding frenzy, our media has turned into the National Enquirer. Everything. All of it. Our whole political climate has turned into something silly," said State Rep. Mike Ball, R-Madison, who has endorsed Moore.

"Somebody came up and showed me a Huffington Post article, which is the only thing I've seen. The Huffington Post is not something I'm going to stake the future of the party or the nominee on,' said Sam Givhan, chair of the Madison County Republican Executive Committee and Senior Vice Chair of the Alabama GOP Steering Committee.

"Nonetheless, don't you find it curious that a national organization comes forward with this and not AL.com? I find it interesting this is coming out. This is highly suspicious to start with. Who knows whether it happened or not in this day of allegations. Look at the allegations we've seen in the media world here recently. I haven't even read the article yet," Givhan, a state senate candidate, added.

Sen. Trip Pittman, R-Montrose, one of the candidates Moore defeated for the Republican nomination and who later endorsed Moore, said he's sticking by that endorsement for now.

Pittman said when he read the Washington Post story he was reminded of the Duke University lacrosse players who were wrongly accused of sexually assaulting an exotic dancer in 2006. Pittman questioned the motives of the Moore's main accuser, who acknowledged in the story that her background might cast doubt on her credibility.

"This is 21st century politics and it's blood sport and I don't think there's anything people wouldn't do or say, especially when you're talking about a U.S. Senate seat," Pittman said.

Pittman said he expected more facts to come out.

"I'm going to continue to support the Roy Moore that went to West Point and served in Vietnam and has served his state and country and let the facts simmer and let's see ultimately what they are," Pittman said.

"This is not the first negative regarding Roy Moore. He's been removed from office on two occasions. This is just something else. But, again, our candidate, Doug Jones, is running on issues that will help the people in Alabama. He's not running on the downfalls of Roy Moore," Shelby County Democratic Party chairwoman Carole Marks said.

"Today's allegations against Roy Moore are deeply troubling. If true, Moore should step aside from his campaign immediately. Alabama voters deserve a candidate they can trust and who represents decency," Rep. Terri Sewell, the state's only Democrat in Congress, tweeted.

"If these allegations are true, there is no place for Roy Moore in the United States Senate," Sen. Richard Shelby, who backed Luther Strange in the primary but did not go on to endorse Moore in the general election, said in a statement.

AL.com reporters Mike Cason, Paul Gattis, Howard Koplowitz and John Sharp contributed to this report.