The Alabama Senate race took another twist as Republican nominee Roy Moore got into a Twitter fight with a late-night talk show host on Thursday, a day after claiming that allegations of sexual misconduct against him were the result of a conspiracy that included “lesbians, gays, bisexuals and socialists”.

Moore engaged in a back-and-forth with ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who had planted a comedian at an event in a south Alabama church to supportively heckle the Republican candidate. Tony Barbieri, who has long worked with Kimmel, praised Moore as “a man’s man” and insisted of the Alabama Republican: “Does that look like the face of someone who hits on teenage girls?”

Moore has faced multiple allegations that he sexually assaulted teenage girls in late 1970s. A number of other women have come forward to say that he had pursued them when he was in his 30s and they were teenagers.

Moore has emphatically denied the allegations and suggested they are part of a joint effort by Democrats and “the establishment” to defeat him.

In response to the prank, Moore, in a tweet, accused Kimmel of “mocking Christian values”.

Moore wrote: “If you want to mock our Christian values, come down here to Alabama and do it man to man.”

Kimmel responded by tweeting: “Sounds great Roy – let me know when you get some Christian values and I’ll be there!”

Moore responded with an invitation. “Despite D.C. and Hollywood Elites’ bigotry towards southerners, Jimmy, we’ll save you a seat on the front pew.”

Kimmel hit back by referencing the allegations against Moore: “OK Roy, but I’m leaving my daughters at home! P.S. - wear that cute little leather vest.”

The back-and-forth with Kimmel represented the most detailed questioning Moore has faced from a hostile interviewer since the original allegations were published by the Washington Post.

Moore has consistently dodged the media and refused to debate his Democratic opponent, Doug Jones. Moore told conservative talk show host Sean Hannity shortly after the first women came forward that he would not debate Jones because of his “very liberal stance on transgenderism and transgenderism in the military and in bathrooms”.

Moore laid out his theory of the conspiracy against him in further detail on Wednesday. He said that did not only include Democrats and Washington Republicans, but also encompassed “lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender … who want to change our culture. [And] socialists who want to change our way of life.”

Roy Moore names quite explicitly the “THEY” behind the “malicious” attacks against him. (At a church in Theodore, AL) pic.twitter.com/mccnDyfcK7 — Vaughn Hillyard (@VaughnHillyard) November 30, 2017

Moore also went on to claim that “drugs were at the base” of the allegations against him. He cited a report from a rightwing news network. The report was an attempt to discredit a former police officer who said she was assigned to keep Moore away from teenage girls during high school sporting events because her sons were arrested for dealing drugs.

The Alabama Republican currently has a narrow poll lead against Jones in the special election for the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions’ appointment as US attorney general.