Alabama Republicans are defiantly standing by Senate candidate Roy Moore despite calls from the national GOP for the embattled candidate to pull out of the race, Michael Scherer reports in the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post:

“Alabamians will be the ultimate jury in this election, not the media or those from afar,” said state party chairwoman Terry Lathan.

Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said Friday she would vote for Moore despite being bothered by the accusations against him, because, “I believe in the Republican Party, what we stand for, and most important, we need to have a Republican in the United States Senate to vote on things like the Supreme Court justices.”

Similar sentiments are coming from local-level Republicans such as Steve Morgan, the vice chairman of the Bibb County GOP in rural central Alabama, who says he doesn’t know what to make of the allegations against Moore but is frustrated by the involvement of those who live outside of Alabama — starting with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and other national leaders who have abandoned Moore.

“The people in Alabama don’t like to be told what to do,” said Morgan, 69, who did not support Moore in the GOP primary.

“I never liked Roy Moore,” he continued. “But guess what? I’m voting for Roy Moore, because I hate the stupidity that has invaded the Republican Party.”