Story highlights President Trump went from silence to cautious defense to full-throated support

Here's a look at the shift among Republicans in headlines and quotes about Moore

Washington (CNN) The path to the Republican Party's acceptance of Roy Moore was paved by one thing: Cold, hard political calculus. And math. So, two things.

The evolution, which is nearly complete, was helped along by President Donald Trump, who went from silence on Moore to cautious defense of Moore's denials to a full-throated support of Moore Monday morning. Trump's reason? Democrats cannot be allowed to get the Senate seat in Alabama.

Republicans really, really want to pass a tax cuts/tax reform bill. And they're most of the way there, but they'll need a Republican in office to make that tax cut effort happen. Moore, as the guy who earned his way onto the ballot, is the only Republican who can feasibly win that key Senate seat.

You can sense that pivot in statements not only by Trump, although his are the most direct, but also from Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Susan Collins, among others.

Here we chart the shift among Republicans in headlines and quotes picked from the 25 days since the the Washington Post's initial story about the sexual advances Moore made on teenagers when he was in 30s.