Updated

The Latest on the Alabama Senate race (all times local).:

8:00 p.m.

Republican Roy Moore defended himself against sexual misconduct allegations in a speech at a south Alabama church, but was briefly shouted down by a heckler.

A man in the crowd shouted at Moore, asking, "All the girls are lying?" He was quickly escorted from the church by security, as some members shouted, "Get out of here."

Moore has denied accusations of sexual misconduct with teens with he was a prosecutor in his 30s. Moore said he did not know the women.

The church gave Moore a standing ovation.

Some church members briefly got into a shouting match with another man outside the church who accused Moore of distorting Bible verses.

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This story has been corrected to show that the man in the crowd asked if all the girls were lying, not women.

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7:02 p.m.

Former White House adviser Steve Bannon will campaign for embattled Senate candidate Roy Moore next week in Alabama.

Dean Young, a longtime associate of Moore's, announced Wednesday night that Bannon will attend a south Alabama rally with Moore on December 5.

Young urged people to attend the rally and told a crowd gathered to hear Moore speak at a Magnolia Springs Baptist Church in Theodore, that "the world is watching" to see how Alabama votes in the Dec. 12 U.S. Senate race.

Theodore is 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Mobile.

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2:01 p.m.

Republican Roy Moore of Alabama, his Senate bid stung by allegations of sexual misconduct decades ago, is seeking to steer his race against Democrat rival Doug Jones to a hot-button issue in this conservative state: abortion.

In speeches and his campaign posts on social media, Moore has sought to turn the special election to that and other social issues while wooing Alabama's significant bloc of religious-minded voters. Moore even says he hopes to help reverse the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.

Jones has said Moore is trying to divert attention from what the Democrat calls the "serious" allegations the Republican faces.

Jones also says he does not favor new restrictions on abortions and adds a woman's decision should be hers alone.

Alabama's special Senate election is Dec. 12.