Never heard of him...

Senate Republicans have never heard of Roy Moore

Numerous GOP senators said they were not familiar with the Alabama Senate candidate’s controversial views — but they want him elected.

By JOHN BRESNAHAN

Senate Republicans say they know almost nothing about Roy Moore, their wildly controversial candidate in the Alabama special election. But they really, really want him to be elected to the Senate.

What about Moore's history of racially insensitive comments? Haven't heard anything. Homophobic remarks? Nada. Moore's claim that some American communities are living under Sharia law? Crickets. Moore's statement that 9/11 happened "because we’ve distanced ourselves from God"? Nothing for you on that. Moore's assertion that Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison shouldn't be allowed to serve in Congress because he's a Muslim? We'll get back to you. Moore saying Mitch McConnell should be replaced as Senate majority leader? Uhh, zip.

The day after Moore handily defeated incumbent GOP Sen. Luther Strange — who was backed by both McConnell and President Donald Trump — his potential future Senate GOP colleagues insist they're not aware of the years of inflammatory comments and actions by the Alabama jurist. And they're not going to "pre-judge" Moore at all because, well, he'll just be one of 100 senators and they're all equal in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body.

Well-trained by now in ducking the latest Trump verbal or online gaffe, the only thing that matters for party leaders is what Moore does from now on — not what he's done before. And that he wins the Dec. 12 runoff against Democrat Doug Jones.

"I don't know anything about Roy Moore," said Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). "If I've read anything he's said, I wouldn't have any recollection of it."

“I don’t know him. I think I’ll leave it there," said Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who laughed when asked about Moore. "I supported Luther Strange."

"I've never met the gentleman," said Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson. "Being from Georgia, which is next to Alabama, I've heard his name in the Alabama Supreme Court. I know what I've seen on TV and what I've read in the papers."

So what does Isakson think about Moore? "I like to keep my comments to my own."

"He's entitled to his opinion. This is America, you can believe what you want," declared Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana. Is Moore a racist or homophobe? "You're gonna have to talk to him about that."

Sen. Roger Wicker of neighboring Mississippi said he couldn’t recall whether he’d ever met Moore. And if he had, Wicker added, it was many years ago.

"I want to make sure we hold the seat. I want to make sure he wins in Alabama," insisted wyoming Sen. John Barasso.

When asked what it meant for Republicans to back someone who has made racist comments, Barasso dodged the question. "To me, there's no place for racism," Barasso said. "I want to see the comments."

Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada — who faces a potentially tough primary and general election challenge this cycle — told The Associated Press that he wasn't even aware that Moore had won the Alabama Republican primary on Tuesday, despite a day of nonstop TV coverage of the race about what his victory meant for Trump, McConnell and the GOP.

"Who won? I wasn't paying attention," Heller said. "I'm just worried about taxes."

"He's going to be for tax reform, I think," volunteered Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio. "I don't know, I don't know him."

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the lone African-American Republican in the Senate, said he "didn't know anything about Roy Moore, and I'm not going to comment about anything I haven't read about. ... I literally have not followed that race."

Alabama GOP Sen. Richard Shelby backed Strange over Moore in the race to replace now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. But after Moore's primary win in heavily red Alabama, Shelby predicted he'd be victorious in December.

Shelby, though, was less eager to talk about Moore's record.

"Roy Moore is unique," Shelby said cautiously. "A lot of people have history up here."

When asked what Moore's victory means for the GOP — whether winning is ultimately more important than the person who is elected — Shelby said, "I'm gonna leave that up to y'all."

There was one Republican who admitted to knowing about Moore's record and not liking it — Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona.

"Yeah, I know his history," Flake said in an interview. "I’m obviously not enamored with his politics because that’s not the future of the Republican Party, that’s for sure."