The mid-December special election in Alabama for the Senate seat vacated by current AG Jeff Sessions is right around the corner.

Many in the GOP still contend that voting for Republican candidate Judge Roy Moore, despite the many allegations against him, is the right course of action. After all, they can’t let a Democrat win even if it means voting for an unprincipled, predatory Republican.

This is the pull of political tribalism where all some see is the party letter next to someone’s name.

President Trump, who heartily endorsed candidate Luther Strange, is one of those people, as made evident by his social media.

The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is WEAK on Crime, WEAK on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, AND WANTS TO RAISES TAXES TO THE SKY. Jones would be a disaster!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017

I endorsed Luther Strange in the Alabama Primary. He shot way up in the polls but it wasn’t enough. Can’t let Schumer/Pelosi win this race. Liberal Jones would be BAD!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2017

Frankly, I don’t expect Mr. “When You’re a Star They Let You Do It” to be so bothered by the allegations against Judge Moore that he would back away from supporting him, albeit indirectly. He needs all the help he can get in the Senate.

Thankfully, not all Republicans feel the way that Trump and others do. One of them is Senator Tim Scott, a consistent voice of reason in a confused climate.

On Sunday morning, Scott was on the ABC show “This Week” where he said Moore should hit the road.

Republican Sen. Tim Scott: “It is pretty clear to me that the best thing that Roy Moore can do for the country is to move on.” (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/4ksq4SkAvh

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 26, 2017

“It is pretty clear to me that the best thing that Roy Moore can do for the country is to move on,” Scott told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an exclusive interview Sunday.

“It is time for us to turn the page because it is not about partisan politics,” Scott said. “It is not about electing Republicans versus Democrats. This is about the character of our country. I want to be on the side of right when history writes the story.”

Senator Scott is exactly right. This is entirely a character issue, and how Republicans react to the ongoing Moore drama says much. Will they cave and put politics above principles (remember 2016?), or push for Moore to leave the race?

There aren’t enough legislators like Tim Scott out there among all the members of Congress, and that is truly unfortunate. Partisan politics should take a backburner to principled leadership.

It’s clear that a sitting Senator has more courage to do what’s right in this situation than the president of the United States. Roy Moore has no business becoming Tim Scott’s GOP colleague.

Senator Scott recognizes that and isn’t shy about openly declaring it.