I think significant objection to Moore came from the Rainbow Mafia, who wanted him out for refusing to order judges to go against the Alabama Constitution and issue same sex marriage licenses. While the Federal order was not directed at Moore, he, as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supremes voiced his opposition to a Circuit court judge ordering a State to violate a Constitutional Amendment voted in by over 2/3 of the voters.
His opponent's son was an open homosexual.
Forty year old allegations which had not so much as been a complaint prior to the election, backed by Gloria Allred, with fundamental factual inconsistencies, evidence of possible forgery, and one of which read like a letter to Penthouse Forum combined with inflammatory rhetoric about 'molesting children' old enough to vote made the whole thing an obvious hit designed to appeal to maternal instincts/emotions and to provoke a loss of support among evangelicals, of the very person who had lost his job over keeping a monument to the Ten Commandments. (and again for the refusal to order judges to act contrary to the State Constitution--upholding traditional marriage).
Unfortunately, that worked just well enough that he lost the election, be that through actual vote count or fraud.