Doug Jones Wins Alabama Senate Seat

Last Tuesday, Democrat Doug Jones won a special election in Alabama to become the state’s next senator. The race has dominated national news headlines for weeks. Alabama has not had a Democratic senator in a quarter century. Here, we take a closer look at what happened on this “special election” day in Alabama.

A Difficult Race

You’re probably aware by now of the charges recently brought against Doug Jones’s opponent, Republican Roy Moore. Moore, a former judge, was accused of molesting several teenage girls back when he was in his thirties. Moore has denied these charges, but even so, many prominent Republicans refused to support him and requested that he exit the race. However, one Republican who stood by Moore’s side right up until the end was President Trump. Trump campaigned for Moore and recorded advertisements and robocalls on his behalf.

Trump’s refusal to take the charges against Moore seriously angered many Democrats, and support for Jones poured in from all over the nation. Jones, a former prosecutor, is best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klan members who were responsible for the church bombing that killed four young black girls in 1963.

In the last weeks of the race, despite Trump’s support for Moore, Jones raised over $10 million and used that money on extensive advertising and voter turnout campaigns. He targeted cities, colleges, and predominantly black communities in an effort to rally popular support. Moore, on the other hand, was largely absent from the campaign trail.

A Surprising Turnout

On Election Day, as predicted, Jones won heavily in Birmingham, Huntsville, and other cities, as well as their suburbs. Surprisingly, Republicans with high levels of education shifted toward Jones as well. However, the real support came from African American voters, who turned out in large numbers and voted overwhelmingly in favor of Jones. Also important was the write-in factor: more than 20,000 Republican-leaning voters cast a ballot for a write-in candidate rather than vote for either Jones or Moore. That comes out to about 1.7 percent of the electorate, which was roughly how much Moore lost by. In the end, Jones received 49.92 percent of the vote, and Moore received 48.38 percent.

What Was the Response?

An hour after the Associated Press called the race for Jones, Moore finally took the stage in front of his supporters. However, he refused to concede the election to Jones. Moore also indicated that he would like a recount. Any candidate is allowed to request a recount, though they have to pay for it themselves. According to Alabama’s Secretary of State, however, a recount is unlikely to change the outcome of the election.

Congressional Republicans have had mixed responses to the election results. Many have expressed relief that the controversial Moore now won’t bring scandal with him to the Senate. Others are concerned about the future of the Republican Party. Moore’s loss means that Republicans will now control only 51 Senate seats, and Democrats 49. This will severely challenge Republican control of the Senate and set the stage for a possible Democratic majority in 2018.

What Do You Think? Donald Trump vocally supported Moore’s campaign, even after the charges of sexual misconduct against Moore were brought to light. Then Moore lost, despite the president’s endorsement. Do you think the results of this election will affect how people view Trump? Why or why not?