Democrat Doug Jones has won the special U.S. Senate election in Alabama, defeating Republican Roy Moore in what has long been a reliably red state after the candidate was besieged by allegations of sexual misconduct.
With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Doug led with 49.7 percent of the vote against Moore’s 48.7 percent. His win was fueled in part by a lower than usual turnout among Republicans and a higher turnout among Democrats, particularly among African American voters.
It will be the first time since 1997 that a Democrat has served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama. The race was thrown into the national spotlight when several women accused Moore of sexual misconduct. Moore has denied the allegations.
Moore’s loss is an upset for President Donald Trump, who endorsed Moore despite the allegations, telling his supporters that the Republican Party could not afford to lose a vote in the Senate, where the Republican Party’s lead will fall to 51 vs 49 for Democrats.
Supporters at Jones’ campaign headquarters in Birmingham erupted in loud cheers as news organizations predicted a win for their candidate. There was no immediate response from Moore, the National Republican Party, or Trump.
“Tonight, Alabama voters elected a senator who’ll make them proud,” former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who lost last year’s election to Trump, said on Twitter, adding: “And if Democrats can win in Alabama, we can — and must — compete everywhere. Onward!”
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