Democrat Doug Jones has won the Alabama Senate special election, a victory that was a stunning upset in a deeply red state that voted overwhelmingly for President Trump. The president, who had backed Republican Roy Moore despite multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and assault, congratulated Jones on Twitter.
| NAME | VOTES | PERCENT |
|---|---|---|
| Doug Jones (Dem) | 671,151 | 49.9% |
| Roy Moore (GOP) | 650,436 | 48.4% |
| Total Write-Ins | 22,819 | 1.7% |
The win by Jones, projected by The Associated Press two hours after the polls closed Tuesday night, is sure to send shock waves through Washington. The special election to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who left the Senate in February, was upended in November as multiple women came forward to say Moore had pursued them romantically as teenagers when he was in his 30s. Some alleged he had sexually assaulted them, including one woman who said he had initiated sexual contact with her when she was just 14. Moore has denied the accusations.
The unfolding controversy made what should have been a safe GOP race anything but. It's the first Democratic Senate victory in the state in 25 years and now gives Republicans an even narrower, 51-49 Senate majority that could imperil GOP legislative priorities in 2018. Jones will be up for re-election to a full term in 2020.
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