On December 12, for the first time since 1992, Alabama elected a Democrat—Doug Jones—to represent their state in the United States Senate. What was once believed to be an easy victory for Republican Roy Moore quickly shifted to a defeat after a callous campaign including accusations of sexual abuse and child molestation. The senatorial election became a contentious race, garnering national attention.
Moore had already held a long-standing reputation as a fierce supporter of Christianity in the public sphere. “We’ve got to remember that most of what we do in court comes from some Scripture or is backed by Scripture,” Moore said after taking the oath of office. He was removed from the position of Alabama Chief Justice twice: once in 2003 for refusing to remove a 5200-pound statue of the Ten Commandments from the state judicial building’s lobby, even after receiving orders for its removal by a federal judge, and again in 2016 for encouraging state judges to defy the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage.
The controversy over Moore split the Republicans into those who supported his ideals despite the sexal abuse allegations and those who were not willing to compromise on such issue. President Trump endorsed Moore throughout his campaign, taking the stance of Republicans who believe party platform outweighs abuse scandals. With a Democratic win bringing the Senate makeup to 51-49 Republicans-Democrats, some suspect Trump’s support came from the motivation to maintain a Republican majority in order to advance his policy. He tweeted a congratulatory statement to Jones:
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Dec. 13, 2017
Jones conquered Alabama’s intimidating demographics and deep cultural conservatism through his campaign, targeting African-American voters and encouraging white voters to turn away from the Republican Party. As shown below, African-American turnout was crucial for Jones’ win.
Jones’ victory was solidified by the moderate Republicans who opted to write in a third candidate instead of supporting either of the two major party nominees. Over 20,000 people casted write-in ballots. This amounted to approximately 1.7% of the electorate, which incidentally, is nearly the overall margin by which Jones won the election (Jones received 49.92% of the vote, and Moore 48.38%).
“We have shown the country the way that we can be unified,” Jones declared, following his victory. “This entire race has been about dignity and respect. This campaign has been about the rule of law.”
