Democrat Doug Jones, once viewed as a long shot to win the Alabama Senate seat vacated when Jeff Sessions became U.S. attorney general, was declared the victor in that race late on election night after a controversial campaign in which his opponent fought allegations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.
As of 11:45 p.m. ET, with 100% of the state's precincts reporting, Jones led Republican Roy Moore by more than 20,000 votes, or 49.9% to 48.4%, according to The Associated Press.
Moore faced resistance from a majority of Republican senators who called for him to step aside following the allegations, which were first reported by The Washington Post. He refused to concede defeat in an appearance before supporters after media outlets called the election for Jones.
Republicans will control the Senate by a slim 51-49 margin once Jones is sworn in, which will not occur until the Senate finishes its work this year, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters while the polls were still open on Dec. 12. Jones therefore will not vote on the tax reform bill under consideration by Congress if, as GOP leaders expect, they approve the measure before the end of 2017.
The White House said President Donald Trump will be having lunch on Dec. 13 with members of a House-Senate conference committee convened to reconcile the versions of the tax reform bill passed by both chambers. The committee is scheduled to hold a public session later that day.
Trump responded to the result with a tweet encouraging his party to challenge Jones in the next election. "Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory," Trump wrote. "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!"
Jones is a former federal prosecutor known for obtaining the convictions of two men in the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four young African-American girls. Those convictions came in 2001 and 2003. Moore is a former chief justice in the state but was removed twice from that position by judicial authorities.
