It’s official: Doug Jones has been elected as Senator for the state of Alabama.
AP reports that that Jones has clinched the seat, and CNN reports that he leads Moore by nearly 9,000 votes with 92 percent of votes tallied.
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The explosive midterm election finally came to a close tonight, with voters showing up in record numbers on both sides. The entire country has watched as the race between former state judge Roy Moore and former federal prosecutor Jones took twists and turns that voters couldn’t believe.
Most Americans were first introduced to Roy Moore when he pulled out a handgun onstage at a rally in late September. The stunt got him on the evening news, but he didn’t really start making waves until November.
The Washington Post broke the story about Moore’s sexual misconduct on Nov. 9. He was accused of pursuing relationships with girls as young as 14 while he was in his thirties, and working as an assistant district attorney. Since then, a total of nine women have come forward with stories about Moore, including one accusation of sexual assault from a woman who was 16 at the time.
Republicans stood by Moore through all the turmoil, which terrified people on the left. As a result, Moore’s Democratic opponent got unprecedented support from powerful figures in and out of politics. The race became a national issue, as liberals seemed to see it as a chance for a do-over after their loss in the presidential race last year shocked them so much.
Alabamanians went to the polls on Tuesday knowing the entire country was watching. Many of them likely remembered that just last year, Governor Robert Bentley was forced out of office due to a sex scandal. With the reputation of their state on the line, Alabama residents came out in force to show the world where they stand.
