Democrat Jones wins Alabama in huge blow to Trump

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Democrat Doug Jones has won a surprise victory over Republican Roy Moore in a special Senate election in the deeply conservative state of Alabama, US.

Jones narrowly defeated Moore according to projections from major US networks, cutting the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49 and further limiting US President Donald Trump’s chances of passing legislation.

Moore refused to immediately concede, saying not all votes were counted and noting that if the final margin is within 0.5 percent an automatic recount will take place.

Democratic candidate Doug Jones acknowledges supporters at the election night party in Birmingham, Alabama, US, December 12, 2017. /Reuters Photo

'Historic day' for Alabama

Jones, addressing cheering supporters in a victory speech on Tuesday evening, said he was "truly overwhelmed" and hailed a "historic day" in Alabama. He pledged to build bridges across communities to benefit Alabamians and Americans.

“I have always believed that the people of Alabama have more in common than divides us,” the 63-year-old said. “We have shown the country the way that we can be unified.”

Jones, the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama for 25 years, is best known for prosecuting former Ku Klux Klan members responsible in 1963 for bombing a black church in Alabama in which four girls were killed.

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“This entire race has been about dignity and respect," he told supporters. "This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure everyone in this state, regardless of zip code, is going to get a fair shake in life.”

Jones will complete the term of Jeff Sessions, who vacated his Alabama Senate seat to take over as US Attorney General.

Defeat a blow for Trump

The Democratic victory is a major threat to Trump’s agenda and a personal defeat for the president.

The Republican majority in the Senate has been cut to 51-49, the same margin by which the party's signature tax bill was passed earlier in December.

Republicans are expected to speed up a final vote on the tax bill, before Jones takes his seat in the Senate.

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Trump supported Moore’s challenger Luther Strange in the Republican primary, while the president’s former strategist Steve Bannon was at the forefront of Moore’s campaign. However, after Moore was abandoned by much of the Republican establishment, Trump put his support fully behind the controversial 70-year-old.

The defeat for Moore is also a setback for Bannon, who has declared a “season of war” against the Republican establishment.

Defeated Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore arrives on his horse to cast his ballot in Alabama, US, December 12, 2017. /Reuters Photo

For the Democrats, Jones' victory not only tightens the Senate margin but also gives the party fresh momentum ahead of the 2018 midterm congressional elections.

Moore entered the race as a comfortable favorite, but lost a significant lead after accusations of sexual misconduct turned an expected cruise into a neck-and-neck race. He has repeatedly denied claims that he pursued teenage girls when he was in the 30s.

Supporters of Republican US Senate candidate Roy Moore react after media began to call the election for rival candidate Democrat Doug Jones, in Montgomery, Alabama, December 12, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Moore was a divisive figure even before he was accused of sexual misconduct. He was twice removed from the state Supreme Court for refusing to abide by federal law, has praised the period in which slavery existed in the US as a time “families were strong,” and has said homosexuality should be illegal and Muslims should be barred from serving in Congress.

The Senate was expected to launch an ethics inquiry into Moore’s past conduct he had been elected.

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