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U.S. NEWS A3
Friday 29 December 2017
Democrat Jones officially declared winner over Roy Moore
Continued from Front ed his lead over Moore. U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks at a campaign rally in Midland City, Ala. Moore is going
Jones had a lead of 20,715 to court to try to stop Alabama from certifying Democrat Doug Jones as the winner of the U.S. Sen-
Jones said in a statement in the unofficial returns and ate race. Moore filed a lawsuit Wednesday evening, Dec. 27, 2017, in Montgomery Circuit Court.
that he looked forward to was ahead 21,924 in the
going to work for the peo- certified result. In all, more (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
ple of Alabama in the new than 1.3 million people vot-
year. ed in the special election,
“As I said on election night, including 22,850 write-in
our victory marks a new votes.
chapter for our state and Jones is a former U.S. at-
the nation,” he said. “I will torney best known for pros-
be an independent voice ecuting two Ku Klux Klans-
and work to find common men responsible for Bir-
ground with my colleagues mingham’s infamous 1963
on both sides of the aisle to church bombing.
get Washington back on As he launched his cam-
track and fight to make our paign, he said he saw an
country a better place for opening for a rare Demo-
all.” cratic win against Moore,
Jones will be sworn in on a polarizing figure in the
Jan. 3, narrowing the GOP’s state. Moore was a twice
advantage in the U.S. Sen- removed from the posi-
ate to 51-49. He takes over tion of chief justice of the
the seat previously held by Alabama Supreme Court.
Attorney General Jeff Ses- Once was for defying a
sions. federal court order to re-
In a brief meeting Thurs- move a Ten Command-
day at the Alabama Capi- ments monument from the
tol, the governor, attorney state judicial building. And
general and secretary of he was permanently sus-
state signed paperwork pended last year for urg-
certifying the final ballot ing probate judges to deny
numbers. It was a quiet marriage licenses to same-
punctuation mark to a tu- sex couples in defiance of
multuous election marked federal court rulings.
by the misconduct accu- Moore’s campaign was
sations and Moore’s elev- deeply wounded by the
enth-hour legal fight. sexual misconduct accu-
Moore had refused to con- sations. Moore denied the
cede his loss to Jones and accusations and said in the
filed a last-ditch lawsuit lawsuit that he had passed
hours before the certifica- a polygraph test to prove
tion, saying he believed they are false.
there were voting irregu- Moore’s attorney wrote
larities that should be inves- in the wide-ranging com-
tigated. A judge denied his plaint that he believed
request to stop the elec- there were irregularities
tion certification. Alabama during the election, includ-
Secretary of State John ing that voters may have
Merrill said his office has so been brought in from oth-
far found no evidence of er states. He attached a
fraud. statement from a poll work-
In a brief statement, Moore er that she had noticed li-
stood by his claims that the censes from Georgia and
election was fraudulent North Carolina as people
and said he had to fight signed in to vote. The com-
Democrats and over $50 plaint also noted the high-
million in opposition spend- er-than-expected turnout
ing from the Washington in the race, particularly in
establishment. He said he Jefferson County.
had no regrets. “This is not a Republican or
“I have stood for the truth Democrat issue as election
about God and the Con- integrity should matter to
stitution for the people of everyone,” Moore said in a
Alabama,” he said. statement Wednesday.
On election night, Moore Rick Hasen, an election
had pegged his hopes on law expert and professor at
votes from military service- the University of California,
man and provisional bal- Irvine, said Moore’s com-
lots. The official numbers plaint did not raise the sort
certified Thursday showed of issues that lead courts to
that Jones slightly expand- overturn an election.q
