Alabama GOP Concedes Election To Jones, But Moore Has Not

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The day after a loss can be difficult in any facet of life, and especially in politics. Now that Republican Roy Moore has lost his bid to become Alabama's next U.S. senator, the GOP in Alabama likely has some studying to do. After all, Doug Jones became the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alabama since 1992, and even then, that was when Richard Shelby, now a Republican, ran as a Democrat and won. Shelby would later switch parties two years after winning election in 1992.

Shelby said on social media he has already spoken to Jones and said, "I look forward to working with him." Jones said in a press conference Wednesday he also received a "gracious" congratulatory call from President Donald Trump, but has not heard from Moore.

Moore has refused to concede the election to Jones, waiting to see what the counting of provisional ballots might reveal. "We need to wait it out, and let this process play out," Moore said late Tuesday night. "We know that God is always in control." Moore said when an election is this close, he needs to wait for all votes and a possible recount before conceding.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said an automatic recount could be done only if the margin of victory is half a percentage point or less. Jones has a 1.9 percent lead. However, Merrill said all provisional ballots will be counted by next Tuesday. Merrill said he would find it "highly unlikely" for Jones to end up not being the winner. Moore's campaign can pay for a recount, but no one from the Moore camp said whether or not that will happen.

The Alabama Republican Party chair Terry Lathan said the party remains optimistic for the future, but her statement implied that the GOP has accepted Moore's loss. “While we are deeply disappointed in the extremely close U.S. Senate election results, with our candidate Judge Roy Moore, we respect the voting process given to us by our Founding Fathers," Lathan said. "We are grateful to the army of Republican volunteers who sacrificed their time to help during this most important race. We are also thankful to President Trump and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for their support. Good conservative government and policies are always worth pursuing."

Senator Luther Strange, who Jones will replace in Washington, issued a statement as well regarding the election, with a similar message. "The people of Alabama made their voices heard last night," Strange said. "I respect their decision, and I congratulate Doug Jones on a well-earned victory."

He added, "Serving the people of Alabama as a twice-elected Attorney General and now as Senator has been the honor of a lifetime. I am grateful to my friends, Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby, for their strong leadership, and I am proud to have worked with the President to put rule-of-law judges on our courts, roll back harmful regulations, and design a plan to give tax relief to Alabama’s working families."

Jones said he understands that representing a traditionally conservative state is going to require compromise. "People are looking for someone they can talk to, even if they don't always agree with each other," he said. "Not everyone is going to agree with me, but it is so important that we sit down and find common ground, sit down and talk about what matters."

He said he realizes there is a large segment of people who voted for him just to vote against Roy Moore. "I am okay with that," Jones said. "It shows they are against that kind of thinking, and that kind of rhetoric."

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