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National Election Results: presidential

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Roy Moore accuser: 'It's a relief to know' he lost

Beverly Young Nelson accused Roy Moore of trying to assault her when she was 16.

ByABC News
December 13, 2017, 10:25 PM

— -- Beverly Young Nelson, the woman who accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of trying to assault her when she was 16 years old, told ABC News that she was "surprised" and "happy" he lost the race.

Democrat Doug Jones defeated Moore in an upset Tuesday night. It was the first time a Democrat had won a Senate seat in Alabama in 25 years.

"It's a relief to know that he's not going to be in the office and that this may not happen again," Nelson said of Moore. "Hopefully."

Nelson has accused Moore of groping her in the 1970s while he was the deputy district attorney of Etowah County. At the time, she was a 16-year-old waitress working at a restaurant in Gadsden, Alabama.

Nelson claims that Moore offered her a ride home one night, but he instead parked the car and tried to assault her. She alleges that he later instructed her not to tell anyone about the alleged incident.

Moore has vehemently denied Nelson's allegation, as well as allegations from other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct, calling them "completely false" and "malicious" during a rally in Henagar, Alabama last month.

Roy Moore walks off stage at his watch party in Montgomery, Alabama, Dec. 12, 2017.
Dan Anderson/EPA

After Nelson went public with her allegation in November, she said that her children had been threatened and that she was afraid to leave her home. But, on Wednesday, she said she felt as if she and the other women who came forward made a difference in the outcome of the election.

Despite how hard she says it was for her to come forward, Nelson said she was "happy" she did so.

"It's like I have had just a concrete barrier lifted off my back," she said. "And I'm just so happy that I went ahead and got this over."

When asked if she had thought Alabama voters would ever elect a Democrat, Nelson, who described herself to ABC News previously as a Republican and a supporter of President Donald Trump, replied, "No, I did not. It has been Republican for so long."

She also had a strong message for those who still decided to vote for Moore.

"You know, that's just not good that they would choose a man just because he is a Republican, not thinking about what he's done...." Nelson said. "Surely, they should think about their own children and their grandchildren -- how it's going to affect them."

Beverly Nelson seen here during an interview with "Nightline" on Dec. 13, 2017.

Nelson said she received messages of congratulations from all over the country on Wednesday, describing the day after the election as an "amazing day for [her]."

"I've had people in Alabama who have gone out -- who have never voted before -- to vote in my honor," she said. "And I'm just thrilled."

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