Doug Jones' victory in Alabama comes on special anniversary
"Dec. 12 has always been a historic day for the Jones family," Jones said.
— -- On Tuesday, Doug Jones became the first Democrat in more than two decades to be voted into the U.S. Senate from reliably red Alabama. But he called the day historic for another reason: It was his 25th wedding anniversary.
“I have said throughout this campaign that I thought that Dec. 12 would be a historic day,” Jones said during his victory speech Tuesday night. “But I gotta tell you — and you know where I’m headed — Dec. 12 has always been a historic day for the Jones family.”
“This is, as you know, mine and Louise’s 25th wedding anniversary. My running mate, my partner. I could not have done this without her,” he added as he reached out to kiss his smiling wife.
Jones went on to thank her for her “love,” “support” and “encouragement” over the years.
“This has been a wonderful night,” he said. “I am truly overwhelmed.”
“We have shown not just around the state of Alabama, but we have shown the country the way that we can be unified,” Jones added.
Jones, a former U.S. attorney, was projected by ABC News to defeat Republican Roy Moore in a closely watched special election that gained national attention after several women accused Moore of sexual misconduct toward them decades ago, when some were teenagers. Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, denied those claims throughout the race.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting as of midnight Wednesday, Jones led Moore 49.9 to 48.4 percent — a difference of just under 21,000 votes.
Moore, however, refused to concede defeat late Tuesday, telling supporters, “It's not over.”
Jones is set to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions when he became attorney general. Jones' term will expire in January 2021.