By Morgan Bryce
Associate Editor
Alabama voters have named Doug Jones as their next U.S. Senator.
In what had been a heated political campaign against Republican nominee Roy Moore, Jones was named the election winner at 9:37 p.m., with precincts in heavily blue cities like Birmingham and Montgomery yet to report their final numbers.
Final statewide voting numbers were still being tallied at press time, but Lee County’s results were available. According to statistics provided by the Alabama Secretary of State’s website, a total of 34,499 votes were cast, with 19,810 or 57.42% of that total going to Jones.
Both candidates were vying for the open seat that was vacated by current Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who left the post in February to join President Donald Trump’s administration.
Prior to being elected Senator, Jones had spent the past 20 years as the U.S Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama. He is best known for his successful prosecution of the two surviving Ku Klux Klan members who were involved in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmigham in 1963, which killed four young girls and injured 22 others.
During the Democratic primary held in August, Jones won with 63 percent of the vote, beating out seven other candidates vying for the nomination.
Throughout his campaign, Jones platformed on the ideas of protecting the Affordable Care Act, increasing the living wage for Alabama residents to match today’s cost-of-living standards, finding alternatives for Alabama inmates other lifetime incarceration and championing the cause of civil rights for all.
Jones will officially be sworn into office during a ceremony held in the Old Senate Chambers Jan. 3, 2018 in Washington, D.C.