The polls showed it would be a close race, but Democrat Doug Jones has prevailed, defeating Republican Roy Moore in Alabama. On Tuesday, Jones obtained 49.6% of the vote, becoming the first Democrat in 20 years to be elected to a seat in the deep-red state.
Following his win, Jones tweeted a simple, "Thank you ALABAMA."
Jones is a progressive and former U.S. attorney best known for successfully prosecuting members of the Ku Klux Klan involved in the bombing of a Birmingham Black church in 1963, leading to the death of four girls. His victory over Moore, a far-right candidate accused of sexual misconduct by at least eight women, trims the Republican Senate majority to just one vote.
Jones will fill the Senate seat left by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in January.