Polls determine Republican majority strength
SPEAK UP. One women claiming Roy Moore assaulted her, Leigh Corfman, alleged that he assaulted her when she was 14 years old. Other women came forward, some also minors when they say the assault happened. Various news sources speculate that the allegations turned voters to Doug Jones.
On Dec. 12, Senate candidate Roy Moore lost to Democratic candidate Doug Jones. It was a narrow win, with Jones receiving 49.9 percent of the votes to 48 percent.
Alabama is a staunch Republican state, rendering the election unexpected despite the allegations Moore is facing. This dropped the Republican Senate majority to only one seat, 51 Republicans to 49 Democrats.
Voter turnout was at 40.46 percent, or around 1.3 million ballots cast, according to Alabama’s Secretary of State website. Both city and African Americans increased their poll numbers.
As President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Moore, and needs a big Republican majority to repeal Obamacare; the loss of the seat will take its toll on the republican agenda.
“The last thing we need in Alabama and the U.S. Senate is a Schumer/Pelosi puppet who is weak on Crime, weak on the Border, Bad for our Military and our great Vets, Bad for our 2nd Amendment, and wants to raises [raise] taxes to the sky. Jones would be a disaster!” Trump tweeted.
However, Moore refuses to accept the results, calling for a recount whose results will come out between Dec. 26 and Jan 1. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had taken back his support after the allegations came out, and many see the loss of votes from this action.
“Realize when the vote is this close, it’s not over,” Moore said, according to “Time.”
Amid the campaign trail, allegations of sexual abuse and child molestation focused on Moore, which garnered much media attention. Moore had deflected and claimed he knew none of the multiple women alleging that he assaulted them, some who were minors at the time of the assault.
“I couldn’t vote for Roy Moore. The state of Alabama deserves better,” said senior Alabama Republican senator Richard Shelby, according to “The New York Times.”
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