Upset in Alabama Senate Race   

Republican Roy Moore’s defeat is tied to misconduct allegations, experts say    

December 13, 2017
Brynn Anderson/AP Photo

Republican Roy Moore (above) lost the special Senate election in Alabama to Democrat Doug Jones.

Doug Jones, a Democrat and former prosecutor, defeated Republican Roy S. Moore yesterday to win a special election for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, a deeply conservative state. It was a brutal campaign marked by accusations of sexual misconduct with underage girls leveled against the Republican, a former judge.

Jones’s upset victory will cut the Republican majority in the Senate to just one seat (Republicans: 51 and Democrats: 49), starting in January. It could have significant consequences on the national level, undermining Republicans’ legislative agenda in Washington and giving Democrats a chance to capture control of the Senate next year.

Amid thunderous applause from his supporters at a Birmingham hotel, Jones held up his victory as a message to Washington from voters fed up with political warfare. Alabamans, he said, had declined to take “the wrong fork” at a political crossroads.

“We have shown the country the way that we can be unified,” Jones declared. “This entire race has been about dignity and respect. This campaign has been about the rule of law.”

A Cascade of Allegations

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Senator Al Franken, a Democrat from Minnesota, recently announced his resignation amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Most political analysts tied Moore’s defeat to the allegations against him, which come at a time when issues of sexual harassment and assault in the political and entertainment worlds have become front page news. In the last month, several lawmakers have announced their resignation following allegations of sexual misconduct: Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota; Representative Trent Franks, Republican of Arizona; and Representative John Conyers, Democrat of Michigan.

Lucas Jackson/ REUTERS

Matt Lauer, a host of the Today show, was fired in November amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

In recent months, women have made dozens of accusations against powerful men in Hollywood and the media, and other industries, in what has been coined the #MeToo moment (named after the hashtag women used on social media to share their own stories of sexual harassment and abuse). Time magazine, which names an annual Person of the Year, gave the distinction for 2017 to all of the #MeToo “Silence Breakers.”

The cascade of accusations started in October, when The New York Times ran an exposé of Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood producer accused of sexual misconduct and assault by a long list of actresses, including Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie. The Weinstein Company soon ousted its founder and is in the process of changing the company’s name. Last month, Netflix canceled its popular drama House of Cards amid sexual harassment allegations against the show’s star, Kevin Spacey. And, Matt Lauer, a host of the Today show, was fired last month after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, as was Charlie Rose, a longtime host of news shows on PBS and CBS.

The revelations have ignited a national debate about sexual harassment that has also ensnared President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, both of whom have been accused of sexual misconduct in the past. While Clinton has kept silent about the current debate, Trump has said recent accusations against him by more than a dozen women have been fabricated. Some Democrats in Congress have called for Trump’s resignation over the misconduct allegations.

While many Republican legislators declined to support Moore in the Alabama race, Trump endorsed him, saying Alabama needed a Republican in the Senate.

Reported by The New York Times.

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