2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama

The 2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama took place on December 12, 2017, in order for the winner to serve the remainder of the U.S. Senate term ending on January 3, 2021. A vacancy arose from Senator Jeff Sessions's February 8, 2017, resignation from the Senate. Sessions resigned his post to serve as the 84th U.S. attorney general. On February 9, 2017, Governor Robert J. Bentley appointed Luther Strange, the attorney general of Alabama, to fill the vacancy until a special election could take place. The special election was scheduled for December 12, 2017.^[2]

2017 United States Senate special election in Alabama

← 2014 December 12, 2017 (2017-12-12) 2020 →
Turnout	40.5%[1]
Nominee Doug Jones Roy Moore Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 673,896 651,972 Percentage 49.97% 48.34%
County results Congressional district results Precinct results Jones:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Moore:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%      No data
U.S. senator before election Luther Strange[a] Republican Elected U.S. Senator Doug Jones Democratic

Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, won the Democratic primary election. Roy Moore, a former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, competed with Strange and U.S. Representative Mo Brooks in the August 15, 2017, Republican primary; the two highest vote-getters, Moore and Strange, advanced to a runoff.^[3] President Donald Trump supported Strange during the primary runoff, as did much of the Republican establishment in the Senate.^[4][5] Moore won the primary runoff on September 26, 2017.^[6][7]

Following the primaries, Moore was expected to easily win the general election. Polling showed him with a clear lead, and Alabama is known for its overwhelming support for Republicans. The race was upended in mid-November 2017, when multiple women alleged that Moore had made unwanted advances or sexually assaulted them when he was in his early thirties and they were in their teens (the youngest was 14 at the time), attracting widespread national media coverage of the election.^[8][9] As a result of these allegations, many national Republican leaders and office holders called for Moore to withdraw from the special election, rescinded their endorsements of him, and stopped funding his campaign.^[10][11][12] Trump and many Alabama Republicans reaffirmed their support.^[13] At the time of the revelations, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot.

On December 12, 2017, Jones won by a margin of 1.63% or 21,924 votes; however, Moore refused to concede.^[14][15] Jones' victory was widely labeled a major upset. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, becoming the first Democratic U.S. senator from Alabama since Howell Heflin left office in 1997.^[16] This was the first time Democrats had won a statewide election in Alabama since 2008, when Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission.

Background

Potential appointees

Following then-President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of then-Senator Sessions to be U.S. attorney general, Robert Aderholt, a member of the United States House of Representatives, had asked to be appointed to the seat.^[17] Representative Mo Brooks had also expressed interest in the seat, while Strange had stated before being selected that he would run for the seat in the special election whether or not he was appointed.^[18][19] Other candidates Governor Bentley interviewed for the Senate appointment included Moore; Del Marsh, the president pro tempore of the Alabama Senate; and Jim Byard, the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.^[20]

A vacancy arose from Senator Jeff Sessions' February 8, 2017 resignation to serve as the 84th U.S. attorney general. On February 9, 2017, Governor Robert J. Bentley appointed State Attorney General Luther Strange to fill the vacancy until a special election could take place. Bentley controversially scheduled the special election to occur in 2018 instead of sooner.^[21][22] When Kay Ivey succeeded Bentley as Alabama's governor, she rescheduled the special election for December 12, 2017, a move she said was made to adhere with state law.^[2]

Republican primary

Campaign

The Republican primary attracted national attention, especially following Trump's endorsement of incumbent Senator Luther Strange. Strange was backed by several key figures within the Republican establishment, most notably Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader. His two main rivals in the primary were former state judge Roy Moore and Congressman Mo Brooks. While Strange was expected to advance through the first round of the primary, almost every opinion poll showed him trailing Roy Moore in a potential runoff. Strange placed second behind Roy Moore, securing a spot in the runoff.^[23]

Candidates

Nominated

• Roy Moore, former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and candidate for governor in 2006 and 2010^[24]

Eliminated in runoff

• Luther Strange, incumbent U.S. senator (appointed) and former attorney general of Alabama^[25]

Eliminated in primary

• James Beretta, physician^[26]
• Joseph F. Breault, Air Force chaplain and nominee for the Utah House of Representatives in 2016^[26][27]
• Randy Brinson, gastroenterologist and activist^[28]
• Mo Brooks, U.S. representative^[29]
• Dom Gentile, businessman^[30][31]
• Karen Jackson, attorney and perennial candidate^[26][32]
• Mary Maxwell, candidate for NH-02 in 2006^[33][34]
• Bryan Peeples, businessman^[35]
• Trip Pittman, state senator^[36]

Withdrew

• Ed Henry, state representative^[37][38] (withdrew from race on May 17).

Declined

Robert Aderholt, U.S. representative[39] Slade Blackwell, state senator[40][41] Bradley Byrne, U.S. representative[42][43] Bill Hightower, state senator[25] Perry Hooper Jr., former State Representative[44][45] Mary Scott Hunter, member of the Alabama State Board of Education[46] Del Marsh, president pro tempore of the State Senate[47][48][49] Jonathan McConnell, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[47] John Merrill, secretary of state of Alabama[50]

Glenn Murdock, associate justice of the Alabama Supreme Court[51] Gary Palmer, U.S. representative[42] Jimmy Rane, businessman[47] Martha Roby, U.S. representative[42] Mike Rogers, U.S. representative[42] Connie Rowe, state representative[42] Cam Ward, state senator[40] Jim Zeigler, Alabama state auditor[52]

Endorsements

Roy Moore

Executive branch officials

• Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States^[53]
• Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984–2013), presidential candidate in 2016^[54]
• Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under Ronald Reagan, and Republican candidate for president of the United States in 1996, 2000, and 2008^[55]

U.S. senators

• Tom Coburn, former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, 2005–2015^[56]

U.S. representatives

• Andy Biggs, member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona's 5th congressional district^{[57][non-primary source needed]}
• Mo Brooks, member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th congressional district and former US Senate candidate^{[58][59][60][61]}
• Paul Broun, former member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district^[62]
• Jody Hice, member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district^[63]
• Jim Jordan, member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 4th congressional district^[64]
• Mark Meadows, member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th congressional district and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus^[63]
• Joe Walsh, former member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district^[65]

Statewide officials

• Fob James, 48th governor of Alabama^[66]
• Ken Cuccinelli, 46th attorney general of Virginia, former Virginia state senator, and Republican nominee for governor of Virginia in 2013^[67]
• Jim Zeigler, state auditor of Alabama^[68]

State senators

• Bill Armistead, former state senator and former chair of the Alabama Republican Party^[69]
• Trip Pittman, of Montrose, former US Senate candidate^[70]
• Larry Stutts, of Sheffield^[71]
• Tom Whatley, of Auburn^[71]

State representatives

• Mike Ball of Madison^[71]
• K. L. Brown of Jacksonville^[71]
• Lynn Greer of Rogersville^[71]
• Tommy Hanes of Scottsboro^[71]
• Ed Henry of Hartselle, chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign^[72]
• Mike Holmes of Wetumpka^[71]
• Becky Nordgren of Gadsden^[71]
• Ritchie Whorton of Scottsboro^[71]
• Rich Wingo of Tuscaloosa^[71]
• Randy Wood of Anniston^[71]

Local officials

• Erick Erickson, conservative blogger and former member of the Macon City Council^[73][74]

Organizations

• Coalition of African American Pastors^[75]
• Courageous Conservatives PAC^[76]
• Gun Owners of America^[77]
• National Association for Gun Rights^[78]
• Senate Conservatives Fund^[63]

Individuals

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, executive chairman of Breitbart News[79] Brent Bozell, conservative writer and founder of the Media Research Center[80] Steve Deace, conservative writer for The Washington Times[81] Nigel Farage, chair of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, member of the European Parliament for South East England, and former chair and leader of the UK Independence Party[82] Paul Gottfried, paleoconservative philosopher, historian and columnist[67] Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary[83][non-primary source needed] Tim James, businessman and candidate for governor of Alabama in 2002 and 2010[66] Chuck Norris, martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter[84] Phil Robertson, businessman and reality television star[85] Siran Stacy, football player[86] Roger Stone, political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist[87] Chuck Woolery, game show host, talk show host, and musician[88]

Luther Strange

Executive branch officials

• Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States^[89]
• Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States^[90]

U.S. senators

• Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate majority leader from Kentucky^[91]
• Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator from Alabama^[92]

State representatives

• Perry O. Hooper Jr., former state representative^[45]

Organizations

• NRA Political Victory Fund^[93][94]

Mo Brooks

U.S. representatives

• Mark Meadows, U.S. representative (R-NC) and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus^[95]
• Mike Rogers, U.S. representative (R-AL)^[96]
• Lamar S. Smith, U.S. representative (R-TX)^[97]

State representatives

• Ed Henry, state representative and chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign^[98]

Organizations

• Courageous Conservatives PAC^[99]
• FreedomWorks^[100]
• Gun Owners of America^[101]
• Senate Conservatives Fund^[102]
• Students for Trump^[103]

Individuals

• Ann Coulter, conservative commentator^[104]
• Sean Hannity, conservative talk radio host and host of Hannity^[105]
• Laura Ingraham, conservative talk radio host^[106]
• Mark Levin, conservative talk radio host^[107]

First round

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	James Beretta	Joseph Breault	Randy Brinson	Mo Brooks	Mary Maxwell	Roy Moore	Bryan Peeples	Trip Pittman	Luther Strange	Undecided
Trafalgar Group (R)[108]	August 12–13, 2017	870	± 3.3%	1%	1%	6%	17%	1%	38%	1%	6%	24%	5%
Emerson College[109]	August 10–12, 2017	373	± 5.0%	1%	0%	0%	15%	0%	29%	0%	10%	32%	11%
Trafalgar Group (R)[110]	August 8–10, 2017	1,439	± 2.6%	1%	1%	4%	20%	2%	35%	1%	6%	23%	8%
Cygnal (R)[111]	August 8–9, 2017	502	± 4.4%	–	–	2%	18%	–	31%	–	7%	23%	13%
Strategy Research[112]	August 7, 2017	2,000	± 2.0%	1%	1%	1%	19%	4%	35%	1%	9%	29%	0%
JMC Analytics (R)[113]	August 5–6, 2017	500	± 4.4%	–	–	2%	19%	–	30%	–	6%	22%	17%
RRH Elections (R)[114]	July 31 – August 3, 2017	426	± 5.0%	–	–	2%	18%	–	31%	–	8%	29%	11%
Strategy Research[115]	July 24, 2017	3,000	± 2.0%	1%	1%	2%	16%	5%	33%	2%	5%	35%	–
Cygnal (R)[116]	July 20–21, 2017	500	± 2.0%	–	–	–	16%	–	26%	–	–	33%	–

Results

Primary results by county

  Moore

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Strange

•   30–40%
•   40–50%
•   50–60%

  Brooks

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

Republican primary results, August 15, 2017^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roy Moore	164,524	38.9%
	Republican	Luther Strange (incumbent)	138,971	32.8%
	Republican	Mo Brooks	83,287	19.7%
	Republican	Trip Pittman	29,124	6.9%
	Republican	Randy Brinson	2,978	0.6%
	Republican	Bryan Peeples	1,579	0.4%
	Republican	Mary Maxwell	1,543	0.4%
	Republican	James Beretta	1,078	0.3%
	Republican	Dom Gentile	303	0.1%
	Republican	Joseph Breault	252	0.1%
Total votes			423,282	100.0%

Runoff

President Donald Trump supported Strange during the primary runoff, in addition to much of the Republican establishment in the Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who made the success of Strange's candidacy a major priority.^[4][5] Trump's efforts on behalf of Strange included tweeting and a rally in Huntsville, Alabama.^[117] Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Strange as well.^[118][6] With McConnell's help, Strange outspent Moore by a margin of 10-to-1.^[118][119]

National interest in the race dramatically increased in the month before the runoff. Strange maintained his endorsement from Trump, who campaigned for him in Huntsville during the closing days of the campaign.^[117] Trump's endorsement of Strange sparked criticism among his own base, many of whom preferred Moore and detested Strange for being seemingly too friendly with the GOP establishment. Several notable figures close to Trump broke from the president to endorse Moore, including HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Breitbart Executive Chairman Steve Bannon. Despite Trump's endorsement, Strange was defeated by Roy Moore in the runoff,^[120] 54.6%-45.4%.^[121]

Moore won the primary runoff on September 26, 2017.^[6][7] This was the first time that an incumbent U.S. senator having active White House support lost a primary since Arlen Specter lost to Joe Sestak in 2010.^[122]

Debates

2017 Alabama Senate Republican primary runoff debate

No.	Date	Host	Moderator	Link	Republican	Republican
Key:  P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Not invited   I  Invited  W  Withdrawn
					Strange	Moore
1	Sep. 21, 2017	Raycom Media	Hal Fulmer	C-SPAN	P	P

Averages

Model	Moore	Strange	Spread
RealClearPolitics[123]	52.5%	41.5%	Moore +11.0

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roy Moore	Luther Strange	Undecided
Cygnal (R)[124]	September 23–24, 2017	996	± 3.1%	52%	41%	7%
Trafalgar Group (R)[125]	September 23–24, 2017	1,073	± 3.0%	57%	41%	2%
Optimus (R)[126]	September 22–23, 2017	1,045	± 2.9%	55%	45%	–
Emerson College[127]	September 21–23, 2017	367	± 5.1%	50%	40%	10%
Gravis Marketing[128]	September 21–22, 2017	559	± 4.1%	48%	40%	12%
Strategy Research[129]	September 20, 2017	2,000	± 3.0%	54%	46%	–
Strategy Research[130]	September 18, 2017	2,930	± 3.0%	53%	47%	–
JMC Analytics (R)[131]	September 16–17, 2017	500	± 4.4%	47%	39%	14%
Voter Consumer Research (R-SLF)[132]	September 9–10, 2017	604	± 4.0%	41%	40%	19%
Emerson College[133]	September 8–9, 2017	355	± 5.2%	40%	26%	34%
Strategic National[134]	September 6–7, 2017	800	± 3.5%	51%	35%	14%
Southeast Research[135]	August 29–31, 2017	401	± 5.0%	52%	36%	12%
Harper Polling[136]	August 24–26, 2017	600	± 4.0%	47%	45%	8%
Voter Consumer Research (R-SLF)[137]	August 21–23, 2017	601	± 4.0%	45%	41%	14%
Opinion Savvy[138]	August 22, 2017	494	± 4.4%	50%	32%	18%
JMC Analytics (R)[139]	August 17–19, 2017	515	± 4.3%	51%	32%	17%
Cygnal (R)[111]	August 8–9, 2017	502	± 4.4%	45%	34%	11%
RRH Elections (R)[140]	July 31 – August 3, 2017	426	± 5.0%	34%	32%	34%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roy Moore	Mo Brooks	Undecided
RRH Elections (R)[140]	July 31 – August 3, 2017	426	± 5.0%	43%	20%	37%

Hypothetical polling

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of September 6, 2017
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Luther Strange (R)	$4,185,594	$4,061,521	$631,814
Roy Moore (R)	$1,417,416	$1,133,774	$285,407
Source: Federal Election Commission[141]

Results

Primary runoff results by county

  Moore

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%

  Strange

•   50–60%

Republican primary runoff results, September 26, 2017^[121]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Roy Moore	262,204	54.59%
	Republican	Luther Strange (incumbent)	218,066	45.41%
Total votes			480,270	100.00%

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

• Doug Jones, former United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama^[142]

Eliminated in primary

• Will Boyd, pastor, former Greenville, Illinois, city councilman, nominee for AL-05 in 2016 and write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois in 2010^[143]
• Vann Caldwell, Talladega County constable and perennial candidate^[26]
• Jason Fisher, businessman^[144]
• Michael Hansen, activist and nonprofit executive^[145]
• Robert Kennedy Jr., digital marketing executive for a laboratory supply company (no relation to the Massachusetts Kennedy family)^{[146][147][148]}
• Charles Nana, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016^[26]

Withdrew

• Ron Crumpton, activist, nominee for the state senate in 2014 and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2016^[149][52]
• Brian McGee, retired teacher and Vietnam War veteran^{[26][150][151]}

Declined

• Roger Bedford, former state senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996^[152]
• Elaine Beech, state representative^[153]
• Sue Bell Cobb, former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama^[154]
• Chris England, state representative^[46][153]
• Craig Ford, state representative^[153][155]
• Gary Johnson, minister and political activist^[156]
• Walt Maddox, mayor of Tuscaloosa^[154][157]
• Terri Sewell, U.S. representative^[154]

Endorsements

Doug Jones

Executive Branch officials

• Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States ^[158]

• Joe Biden, 47th vice president of the United States^[159]

U.S. senators

• Maggie Hassan, U.S senator (D-NH)^[160]

U.S. representatives

• Jim Clyburn, U.S. representative (D-SC), Assistant Minority Leader^[161]
• John Lewis, U.S. representative (D-GA)^[162]
• Cedric Richmond, U.S. representative (D-LA), Congressional Black Caucus chairman^[161]
• Tim Ryan, U.S. representative (D-OH)^[163]
• Terri Sewell, U.S. representative (D-AL)^[164]

State legislators

• Christopher J. England, state representative
• Patricia Todd, state representative^[165]

Local officials

• Omar Neal, former Tuskegee mayor^[161]

Newspapers

• AL.com^[166]
• The Washington Post^[167]

Organizations

• Alabama Democratic Conference^[168]
• Communications Workers of America^[169]
• MoveOn.org^[170]

Individuals

• Charles Barkley, NBA legend, Hall of Famer, and Inside the NBA pundit
• Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress^[171]
• Joe Trippi, Democratic campaign worker and consultant^[172]
• George Will, author and journalist^[173]

Robert Kennedy Jr.

Individuals

• Carl Lewis, Olympic gold medalist and University of Houston track and field head coach^[174]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Will Boyd	Vann Caldwell	Jason Fisher	Michael Hansen	Doug Jones	Robert Kennedy Jr.	Charles Nana	Undecided
Emerson College[109]	August 10–12, 2017	164	± 7.6%	8%	2%	1%	0%	40%	23%	1%	25%
Strategy Research[112]	August 7, 2017	2,000	± 2.0%	9%	5%	3%	7%	30%	40%	5%	–
Strategy Research[115]	July 24, 2017	3,000	± 2.0%	6%	4%	4%	4%	28%	49%	5%	–

Results

Primary results by county

  Jones

•   ≥90%
•   80–90%
•   70–80%
•   60–70%
•   50–60%
•   40–50%

  Boyd

•   Boyd—30–40%

Democratic primary results^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Doug Jones	109,105	66.1%
	Democratic	Robert Kennedy Jr.	29,215	17.7%
	Democratic	Michael Hansen	11,105	6.7%
	Democratic	Will Boyd	8,010	4.9%
	Democratic	Jason Fisher	3,478	2.1%
	Democratic	Brian McGee	1,450	0.9%
	Democratic	Charles Nana	1,404	0.9%
	Democratic	Vann Caldwell	1,239	0.8%
Total votes			165,006	100.0%

Independents and write-in candidates

Candidates

Declared

• Ron Bishop (L, write-in)^[175]
• Lee Busby (I, write-in), retired Marine colonel^[176]
• Jeff "Cog" Coggin (I, write-in), Air Force veteran^[177]
• Chanda Mills Crutcher (I, write-in), minister^[178]
• Eulas Kirtdoll (I, write-in)^[179]
• Arlester "Mack" McBride (I, write-in)^[180]
• Mac Watson (R, write-in)^[181]

Declined

• Craig Ford, Democratic state representative^[153][155]

General election

Controversies

Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations

Main article: Roy Moore sexual misconduct allegations

On November 9, The Washington Post reported that four women had accused Roy Moore of engaging in sexual conduct with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his thirties. One of the women was 14 years old at the time, below the legal age of consent.^[8] A few days later a fifth woman said that she had received unwanted attention from Moore when she was 15 years old, and that in December 1977 or January 1978,^[182] when she was 16, Moore sexually assaulted her.^[9][183] Moore denied the allegations.

After this, certain Republican leaders and conservative organizations withdrew their endorsements of Moore or asked him to drop out of the campaign. These included Texas Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Attorney General and former seat holder Jeff Sessions, Ivanka Trump,^[184] the National Republican Senatorial Committee,^[185] former Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney^[186] and John McCain,^[187] Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,^[188] Ohio Governor John Kasich,^[189] Utah Senator Mike Lee,^[190] Montana Senator Steve Daines,^[191] and House Representatives Barbara Comstock, Carlos Curbelo, and Adam Kinzinger, as well as the Young Republican Federation of Alabama.^{[192][193][194][195][196]} The state's senior Senator Richard Shelby also refused to endorse Moore. Other conservative websites and organizations such as National Review urged readers not to vote for Moore.^[197][198] Despite this, Moore continued to receive support from the state party and a week before the election, President Donald Trump strongly endorsed Moore.^[199] Following Trump's endorsement, the RNC reinstated their support for him,^[200] and Republican leaders said they would "let the people of Alabama decide" whether to elect Moore.^[201]

At the time of the revelations, it was too close to the election for Moore's name to be removed from the ballot, as Alabama law forbids any change to names on the ballot within 76 days of any primary or general election.^[202] Republican officials proposed various ways to promote an alternate Republican candidate. One suggestion was to ask Governor Kay Ivey to delay the special election until 2018,^[203] but Ivey said she had no plans to change the election date.^[204] Some Republicans such as Senator Lisa Murkowski floated the prospect of a write-in campaign to elect Luther Strange, with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch actively endorsing a write-in campaign for Strange.^[205] However, Strange said it was "highly unlikely" that he would run a write-in campaign.^[206] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who formerly held the Senate seat, as a write-in candidate.^[207] In late November, Retired Marine Col. Lee Busby launched a write-in campaign, stating that he thought there was room for a centrist in the race.^[208]

Debates

Republican nominee Roy Moore refused to debate Democratic nominee Doug Jones.^{[209][210][211]} Moore turned down debate invitations extended by the League of Women Voters,^[210] WHNT-TV and AL.com.^[211][209] Jones' campaign said that Jones was "willing to debate Roy Moore anytime, anywhere" and accused Moore of "hiding from the voters, from the media and from his record for weeks."^[211][209] Moore and his campaign stated that he refused to debate Jones because their policy positions were already clear to voters and thus there was no need for a formal debate.^[211][209]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[212]	Tossup	December 7, 2017
Sabato's Crystal Ball[213]	Tossup	December 7, 2017
Rothenberg Political Report[214]	Tossup	December 7, 2017

Candidates

On ballot

• Doug Jones (D), former United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama
• Roy Moore (R), former chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama

Write-in

• Ron Bishop (L)^[215]
• Lee Busby (R)^[176][216]
• Jeff "Cog" Coggin (I)^[177]
• Chanda Mills Crutcher (I)^[178][217]
• Eulas Kirtdoll (I)^[179]
• Arlester "Mack" McBride (I)^[180]
• Mac Watson (I)^[218]

Endorsements

Doug Jones (D)

Executive branch officials

• Joe Biden, 47th vice president of the United States^[159]
• Hillary Clinton, former United States secretary of state and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee^[219]
• Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States^[220]

U.S. senators

Cory Booker, U.S. senator from New Jersey[221] Joe Donnelly, U.S. senator from Indiana[222] Tammy Duckworth, U.S. senator from Illinois[223] Dick Durbin, U.S. Senate minority whip from Illinois[221] Jeff Flake, U.S. senator from Arizona (Republican)[224] Al Franken, U.S. senator from Minnesota[225] Kamala Harris, U.S. senator from California[226][227] Maggie Hassan, U.S senator from New Hampshire[160] Martin Heinrich, U.S. senator from New Mexico[228] Tim Kaine, U.S. senator from Virginia, former 2016 vice presidential nominee[221] Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator from Nevada[229]

Jeff Merkley, U.S. senator from Oregon[230] Chris Murphy, U.S. senator from Connecticut[231][232] Patty Murray, U.S. senator from Washington Brian Schatz, U.S. senator from Hawaii[233] Chuck Schumer, Senate minority leader from New York[234] Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. senator from New Hampshire[221] Chris Van Hollen, U.S. senator from Maryland, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman[221] Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator from Massachusetts[235] Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. senator from Rhode Island

U.S. representatives

Alma Adams, U.S. representative from North Carolina[236] Karen Bass, U.S. representative from California[236] Joyce Beatty, U.S. representative from Ohio[236] Sanford Bishop, U.S. representative from Georgia[236] Anthony Brown, U.S. representative from Maryland[236] G. K. Butterfield, U.S. representative from North Carolina[236] James Clyburn, U.S. representative South Carolina, Assistant Minority Leader[161] John Conyers, U.S. representative from Michigan, dean[236] Elijah Cummings, U.S. representative from Maryland[236] Artur Davis, former U.S. representative (D-AL)[237] Keith Ellison, U.S. representative from Minnesota, DNC Vice Chair[238] Marcia Fudge, U.S. representative from Ohio[236] Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. representative from Hawaii[239][non-primary source needed] Al Green, U.S. representative from Texas[236]

Parker Griffith, former Alabama congressman and unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2014[240] David Jolly, former Republican U.S. representative from Florida[241] Ro Khanna, U.S. representative from California[242] Barbara Lee, U.S. representative from California[236] Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. representative from Texas[236] John Lewis, U.S. representative from Georgia[162] Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, from the District of Columbia[236] Delegate Stacey Plaskett, from the U.S. Virgin Islands[236] Cedric Richmond, U.S. representative from Louisiana, Congressional Black Caucus chairman[161] Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. representative from Delaware[236] Tim Ryan, U.S. representative from Ohio[163] Terri Sewell, U.S. representative from Alabama[164] Bennie Thompson, U.S. representative from Mississippi[236]

Statewide officials

• Charlie Baker, 72nd governor of Massachusetts (Republican)^[243]
• Sue Bell Cobb, former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, then-current candidate for governor of Alabama^[244]
• Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont 1991–2003, Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair 2005–2009^[245]
• Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland 2007–2015, mayor of Baltimore 1999–2007^[246]
• Deval Patrick, politician, civil rights lawyer and businessman; 71st governor of Massachusetts, 2007–2015^[247]
• Steve Westly, former state controller and chief financial officer of California^[248]

State legislators

Billy Beasley, minority leader of the Alabama Senate Elaine Beech, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 65th District Marcel Black, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 3rd District Barbara Boyd, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 32nd District Linda Coleman, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 20th District Anthony Daniels, Alabama House minority leader[249] Priscilla Dunn, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 19th District Christopher J. England, state representative Vivian Davis Figures, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District and nominee for the U.S. Senate in Alabama in 2008 Jason Fisher, former Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate[250] Craig Ford, former minority leader of the Alabama House of Representatives, currently represents the 28th District Laura Hall, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 19th District Robert Harrison, Madison County, Alabama District 6 Commissioner[251] Alvin Holmes, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 78th District

Richard Lindsey, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 39th District Thad McClammy, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 76th District Mary Moore, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 56th District Johnny Mack Morrow, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the 18th District Omar Neal, former Tuskegee, Alabama mayor[161] Henry Sanders, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 23rd District Rod Scott, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 55th District Bobby Singleton, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 24th District Rodger Smitherman, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 18th District Patricia Todd, State representative[165] Bob Vance, circuit judge in Jefferson County, Alabama Joyce Vance, U.S. attorney in Birmingham, appointed by Barack Obama[252]

Local officials

• Walt Maddox, mayor of Tuscaloosa^[253]
• Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham^[254][234]

Individuals

Seth Abramson, attorney, political commentator and professor at the University of New Hampshire[255] Uzo Aduba, actress[256] John Anzalone, Democratic pollster[257] William Barber II, member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)[258] Charles Barkley, former professional basketball player[259] Paul Begala, former adviser to Bill Clinton[260] W. Kamau Bell, stand-up comic and television host[261] Adam Best, founder of FanSided[262] Donna Brazile, former Acting DNC Chairwoman Maria Cardona, former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton[263] James Carville, former aide to Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, Fox News contributor[264] Don Cheadle, actor, writer, producer, and director[265] Andrei Cherny, CEO of Aspiration[266] Chelsea Clinton, only child of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton[267] Misha Collins, actor[268] Mike Cooley, musician[269] Laverne Cox, actress and advocate[270] Leah D. Daughtry, former chief of staff to Howard Dean and CEO of the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Convention committees[271] Scott Dworkin, co-founder of the Democrat Coalition[272] Jesse Ferguson, former Deputy National Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton[273] Bonnie Fuller, editor of HollywoodLife.com[274] Constance Hill, CEO of Girls Inc of Central Alabama[275] Jason Isbell, musician[276] Tracy James, longtime Republican, former Jeff Sessions staffer[277] Karine Jean-Pierre, senior advisor and national spokeswoman for MoveOn; served as the deputy campaign manager to both Barack Obama and Martin O'Malley[278] Clara Jeffery, editor-in-chief of Mother Jones[279] Michael Kelly, actor[280] Jim Kessler, founder of Third Way[281] Keegan-Michael Key, actor, comedian, writer, and producer[282][non-primary source needed] Jimmy Kimmel, television host and comedian[283] Shaun King, journalist, The Young Turks commentator and civil rights activist[284] Bill Kristol (Republican), editor-in-chief of The Weekly Standard[285] Talia Lavin, writer for The New Yorker[286] William LeGate, entrepreneur, Thiel Fellow, and computer programmer[287] Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutor, candidate for Illinois Attorney General[252] Sean McElwee, policy analyst for Demos[288] Debra Messing, actress[289] Alyssa Milano, actress, activist, producer and former singer[290]

Tim Miller (Republican), former communications director for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign[291] Mike Murphy (Republican), political consultant for John McCain, Jeb Bush, John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Spencer Abraham, Christie Whitman, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger[292] Holly O'Reilly, March For Truth organizer[293] Patton Oswalt, stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor and writer[294] Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush[295] Adam Parkhomenko, adviser to Hillary Clinton, founding partner at The Renegade Group[296] Archie Parnell, Democratic nominee for South Carolina's 5th congressional district of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017[297] Piper Perabo, film and television actress[298] Joy-Ann Reid, national correspondent at MSNBC[citation needed] Carl Reiner, comedian, actor, and writer[299] Rob Reiner, actor, producer, and activist[300] Jennifer Rubin (Republican), blogger for The Washington Post[301] Mark Salter (Republican), former chief of staff to John McCain; has often been referred to as McCain's "alter ego"[292] Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign[302] Steve Schmidt (Republican), former Senior Campaign Strategist and advisor to the John McCain presidential campaign[303][304][305] Bakari Sellers, first vice chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party[306] Samuel Sinyangwe, policy analyst and racial justice activist[307] Michael Skolnik, entrepreneur, film producer, and civil rights activist[308] Topher Spiro, vice president for health policy and senior fellow for economic policy at American Progress[309] George Takei, actor, director, author, and activist[310] Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress[171] Channing Tatum, actor[311] Joe Trippi, Democratic campaign worker and consultant[172] Tommy Vietor, former spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council and Barack Obama[312] George Wallace, comedian and actor[313] Kerry Washington, actress and producer[314] Michael Wear, former faith outreach for Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign[315] John Weaver (Republican), chief strategist for Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich; former advisor to John McCain's presidential campaigns of 2000 and 2008, the Democratic Congressional Campaign[292] George F. Will (Republican), columnist for The Washington Post and MSNBC[316][317] Oliver Willis, Research Fellow at Media Matters for America[318] Bellamy Young, actress, singer and producer[319]

Newspapers

• The Auburn Plainsman, student-run newspaper for Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama^[320]
• The Birmingham News, the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, and the largest newspaper in Alabama^[321][322]
• The Crimson White, student-run publication of the University of Alabama^[323]
• The Huntsville Times, newspaper serving Huntsville, Alabama, and the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region^[321][322]
• Press-Register, newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin, and Alabama's oldest newspaper^[321][322]
• The Washington Post^[324]

Organizations

• Alabama Democratic Conference^[168]
• Communications Workers of America^[169]
• Daily Kos
• Democracy for America^[325]
• End Citizens United^[326]
• Everytown for Gun Safety^[327]
• Human Rights Campaign^[221]
• League of Conservation Voters^[328]
• MoveOn.org^[170]

Roy Moore (R)

U.S. executive branch officials

• Ben Carson, United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary, director of Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984–2013), presidential candidate in 2016^[54]
• Mike Pence, 48th vice president of the United States^[329]
• Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States^[330]

U.S. senators

Tom Coburn, former U.S. senator from Oklahoma, 2005–2015[56] John Cornyn, U.S. Senate Majority Whip (R-TX) (withdrawn)[331] Ted Cruz, U.S. senator from Texas (withdrawn)[332][333] Steve Daines, U.S. senator from Montana (withdrawn)[334]

Mike Lee, U.S. senator from Utah (withdrawn)[190] Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Majority Leader (R-KY) (withdrawn)[335] Rand Paul, U.S. senator from Kentucky[336]

U.S. representatives

Robert Aderholt, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 4th congressional district[337] Andy Biggs, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 5th congressional district[57] Mo Brooks, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th congressional district and former US Senate candidate[58][59][60][61] Paul Broun, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district[62] Bradley Byrne, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st congressional district[337] Jeff Duncan, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district[338] Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives[339] Andy Harris, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st congressional district[340] Jody Hice, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district (withdrawn)[341]

Steve King, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th congressional district[citation needed] Thomas Massie, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district[342] Mark Meadows, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th congressional district and chairman of the House Freedom Caucus[63] Gary Palmer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 6th congressional district[337] Martha Roby, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd congressional district[337] Mike Rogers, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 3rd congressional district[337] Joe Walsh, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district[65]

Statewide office holders

• Twinkle Cavanaugh, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission^[343]
• Ken Cuccinelli, 46th Attorney General of Virginia, former Virginia State Senator, and Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2013^[67]
• Kay Ivey, governor of Alabama^[344]
• Fob James, 48th governor of Alabama^[66]
• John Merrill, Alabama Secretary of State^[345]
• Jim Zeigler, State Auditor of Alabama^[68]

State senators

Bill Armistead, former state senator and former chair of the Alabama Republican Party[69] Gerald Dial, state senator[346] Rusty Glover, of Semmes[347] Larry Grooms, state senator from South Carolina[348] Bill Hightower, of Mobile[349]

Del Marsh, president pro tempore of the State Senate[350] Trip Pittman, of Montrose, former US Senate candidate[70] Larry Stutts, of Sheffield[71] Tom Whatley, of Auburn[71]

State representatives

Will Ainsworth, of Guntersville[351] Mike Ball, of Madison[71] K. L. Brown, of Jacksonville[71] Dickie Drake, of Leeds[352] Matt Fridy, of Birmingham[352] Lynn Greer, of Rogersville[71] Tommy Hanes, of Scottsboro[71] Ed Henry, of Hartselle, chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign[72] Mike Holmes, of Wetumpka[71] Mac McCutcheon, Speaker of the Alabama House[353]

Arnold Mooney, of Birmingham[352] Barry Moore, of Enterprise[352] Becky Nordgren, of Gadsden[71] Kerry Rich, of Guntersville[352] David Sessions, of Grand Bay[352] Randall Shedd, of Cullman[352] Ritchie Whorton, of Scottsboro[71] Jack Williams, of Wilmer[352] Rich Wingo, of Tuscaloosa[71] Randy Wood, of Anniston[71]

Sheriffs

Ron Abernathy, of Tuscaloosa County[354] Blake Dorning, of Madison County[354] Todd Entrekin, of Etowah County (withdrawn)[355] Bill Franklin, of Elmore County[354] Tony Helms, of Geneva County[354] Jimmy Kilgore, of Talladega County[354]

William Maddox, of Henry County[354] Dennis Meeks, of Covington County[354] Ray Norris, of Clarke County[354] Jeff Shaver, of Cherokee County[354] Jody Wade, of Bibb County[354]

Political commentators

Brent Bozell, conservative writer and founder of the Media Research Center[80] Mike Cernovich, alt-lite writer[356] Ann Coulter, conservative commentator[citation needed] Steve Deace, conservative writer for The Washington Times[81] Erick Erickson, conservative blogger and former member of the Macon City Council (withdrawn)[73][74]

Sean Hannity, conservative commentator[357] Laura Ingraham, conservative talk radio host[citation needed] Jack Posobiec, pro-Trump internet activist, political commentator and conspiracy theorist Richard Viguerie, conservative figure, political writer[358]

Religious leaders

Chuck Baldwin, politician, radio host, host of Chuck Baldwin Live!, founder and former pastor of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, current president of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana, 2008 Constitution Party presidential candidate, and 2004 Constitution Party vice presidential candidate[359] Gary Bauer, president of American Values[360] Scott Dawson, evangelist[361]

James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family and Christian right activist[362] Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University[363] Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary[83] Ralph E. Reed, Jr., evangelist and candidate for lieutenant governor of Georgia in 2006[citation needed]

White nationalists

• Andrew Anglin, white nationalist, founder and editor of The Daily Stormer^[364]
• David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, white nationalist, conspiracy theorist, and former Louisiana State Representative^[365]
• William Daniel Johnson, white nationalist and leader of the American Freedom Party^[366]
• Kevin B. MacDonald, white nationalist, retired professor, conspiracy theorist, and editor of Occidental Observer^[367]
• Paul Nehlen, white nationalist, inventor, Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in 2016 and 2018^[368][369]
• Robert Warren Ray, white nationalist, writer for The Daily Stormer^[370]

Other individuals

Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist, executive chairman of Breitbart News[79] Randy Brinson, founder of Redeem the Vote and Republican candidate in this election[371] Nigel Farage, chair of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, Member of the European Parliament for South East England, and former chair and leader of the UK Independence Party[82] Sebastian Gorka, Breitbart columnist and former deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump Paul Gottfried, paleoconservative philosopher, historian, columnist, and former professor at Elizabethtown College[67] Tim James, businessman, candidate for Governor of Alabama in 2002 and 2010[66] Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under Ronald Reagan, and Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1996, 2000, and 2008[55]

Chuck Norris, martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter[84] Phil Robertson, businessman and reality television star[85] Siran Stacy, retired football player[86] Roger Stone, political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist[87] Frances Taylor, president of the Alabama Federation of Republican Women[372] Kelli Ward, former Arizona State Senator and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018[373] Chuck Woolery, game show host, talk show host, and musician[88] Dean Young, former congressional candidate and friend of Roy Moore[374]

Organizations

American Freedom Party[366] Asian American GOP Coalition[375] Birmingham Young Republicans (withdrawn)[376][377] Coalition of African American Pastors[75] Courageous Conservatives PAC[76] The Daily Stormer[364] Gun Owners of America[77] National Association for Gun Rights[78] National Republican Senatorial Committee (withdrawn)[378]

National Right to Work PAC[citation needed] Republican National Committee[379] The Right Stuff[380] Senate Conservatives Fund[63] Tea Party Patriots[381]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of November 22, 2017
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Doug Jones (D)	$11,683,671	$8,941,988	$2,610,481
Roy Moore (R)	$4,291,702	$3,616,629	$636,046
Source: Federal Election Commission[141]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roy Moore (R)	Doug Jones (D)	Lee Busby (I) write-in	Other	Undecided
Change Research[382]	December 9–11, 2017	1,543	± 2.0%	51%	45%	–	–	4%
SurveyMonkey[383]	November 30 – December 11, 2017	2,203	± 4.5%	47%	49%	–	–	4%
Fox News[384]	December 7–10, 2017	1,127	± 3.0%	40%	50%	–	2%	8%
Emerson College[385]	December 7–9, 2017	600	± 3.9%	53%	44%	–	4%	–
Monmouth University[386]	December 6–9, 2017	546	± 4.2%	46%	46%	–	2%	6%
Public Policy Polling (D)*[387]	December 7–8, 2017	1,092	± 3.8%	46%	48%	–	–	6%
Gravis Marketing[388]	December 5–8, 2017	1,254	± 2.8%	49%	45%	–	–	6%
Trafalgar Group (R)[389]	December 6–7, 2017	1,419	± 3.1%	51%	46%	–	3%	–
Change Research[390]	December 5–7, 2017	2,443	± 2.0%	51%	44%	–	–	5%
SurveyMonkey[391]	November 30 – December 7, 2017	1,559	± 5.5%	47%	49%	–	–	4%
Strategy Research[392]	December 4, 2017	3,200	± 2.0%	50%	43%	–	3%	4%
Gravis Marketing[393]	December 1–3, 2017	1,276	± 2.7%	44%	48%	–	–	8%
Emerson College[394]	November 30 – December 2, 2017	500	± 4.3%	49%	46%	5%	–	–
YouGov[395]	November 28 – December 1, 2017	1,067	± 3.8%	49%	43%	–	4%	4%
Washington Post/Schar School[396]	November 27–30, 2017	739	± 4.5%	47%	50%	–	3%	–
JMC Analytics (R)[397]	November 27–28, 2017	650	± 3.8%	49%	44%	–	5%[398]	2%
National Research Inc (R)[399]	November 26–28, 2017	600	± 4.0%	46%	45%	–	–	9%
Change Research[400]	November 26–27, 2017	1,868	± 2.3%	49%	44%	–	–	7%
Emerson College[401]	November 25–27, 2017	500	± 4.3%	53%	47%	–	–	–
Strategy Research[402]	November 20, 2017	3,000	± 2.0%	47%	45%	–	3%	5%
WT&S Consulting (R)[403]	November 18–20, 2017	11,641	± 1.2%	46%	40%	–	–	13%
Change Research[404]	November 15–16, 2017	2,090	–	43%	46%	–	–	11%
National Research Inc[405]	November 13–16, 2017	600	± 4.0%	41%	49%	–	–	10%
Gravis Marketing[406]	November 14–15, 2017	628	± 3.5%	42%	47%	–	–	11%
Fox News[407]	November 13–15, 2017	649	± 3.5%	42%	50%	–	2%	7%
Strategy Research[408]	November 13, 2017	3,000	± 2.0%	49%	43%	–	–	8%
NRSC (R)[409]	November 12–13, 2017	500	–	39%	51%	–	–	10%
WT&S Consulting (R)[410]	November 11, 2017	1,536	± 3.3%	50%	40%	–	–	11%
Emerson College[411]	November 9–11, 2017	600	± 3.9%	55%	45%	–	–	–
JMC Analytics (R)[412]	November 9–11, 2017	575	± 4.1%	44%	48%	–	2%[413]	6%
Change Research[414]	November 9–11, 2017	1,855	–	44%	40%	–	3%	13%
Gravis Marketing[415]	November 10, 2017	478	± 4.5%	48%	46%	–	–	6%
WT&S Consulting (R)[410]	November 9, 2017	1,354	± 3.5%	50%	39%	–	–	11%
Opinion Savvy[416]	November 9, 2017	515	± 4.3%	46%	46%	–	4%	4%
	November 9, 2017	Moore sexual misconduct allegations reported
NRSC (R)[409]	November 6–7, 2017	–	–	51%	42%	–	–	8%
Strategy Research[417]	November 6, 2017	2,200	± 2.0%	51%	40%	–	–	9%
Axis Research (R-SLF)[418]	October 24–26, 2017	503	± 4.5%	56%	39%	–	–	5%
Strategy Research[419]	October 19, 2017	3,000	± 3.0%	52%	41%	–	–	7%
Strategy Research[420]	October 16, 2017	3,000	± 2.5%	51%	40%	–	–	9%
Fox News[421]	October 14–16, 2017	801	± 3.5%	42%	42%	–	3%	11%
NRSC (R)[409]	October 3–5, 2017	–	–	53%	37%	–	–	10%
Cygnal (R)[422]	October 2–5, 2017	497	± 4.4%	49%	41%	–	–	9%
JMC Analytics (R)[423]	September 30 – October 1, 2017	500	± 4.4%	48%	40%	–	1%[424]	11%
Opinion Savvy[425]	September 27–28, 2017	590	± 4.0%	50%	45%	–	–	5%
Emerson College[127]	September 21–23, 2017	519	± 4.3%	52%	30%	–	–	18%
Emerson College[133]	September 8–9, 2017	416	± 4.8%	44%	40%	–	–	16%

* Unpublished poll released on December 15

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roy Moore (R)	Doug Jones (D)	Luther Strange (R)	Other	Undecided
Opinion Savvy[426]	November 9, 2017	515	± 4.3%	41%	44%	12%	1%	2%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Luther Strange (R)	Doug Jones (D)	Other	Undecided
Fox News[427]	November 13–15, 2017	649 LV	± 3.5%	38%	48%	3%	5%
		823 RV	± 3.0%	39%	46%	3%	6%
Emerson College[428]	September 21–23, 2017	519	± 4.3%	49%	36%	–	15%
Emerson College[429]	September 8–9, 2017	416	± 4.8%	43%	40%	–	17%

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Generic Republican	Generic Democrat	Undecided
Washington Post/Schar School[430]	November 27–30, 2017	739	± 4.5%	50%	44%	6%
JMC Analytics (R)[431]	November 27–28, 2017	650	± 3.8%	49%	46%	3%
JMC Analytics (R)[432]	November 9–11, 2017	575	± 4.1%	45%	47%	8%
JMC Analytics (R)[433]	September 30 – October 1, 2017	500	± 4.4%	49%	45%	6%

Hypothetical polling

with Roy Moore on ballot and Luther Strange as write-in candidate:

with Luther Strange on ballot:

with generic Republican/Democrat

Results

Turnout map by county

  25–30%

  30–35%

  35–40%

  40–45%

  45–50%

  50–55%

At 9:23 p.m. CST on December 12, 2017, the Associated Press called the election for Jones; however, Moore refused to concede.^[14][15] Jones was the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in Alabama since former lieutenant governor Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008.^[434] Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, becoming the first Democratic U.S. senator from Alabama since Howell Heflin left office in 1997.^[16]

United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017^[435][436]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Doug Jones	673,896	49.97%	+49.97%
	Republican	Roy Moore	651,972	48.34%	−48.91%
	Write-in		22,852	1.69%	−1.06%
Total votes			1,348,720	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic gain from Republican

By congressional district

Despite losing the state, Moore won six of seven congressional districts. However, he only won one district by a margin of more than 10 percentage points.^[437]

District	Moore	Jones	Representative
1st	50%	48%	Bradley Byrne
2nd	53%	45%	Martha Roby
3rd	51%	48%	Mike Rogers
4th	68%	30%	Robert Aderholt
5th	48.8%	48.7%	Mo Brooks
6th	53%	45%	Gary Palmer
7th	20%	79%	Terri Sewell

By county

By county

County Doug Jones Votes Doug Jones % Roy Moore Votes Roy Moore % Write-ins Votes Write-ins % Turnout Turnout % Autauga 5,615 38.38% 8,762 59.90% 253 1.73% 14,630 38.32% Baldwin 22,261 35.60% 38,566 61.68% 1,703 2.72% 62,530 42.74% Barbour 3,716 57.53% 2,702 41.83% 41 0.63% 6,459 38.35% Bibb 1,567 29.95% 3,599 68.79% 66 1.26% 5,232 38.32% Blount 2,408 16.94% 11,631 81.80% 180 1.27% 14,219 37.45% Bullock 2,715 80.37% 656 19.42% 7 0.21% 3,378 45.53% Butler 2,915 51.02% 2,758 48.27% 41 0.72% 42.36% Calhoun 12,331 44.04% 15,238 54.43% 429 1.53% 27,998 36.18% Chambers 4,257 55.75% 3,312 43.37% 67 0.88% 7,636 32.42% Cherokee 1,529 27.09% 4,006 70.98% 109 1.93% 5,644 33.00% Chilton 2,306 23.06% 7,563 75.62% 132 1.32% 10,001 35.42% Choctaw 2,277 53.66% 1,949 45.93% 17 0.40% 4,243 40.10% Clarke 4,363 51.93% 3,995 47.55% 43 0.51% 8,401 43.96% Clay 990 27.52% 2,589 71.96% 19 0.53% 3,598 36.92% Cleburne 600 19.37% 2,468 79.66% 30 0.97% 3,098 29.47% Coffee 3,730 31.10% 8,063 67.22% 202 1.68% 11,995 36.52% Colbert 6,881 46.41% 7,771 52.41% 171 1.15% 14,828 37.75% Conecuh 2,259 55.21% 1,815 44.35% 18 0.44% 4,092 39.84% Coosa 1,415 42.71% 1,867 56.39% 30 0.91% 3,312 41.42% Covington 2,107 23.33% 6,835 75.69% 88 0.97% 9,030 35.09% Crenshaw 1,320 35.46% 2,347 63.04% 56 1.50% 3,725 37.66% Cullman 4,161 19.73% 16,609 78.74% 324 1.54% 21,094 37.61% Dale 3,844 35.04% 6,991 63.72% 136 1.24% 10,971 34.87% Dallas 10,503 74.75% 3,487 24.82% 60 0.43% 14,050 44.88% DeKalb 3,559 25.62% 10,097 72.69% 234 1.68% 13,890 34.31% Elmore 7,711 34.33% 14,415 64.16% 338 1.50% 22,464 41.34% Escambia 3,642 41.78% 4,987 57.22% 87 1.00% 8,716 35.39% Etowah 10,568 40.34% 15,730 60.04% 620 2.37% 26,918 38.57% Fayette 1,143 24.39% 3,491 74.55% 50 1.07% 4,684 38.40% Franklin 1,771 29.34% 4,216 69.86% 48 0.80% 6,035 33.50% Geneva 1,290 18.92% 5,433 79.72% 93 1.37% 6,816 37.84% Greene 3,345 87.64% 462 12.12% 9 0.24% 3,816 53.89% Hale 3,902 69.33% 1,691 30.11% 32 0.57% 5,625 46.26% Henry 1,899 38.32% 3,015 60.91% 38 0.77% 4,952 39.20% Houston 9,198 37.81% 14,846 61.02% 285 1.17% 24,329 34.18% Jackson 3,330 30.82% 7,317 67.75% 154 1.43% 10,801 29.44% Jefferson 149,759 68.13% 66,350 30.18% 3,716 1.69% 219,825 47.38% Lamar 779 21.31% 2,847 77.89% 29 0.79% 3,655 34.46% Lauderdale 9,970 43.02% 12,818 55.31% 388 1.67% 23,176 37.53% Lawrence 3,033 36.04% 5,321 63.23% 61 0.72% 8,415 35.49% Lee 19,886 57.61% 14,059 40.73% 674 1.95% 34,519 32.90% Limestone 9,606 39.19% 14,298 58.33% 515 2.10% 24,514 41.18% Lowndes 3,783 79.08% 988 20.65% 13 0.27% 4,784 47.14% Macon 5,783 88.14% 759 11.56% 20 0.30% 6,567 37.70% Madison 65,997 56.98% 46,381 40.04% 3,447 2.98% 115,825 45.68% Marengo 4,498 61.11% 2,805 38.11% 62 0.84% 7,361 46.01% Marion 1,311 19.72% 5,269 79.25% 68 1.02% 6,647 32.82% Marshall 5,145 26.47% 13,842 71.21% 450 2.32% 19,437 34.22% Mobile 62,716 56.46% 46,828 42.15% 1,546 1.39% 111,090 38.55% Monroe 3,266 49.59% 3,280 49.80% 40 0.61% 6,586 40.79% Montgomery 48,374 72.35% 17,739 26.53% 745 1.11% 66,858 44.05% Morgan 10,935 35.48% 19,215 62.34% 671 2.18% 30,821 40.28% Perry 3,140 79.04% 821 20.68% 11 0.28% 3,972 48.70% Pickens 3,064 50.44% 2,965 48.81% 46 0.76% 6,075 44.18% Pike 4,015 48.51% 4,165 50.32% 97 1.17% 8,277 37.58% Randolph 1,695 34.25% 3,231 65.29% 23 0.46% 4,949 29.66% Russell 6,761 64.77% 3,622 34.70% 55 0.53% 10,438 28.52% Shelby 27,311 41.71% 36,455 55.67% 1,718 2.62% 65,484 45.63% St. Clair 6,212 27.43% 15,889 70.15% 459 2.03% 22,560 38.05% Sumter 3,527 80.91% 814 18.67% 18 0.41% 4,359 43.95% Talladega 9,977 50.13% 9,701 48.75% 223 1.12% 19,901 37.45% Tallapoosa 4,605 38.59% 7,179 60.16% 150 1.26% 11,934 40.19% Tuscaloosa 30,869 57.23% 22,067 40.91% 1,007 1.87% 53,943 40.83% Walker 4,330 26.20% 11,938 72.23% 259 1.57% 16,527 35.19% Washington 1,805 34.86% 3,325 64.21% 48 0.93% 5,178 39.78% Wilcox 3,345 76.74% 1,000 22.94% 16 0.37% 4,359 46.94% Winston 911 16.10% 4,681 82.71% 67 1.18% 5,659 35.80% Total 673,896 49.97% 651,972 48.34% 22,852 1.69% 1,348,720 100.00% Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Barbour (largest city: Eufaula) Butler (largest city: Greenville) Chambers (largest city: Valley) Choctaw (largest town: Butler) Clarke (largest city: Jackson) Conecuh (largest city: Evergreen) Lee (largest city: Auburn) Madison (largest city: Huntsville) Mobile (largest city: Mobile) Pickens (largest city: Aliceville) Talladega (largest city: Talladega) Tuscaloosa (largest city: Tuscaloosa) Jefferson (largest municipality: Birmingham) Marengo (largest municipality: Linden) Sumter (largest municipality: Livingston) Greene (largest municipality: Eutaw) Hale (largest municipality: Moundville) Perry (largest municipality: Marion) Dallas (largest municipality: Selma) Wilcox (largest municipality: Camden) Lowndes (largest municipality: Fort Deposit) Montgomery (largest municipality: Montgomery) Macon (largest municipality: Tuskegee) Bullock (largest municipality: Union Springs) Russell (largest city: Phenix City)

Analysis

External videos
Doug Jones election night remarks, December 12, 2017, C-SPAN
Roy Moore election night remarks, December 12, 2017, C-SPAN

Jones on stage following his victory

Write-in votes by county:

  <1%

  >1%

  >2%

  >3%

Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore by a margin of 21,924 votes. Voter turnout was 40.54% of Alabama's 3,326,812^[438] registered voters.

Jones won primarily by running up huge margins in the state's major cities, as well as winning 96% of African American voters. The state's four largest counties—Jefferson (home to the state's largest city of Birmingham), Mobile (home to Mobile), Madison (home to Huntsville), and Montgomery (home to the state capital of Montgomery)—all gave Jones 56 percent or more of the vote. He carried Jefferson by over 83,800 votes, and Montgomery by almost 30,500 votes; either county would have been more than enough to give him the victory. Jones also dominated the Black Belt. Jones won 61% of votes from voters under 45, and 51% of independent voters. While Moore dominated the state's rural areas outside of the Black Belt, he significantly underperformed Trump's totals in those areas, as well as the suburbs such as traditional GOP fortress Shelby County, which Moore won by a small margin.^[439]

An envelope to a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraising mailer distributed in 2018 with a reference to Jones' victory in the traditionally strongly Republican state of Alabama

As of December 15, Moore demanded a recount and refused to concede the race, despite being urged by Trump, Bannon, and others to concede. In Alabama, if the final margin of victory is less than 0.5%, then a recount is automatically triggered. If not, then either candidate can request a recount at their own expense.^[440][441] However, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill estimated that a recount could cost anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million, an amount that would have had to be paid in full when the request is made. Moore had only $636,046 on hand by the time the campaign ended.^[442] A number of right-leaning websites pushed conspiracy theories about voter fraud providing the margin for Jones.^[443] Merrill noted on December 20 that the only outstanding ballots were 366 military ballots and 4,967 provisional ballots; even if all those votes were for Moore, it would not have been enough to trigger an automatic recount.^[444]

Because the number of write-in votes was larger than Jones' margin of victory, the names written in were both counted and listed.^[445] Luther Strange, who lost the Republican primary to Moore, received the most write-in votes, followed by former White House aide Lee Busby, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who also ran in the Republican Senate primary, Libertarian write-in candidate Ron Bishop, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Nick Saban, head coach for University of Alabama's football team, finished in seventh with more than 250 votes.^[446]

After the election, Moore filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state from certifying the election and calling for an investigation into voter fraud. On December 28, 2017, a judge dismissed this lawsuit and state officials certified the election results, officially declaring Doug Jones the winner.^[447] Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, by Vice President Mike Pence.^[16] Jones became the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Alabama since former lieutenant governor Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008 over Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh.^[434] Prior to that, Democrat Jim Folsom Jr. was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 2006 over Republican Luther Strange.^[448] The last Democrat to win a federal statewide election in Alabama was Richard Shelby in 1992, who switched to the Republican Party in late 1994.^[449]

Voter demographics

CNN exit poll

Demographic subgroup	Jones	Moore	% of voters
Gender
Men	42	56	49
Women	57	41	51
Age
18–24 years old	59	40	8
25–29 years old	62	35	5
30–39 years old	66	32	12
40–49 years old	53	46	20
50–64 years old	46	53	32
65 and older	40	59	23
Race
White	30	68	66
Black	96	4	29
Race by gender
White men	26	72	35
White women	34	63	31
Black men	93	6	11
Black women	98	2	17
Education
High school or less	44	56	20
Some college education	46	50	36
College degree	52	46	28
Advanced degree	58	39	16
Party ID
Democrats	98	2	37
Republicans	8	91	43
Independents	51	43	21
Ideology
Liberals	86	14	23
Moderates	74	25	31
Conservatives	15	83	45
Children under 18 in your home?
Yes	56	42	35
No	49	50	65
Are sexual misconduct allegations against Moore:
Definitely True	97	2	26
Probably True	82	15	26
Probably False	3	95	27
Definitely False	7	93	15
When did you decide your vote?
Last few days	38	57	12
Earlier in December	47	50	9
In November	53	46	21
Before November	53	46	57
Area type
Urban	85	14	20
Suburban	47	51	38
Rural	36	62	42
Source: CNN[450]

See also

• 2010 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts
• 2016 United States Senate elections

Notes

1. In February 2017, Strange was appointed by Governor Robert J. Bentley to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Jeff Sessions, who had been nominated to be U.S. attorney general.