Doug Jones declared victor in race for Senate as Roy Moore refuses to concede

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Doug Jones speaks to reporters after casting his ballot Tuesday. [Photo: Courtesy]

In a stunning setback for the Republican Party, Democrat Doug Jones was elected Alabama’s next senator on Tuesday, flipping a deeply red state after a campaign that showcased the increasing power of sexual misconduct allegations and the limits of President Trump’s political influence.

Jones’s victory in a part of the Deep South that has not elected a Democratic senator since 1992 was a dramatic repudiation of his opponent, Roy Moore, a former state judge twice removed from office. Moore responded to allegations that he made sexual advances on teenagers when he was in his 30s by describing his campaign as a “spiritual battle” against a conspiracy of Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington.