After a long and tumultuous race that involved multiple sex scandals, Democrat Doug Jones has won the Senate seat in Alabama.
This win by Democrats shortens the Republican Senate majority to only one seat and gives reason to believe that the Democrats have an actual shot at taking over the Senate next year.
Opponent Roy Moore's campaign had been notorious across the U.S. after The Washington Post uncovered that when he was a prosecutor in his 30s, he had made sexual advances towards four teenage girls, one of whom was 14 at the time. Despite these claims, President Trump feverish campaigned for Roy Moore to win, and because of this, he was projected to win.
However, Doug Jones was able to win the majority vote. He did so by targeting African-Americans and educated white voters who were becoming increasingly wary of the Republican Party and Roy Moore. Doug Jones' past is also seen in a far more positive light than Roy Moore's past since Jones is best known for prosecuting two KKK members who were responsible for the bombing of an Alabama Baptist Church. His traditional Democratic views also helped him, since he was seen as more of a Centrist than Roy Moore.
Moore's loss will have a serious impact on many Washington Republican's who are already having trouble garnering support to enact new legislation by Congress. Moore's large and expensive campaign that resulted in defeat may deter new Republicans from running for Congress, and it appears that no matter how hard they may try, they'd still lose. However, some Republican party members were relieved to have Moore lose due to the fact that he would have possibly had a court hearing and become indicted on his charges, which would have ultimately been a massive blow to Republicans.
Jones' win is a victory for all Democrats and suggests a possibly bright future for the Democratic Party as a whole.
1) Now that Doug Jones is in office, do you think the Democrats have an opportunity to take over the Senate? Why or why not?
2) Did Doug Jones' past influence more voters than Roy Moore's past? Why or why not?
3) Should Roy Moore be prosecuted for the multiple sexual assault cases against him? If he was elected, do you think he would have been prosecuted? Why?
1. I believe that since Doug Jones is in office the chances of Democrats taking over the senate is not entirely impossible. The path towards a Democratic senate requires Democrats to take gain a net of 3 seats. If the Democrats are able to win Nevada and Arizona, along with defending the other 26, the Democrats will most likely become the majority.
ReplyDelete1. Now that Doug Jones is in office, I think the chances for Democrats to take over the Senate has increased significantly from the previous near impossible odds. Now with only one more seat than Democrats, the Republican control over the Senate is definitely much less stable than previously imagined. A Democratic Senate would only require Democrats to acquire 2 more seats and maintain 25 in 2018. If Democrats are able to pull this off by 2018, a Democratic Senate will not only be possible, but will become the reality.
ReplyDelete1) I do believe that there is the slight chance that the Democrats could retake the senate soon. This election shows that American citizens are unwilling to stand for sexual predators as their leaders and how traditional ultra conservative ideals may not be as popular anymore. At the same time I don't think that Jones will be able to survive his next election. As soon as a non rapist Republican runs he will win Alabama.
ReplyDelete1) Because Doug Jones is now in office, I believe that the chances of Democrats taking over has significantly increased. Aside from the fact that this election proved to people that voters would not stand with sexual predators + the President's favor, this was the first time a Democrat had won in Alabama in 25 years. Though Alabama may not continue to vote for a Democratic member representing their state, the fact is that the Republicans only have one more seat in the Senate than the Democrats do.
ReplyDelete1) Because Doug Jones won office this year, I believe that the democrats have a significant chance to take Alabama, a state that has traditionally been red. I think that when a Democrat wins after years of Republicans winning, it means the people who are voting are ready for change. I think this definitely applies to Alabama, and the people are ready for something different. However, if Jones fails to create change and do as he promised, I think this will make the voting people of Alabama think they made a mistake, and they will continue to vote republican.
ReplyDelete2. While I think that Doug Jones is very qualified and has done many admirable things that help to prove that he would be a great senator, I think that the main reason he won was because of the repulsive actions in Roy Moore's past. Through the prominence of allegations of sexual misconduct recently, I saw how many important leaders in our society were accepted for a long time despite these actions. Further, our president Donald Trump has been accused of sexual harassment on various occasions, and he has yet to face any consequences. This made me scared that despite Roy Moore's obvious and unacceptable actions, he would still win the race. I was really happy when Doug Jones won, and I think the African Americans and educated whites can be thanked. I think it is smart of Doug Jones to target these people, and both his qualifications in social justice as well as Roy Moore's terrible actions helped him to win the race.
ReplyDelete3. Based on the claims in the media, it appears that Roy Moore should be prosecuted for the multiple sexual assault cases against him. However, if he was elected, it would be difficult to say if he would be prosecuted because it would depend on whether the Republican party backed him. If the Republic party didn't back Moore and democrats were determined to get Moore kicked out, it is very possible that Moore would have been prosecuted. Of course, now that Moore was not elected, there is little chance he will be prosecuted because the general public and most democrats probably don't care since Moore has already lost the race.
ReplyDelete2. Solely based off of relevance to current events, Roy Moore's past was a large part of what caused Jones' win. Due to Roy Moore's revealed past, and poor actions to defend it, Jones' garnered many more supporters. One might think that these voters would not vote at all instead of voting for Jones', but this isn't the case. It appears that many more voters, in light of the accusations against Roy Moore, have decided to research his democratic counterpart, Doug Jones, and vote for him instead. Roy Moore's past was more influential in this last election than Doug Jones'
ReplyDelete1. Honestly, I don' thinks Jone's win will do very much for the Democratic party. While it is a huge step forward for the party, the Democrats are still quite divided among ideologies. Additionally, the Democrats party is older and not appealing to the younger population. While this could help the party in 2018, I doubt it will be enough to get a majority.
ReplyDelete2. I think the fact that Doug Jones was voted into office was almost entirely a response to the allegations leveled at Roy Moore. Not only did it inspire an impressive turn out by the Democrats, there were many stories of Republicans not voting at all. The values and actions of Roy Moore seemed to cross a line in what many Republicans were willing to toe the party line for, with many other Republican senators denouncing his campaign. While Doug Jones was a worthy political opponent but would not have won without the circumstances surrounding Roy Moore.
ReplyDeleteThis was actually Jackson Gravagno
Delete2. I highly doubt that Jones's past was a more important deciding factor in his victory than Moore's. Let's not forget what Moore was accused of. Sure, Jones was a good candidate and had some important ties to Alabama, but it doesn't change the impact of the accusations against Moore. Furthermore, I think we better slow down before suggesting a realignment in Alabama just because of this election. Many people in the Republican party didn't even want to see Moore run. Just because Moore lost doesn't necessarily equate to a democratic takeover in Alabama. It's important that we view what Jones does in his term before we come to any conclusions other than Moore was trouble for everyone if he won and people simply just didn't vote for him.
ReplyDelete1. Now that Doug Jones is in office, I believe that there is a good chance that the Democrats can take over the Senate. Many voters are unhappy with the way that Republicans are running things and would like to change. This election is a sign that people are wanting that change now. It is because of this that there is a decent chance that the Democrats take the Senate.
ReplyDelete3. Roy Moore should be prosecuted for the claims made against him for sexual assault. I think that is essential for people in high-poer positions to be held accountable for the actions in order to set a precedence that sexual harassment is not tolerated.
ReplyDeleteThere is now an increased chance that the democrats can take over the senate, however it is still quite unlikely. This can be used as a symbol that the incumbency advantage can be overcome with an effective campaign.
ReplyDelete1. I think that with Doug Jones in office, the future of the Democrats appears to be optimistic. Alabama is a traditionally Republican state, so to have a Democrat in office is a game-changer and a positive sign for Democrats. I think the Democrats may have a chance at taking over the Senate one day, but it is hard to predict.
ReplyDelete