GOP Flips Key Senate Seat as Tommy Tuberville Beats Doug Jones in Alabama
A political newcomer delivered Republicans a major win Tuesday night in their battle to maintain control of the U.S. Senate.
Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville has toppled incumbent Democratic Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama, according to The Associated Press, securing one of what may be a previous few congressional seats flipped by the GOP this election cycle.
BREAKING: Republican Tommy Tuberville wins election to U.S. Senate from Alabama, beating incumbent Sen. Doug Jones. #APracecall at 9:10 p.m. CST. #Election2020 #ALelection https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 4, 2020
Jones had previously flipped the seat in 2017, pulling out a tight victory over scandalized Republican Judge Roy Moore in a red state special election to fill the vacancy left by Jeff Sessions‘ elevation to the role of attorney general under the Trump administration.
Alabama gets to decide the direction of our nation. That’s how valuable this seat is in the fight for the United States Senate. #ALSen #MAGA pic.twitter.com/bVZ24GrxBW
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) October 23, 2020
According to polling aggregation conducted in the closing weeks of the election by RealClearPolitics and FiveThirtyEight, Tuberville was expected to win by potentially double-digit margins, his Democratic opponent having voted in favor of impeachment and against two Alabama-approved Supreme Court nominees, despite campaigning as a moderate.
The former college football coach’s candidacy was also benefited greatly by the support of President Donald Trump, who sees some of his strongest approval ratings in Alabama.
Trump first endorsed Tuberville this past March, attempting to stack his primary against Sessions, who intended to reclaim his resigned Senate seat after something of an ouster at the Department of Justice.
As head of the department, Sessions had recused himself from special counsel during Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election — a move believed to have put Trump and the attorney at insurmountable odds.
Bad blood from the decision seemed to play a role in Trump’s handling of the Alabama primary, as the president berated Sessions at every turn, referring to him “a disaster who has let us all down” while painting his opponent as “a winner who will never let you down.”
The former attorney general went on to lose the race in a July 15 run-off election.
Appreciate the shoutout from @realDonaldTrump tonight! #TeamTub #MAGA #KAG2020 #ALSen #GOP #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/nvnQJm9BOg
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) October 24, 2020
No ill will has apparently carried over from the primary, however, with Sessions quick to appear in campaign material for Tuberville, calling on state Republicans to set their particular preferences aside in support of any effort to keep control of the U.S. Senate out of the hands of Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Tommy, I support you one-hundred percent,” Sessions said in a video advertisement released last month.
“Alabama must send you to represent us in the Senate. We cannot allow Chuck Schumer acolyte Doug Jones to represent Alabama in the Senate — you see it in his vote on the judges and [Supreme Court Justice Brett] Kavanaugh, and the way he’s behaved on the new nominee.”
“I know you’re going to win,” the former attorney general said.
“I feel really good about it and I’m glad you’re traveling the state hard.”
This has always been about replacing a liberal puppet with a voice that represents the will of the people of Alabama. @jeffsessions #ALSen #KAG2020 #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/4KkYGoOn4Y
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) October 15, 2020
Thanks for reading The Western Journal. Follow us to get the latest, breaking news for Election Night 2020.
Tune in to “WJ Live,” powered by The Western Journal, as we cover each poll closing, tally results and most importantly, cut through the liberal spin.
Watch live on WesternJournal.com, YouTube and Facebook.
You can follow us on Facebook @WesternJournal, Twitter @WestJournalism, Instagram @thewesternjournal and Parler @TheWesternJournal.
You can also help us out by subscribing!
If you see or hear anything that American voters should hear about, feel free to drop us a line at tips@westernjournal.com.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
