BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Shaking hands and greeting diners at a popular lunch stop, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Doug Jones is hoping to persuade Alabamians to break a two-decade habit of voting Republican.
A day after Republicans picked firebrand jurist Roy Moore as their nominee, Democrats see an opening, even if it’s a narrow one, for a rare Southern victory in a statewide election.
“We are at a very important point in our state’s history where people are going to start looking seriously at issues” over party, Jones said Wednesday after greeting diners at Niki’s West restaurant near downtown Birmingham.
Twice removed as Alabama chief justice chair after defying federal courts, Moore is polarizing among moderate voters even as he maintains a loyal following for his public display of the Ten Commandments and stand against same-sex marriage.
Moore, 70, and Jones meet Dec. 12, with the winner taking the Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. The question is whether Jones and national Democratic forces eager to help him can capitalize on Moore’s weaknesses in a state where President Donald Trump remains popular and Democrats have been long marginalized.