MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama U.S. Sen. Doug Jones received more than 200,000 more votes this year than he did when he won the seat three years ago.
But despite record Democratic turnout, it wasn’t nearly enough in the deeply red state. Republican former college football coach Tommy Tuberville racked up huge margins to handily defeat Jones and Democratic hopes of maintaining inroads in the Deep South state this year.
Jones topped former President Barack Obama’s 2008 record for most votes for a Democratic candidate in Alabama. Yet huge GOP numbers pushed the incumbent down to just 40% of the overall vote.