President Trump congratulated Democrat Doug Jones Tuesday on his victory over Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race.
“Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!” he wrote.
Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2017
But the president, who backed Moore’s primary opponent Luther Strange, wasn’t done commenting on the race, tweeting Wednesday:
“The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!”
The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 13, 2017
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Jones defeated Moore, 49.9 percent to 48.4 percent, making him the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the deep-red state of Alabama since 1992. There were 22,819 votes for a write-in candidate, or 1.7 percent.
The seat was vacated when Jeff Sessions became attorney general.