Democrats have lost a key seat in the U.S. Senate after a hotly contested race in Alabama.
Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville has flipped the seat held since 2018 by Sen. Doug Jones back to the Republican side.
The Alabama race had become pivotal in the 2020 election, critical for Democrats who were trying to regain majority control of the Senate and for Republicans who were determined to reclaim conservative footing in the Southern Trump stronghold.
Jones pulled off a rare special election win in the state in 2018 but was considered the underdog in the 2020 general election against Republican Tuberville.
Jones was also considered the most vulnerable senator running for reelection, according to reports.
Tuberville, who has never held public office and last coached four years ago, aligned himself closely with President Donald Trump and declared in the primary campaign: “God sent us Donald Trump.”
Jones had won the seat during a special election in which GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore was publicly accused of sexual misconduct involving young women decades ago.
The GOP hammered Jones over his vote to convict Trump in the Senate impeachment trial earlier this year.
Jones spent nearly $24.8 million on his race in Alabama.
His opponent, Tuberville, spent $6.7 million, including during his competitive GOP primary in which he defeated former Sen. Jeff Sessions.
But Jones' massive spending advantage was not enough to overcome the state’s partisan lean.
Democrats believed that Jones would be able to energize Black voters and appeal to moderate Republicans, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Tuberville’s surge.
Republicans note Jones had never broken with his party on high-profile matters. The incumbent voted against Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, and voted to impeach Trump in 2019.
Information provided by The Associated Press and Tribune News Services was used to supplement this report.
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