Last Updated Dec 13, 2017 4:34 PM EST
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Democrat Doug Jones holds a news conference Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET following his Tuesday night win against Republican Roy Moore. Alabama hasn’t sent a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 25 years.
The former U.S. attorney won by a narrow margin in the special election, earning 49.92 percent of the vote while Moore had 48.38 percent.
“I think that I have been waiting all my life and now I just don’t know what the hell to say,” Jones said, taking the stage Tuesday night once his victory had been called.
Moore, who faced a series of allegations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls, has yet to concede the race.
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Jones looks forward to working with President Trump
Jones again thanked Mr. Trump for his congratulatory call and said that he looks forward to working with the president once he joins the Senate.
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Jones commends women who come forward with sexual misconduct stories
“Going forward, this country has a debt that we owe to women everywhere,” Jones said.
He commended the women who come forward with their stories of sexual misconduct, both those who accused Moore of such behavior and others. Jones encouraged more women to share their stories and expressed his hope for a safer environment for all women going forward.
“I think Roy Moore was disqualified from this job to begin with,” Jones said when asked if he thinks the stories of Moore’s accusers affected his win.
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“We knew the importance of minority votes”
“We knew the importance of minority votes,” Jones said addressing the boost his campaign got from African American voters.
Nine in 10 African American voters in the Alabama special election cast their ballot for Jones.
“I believe we are on the road to having a competitive two-party state,” Jones said, expressing his hope for more Democratic representation in his state.
Prior to Jones’ election, deep-red Alabama had not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 25 years.
“This election can send a message to a lot of folks to reach out and do some things, try to help,” he said.
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Jones to conservatives: “let’s just talk”
“Let’s just agree to disagree on those issues that are so divisive that they’re hard to even talk about,” Jones said addressing conservative voters who may not have voted for him.
He thanked DNC Chair Tom Perez for the party’s help, adding that he was thankful his campaign was able to be focused locally and stay “true” to itself.
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Jones says United States wants “common ground”
“I think I’m a lot more center-of-the-road political figure, public figure,” Jones said.
He believes that post-election is a “time to heal” and a time for people, both within Alabama and across the United States, to “find common ground.”
“More importantly people have been looking for somebody who they can talk to, somebody who can represent them in their best interest,” he said.
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Jones begins conference
Jones began the conference saying that through his election, Alabama has delivered “a message of inclusiveness, a message of equality, a message of dignity and respect.”
Jones said that various senators, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader called him to congratulate him on the win. President Trump also called Jones, he said, to congratulate him.
Sen. Luther Strange, R-Alabama, was one of the first people to call Jones to wish him well once he won Tuesday night. Strange held the Alabama Senate seat temporarily once former senator Jeff Sessions began his position as Attorney General.
