Alabama vote a blow for Trump
But president says he was ‘right’ all along
WASHINGTON •Donald Trump attempted to distance himself from a damaging electoral defeat Wednesday by saying he never thought Roy Moore could win the Alabama senate race.
The U.S. president claimed he had been proven “right” by the Republican candidate’s shock defeat because he initially supported a more mainstream politician as the party’s pick.
But the remarks did little to limit the fallout from a loss that has thrown his legislative agenda into question and reignited a party civil war.
Doug Jones became the first Democratic senator to be elected in Alabama for 25 years on Tuesday as he defeated Moore by 49.9 per cent to 48.4 per cent. Moore, who faced multiple historic allegations of assaulting underage teenage girls, did not formally concede but any recount is not expected to prove successful.
The result means Republicans now hold 51 senate seats to their opponents’ 49, with just two Republican rebels enough to block any new legislation.
That leaves Trump more exposed to his internal party critics and makes repealing Barack Obama’s health care law or passing future legislation harder.
The win has re-energized a Democratic Party still reeling from its 2016 presidential loss and raised hopes that it can take back control of the senate and the House of Representatives next year. It has also created tension between Trump and Steve Bannon, his former aide whose determination to kick out sitting Republican senators contributed to the loss in Alabama.
Trump, who had publicly endorsed Moore, initially tweeted his congratulations to Jones, saying “a win is a win.” But he later attempted to limit the political damage by noting he had first supported Luther Strange, the incumbent Republican candidate who Moore defeated in the primaries.
Trump tweeted: “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!”
He also lashed out at Republican establishment figures supposedly pleased with Moore’s loss. There had been suggestions that having Moore in the senate would contaminate the party’s brand.
Jones’s unexpected victory was credited to a high turnout from African-American voters. Some 30 per cent of the total voters were AfricanAmerican, according to an exit poll — a higher proportion than in either of Obama’s presidential victories.