A Democrat hasn’t won major statewide office in Alabama for decades, but recent polls show former federal prosecutor Doug Jones within striking distance of Republican Roy Moore in a special U.S. Senate election set for December 12. Jones had some high-profile support at a rally at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham on Tuesday, including former Vice President Joe Biden.
Jones told the crowd, which filled a large ballroom, that he’s been told over and over that the odds are against him.
“It’s not the first time I’ve heard that something I want to do is a long shot,” he said.
Dan Carsen, WBHM
Former Vice President Joe Biden is greeted by a scrum of Doug Jones supporters after Tuesday’s rally.
He’s known for prosecuting the men who bombed Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963. That’s one reason former Vice President Joe Biden says he rallied for Jones.
“Doug has demonstrated his courage,” says Biden. “It gives you reason to believe a little again.”
His opponent Roy Moore is known for his strong religious views. He was removed from the Alabama Supreme Court twice, first over a Ten Commandments monument, and second for defying the US Supreme Court on same-sex marriage.