Doug Jones Won!

In a remarkable result last night, Democrat Doug Jones bested Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama special election to fill Jeff Sessions' vacated seat. It was a close one — so close, in fact, that Moore is threatened to demand a recount before the results are certified. So it's not officially over yet, but: Doug Jones won.


Doug Jones, and the Democratic voters of Alabama, defeated a bigot predator who was the candidate of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

Specifically, the Black voters of Alabama defeated him.


If you can't see the images embedded in the tweet, one graphic shows that 26% of overall voters were Black, and 66% of overall voters were white, with 67% of white voters going for Moore and Black voters overwhelmingly going for Jones at 96%. The second graphic breaks it down by gender: 72% of white men and 63% of white women supported Moore, while 93% of Black men and 98% of Black women supported Jones.


As I have written before: That Black women should be leading the Democratic Party and shaping its future shouldn't be a controversial suggestion. No other group who has been so reliably right as a voting bloc would be questioned as having earned leadership and influence. Again: Black Democratic women have demonstrated that they make good political choices. For a very long time.

I am keen to see them lead. And I am keen to see the Democratic Party better serve their Black constituency. I believe strongly that Black leadership in the party is the only way that will happen.

I also hope that the Democratic Party and left-leaning voters all across this nation are keeping their focus on Republican voter suppression efforts, and not getting overconfident because of this win. The story that isn't being told about this special election is that the Republican Party didn't kick its voter suppression effort into high gear, because Roy Moore wasn't worth exposing their new sinister, undemocratic tricks before 2018.

They'll slink away from this one, and then whip out the shock and awe during the midterms. That's seemingly the plan, anyway — which is why we have to be extremely vigilant, expect the worst, and work hard to prevent it.

Okay. Anyway!

Congratulations to Doug Jones and all of his supporters in Alabama! YOU DID IT!

As for Donald Trump, Roy Moore, and their deplorable supporters everywhere, I will let Adam Scott (who played Ben Wyatt on Parks & Rec) have the final word:


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