Doug Jones Senate Win Helped By Black Women And Millennial Voters

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Although Republican Roy Moore still has not conceded victory to Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama's Senate race, the rest of the country seems to have accepted that for the first time since 1997, a Democrat will represent Alabama in the United States Senate. What was thought to be impossible in the deep red state of Alabama became possible with the help of a few metrics. One, strong African-American voter turnout helped Jones, and large support from suburban voters.

DNC Chairman Tom Perez echoed these sentiments in a story in The Washington Post Wednesday, highlighting a $1 million investment in campaign efforts geared toward boosting millennial and black voter turnout that was not advertised until the election was won. The Post story says, "That was just one of the efforts that paid off for Democrats in Alabama, where new third-party groups including Woke Vote and BlackPAC engaged in weeks of voter persuasion and targeted messages.”

“Let me be clear: We won in Alabama and Virginia because black women led us to victory,” said Perez. “Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party, and we can’t take that for granted. Period.” As well, more than 60 percent of voters between 18 and 29 years old voted for Jones, which was another goal of the DNC strategy.

According to a CNN exit poll, the makeup of voters break down as such:

• White: 65%
• Black: 30%
• Latino: 3%
• Asian: 0%
• Other race: 2%

Reports show that 92 percent of black men voted for Jones, while a whopping 97 percent of black women voted for Jones. Keeping black voters involved in the political process is a vital strategy in strengthening the Democratic party in Alabama, experts say. Jones' victory Tuesday night was evidence of that. Many Alabama Democratic leaders have praised the black population, and black women in particular, for their role in the victory Tuesday.

"We plan to keep the African American community motivated and energized, as well as the new and long-term registered voters," said Carole Marks, Chair of the Shelby County Democratic Executive Committee. "Since qualification starts on January 8, 2018 for the 2018 election, we have already begun to recruit qualified candidates for state legislative seats."

She added," This victory provides hope and renewed energy among the Democrats in Alabama. The revelation is that if we get a good candidate and when support is received from most of the 67 counties, victory is possible."

In Shelby County, Alabama's wealthiest county, Moore received 56 percent of the vote, which is significant because in the presidential race, Shelby County went 75 percent for Trump.

Jones said he understands that representing a traditionally conservative state is going to require compromise. "People are looking for someone they can talk to, even if they don't always agree with each other," he said. "Not everyone is going to agree with me, but it is so important that we sit down and find common ground, sit down and talk about what matters.

He said he realizes there is a large segment of people who voted for him just to vote against Roy Moore. "I am okay with that," Jones said. "It shows they are against that kind of thinking, and that kind of rhetoric."

Photo by Michael Seale