State elects its first Democrat to the Senate in decades after rollercoaster battle against Roy Moore

DEVELOPING…

Democrat Doug Jones has defeated Roy Moore in Alabama’s Senate election, according to a projection from the Fox News Decision Desk.

ORIGINAL STORY…

The hard-fought Alabama Senate race between Republican Roy Moore and Democrat Doug Jones remains too close to call, though a Fox News voter analysis shows the Democratic nominee enjoying a lead over his GOP rival.

Jones’ competitiveness is a remarkable development in a deep red state that reflects just how badly Moore has been hurt by a sex scandal. 

But the race is still fluid. 

With 87 percent of precincts reporting, Jones and Moore both had 49.2 percent, according to incoming returns.

Moore, the former chief justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, has faced multiple allegations he pursued romantic relationships with teenage girls while he was in his thirties -- accusations that have dramatically shaken up the race. He has denied the claims.

The Fox News Voter Analysis, a new polling technique Fox News is testing to improve coverage, indicates 51 percent of voters on Tuesday think the accusations against Moore are true while 43 percent don’t believe them.

But the data also indicate the voters say party control is more important to their vote than the allegations against Moore.

The analysis shows that 59 percent of voters think Jones has strong moral character, while 57 percent say Moore doesn’t. 

Jones, an attorney best known for prosecuting two members of the KKK for the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, initially wasn’t believed to have a realistic chance of winning the seat. 

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