Former state Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore’s defeat of appointed U.S. Sen. Luther Strange in the Republican run-off provides Democrats with a small opening in the December 13 general election. Alabama is a deep red state, but Moore is a very controversial nominee who possesses a tendency to make very provocative statements (e.g., that the 9/11 terrorist attacks might have happened “…because we have distanced ourselves from God.”). Most of Moore’s controversial stances weren’t aired during the GOP primary, but they will provide Democrats with plenty of fodder in the general election. What Moore has going in his favor is the state’s solid red hue and a devoted base of social conservatives and Trump Republicans who supported him over his Trump-endorsed opponent in the run-off. And, despite Moore’s skewering of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during the primary and run-off, national Republicans are committed helping him hold the seat in December.

The Democratic nominee is Doug Jones, a former U.S. Attorney who gained some notoriety for his successful prosecution of two members of the Ku Klux Klan for their role

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