Well, the nation held its breath on Tuesday and watched Alabama turn blue – at least in one regard – as Democrat Doug Jones edged out Republican Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions’. Jones received 639,088 votes to a total of 629,749 for Moore – and according to Alabama law an automatic recount occurs only when the outcome is within half a percentage point.  The final figures represented a margin of roughly one and a half percent.

Locally, Moore easily outdistanced Jones with Cherokee County voters casting 3,996 ballots in his favor compared to only 1,525 for Jones; there were a total of 94 absentee ballots with 58 going to Moore and 33 to Jones with three write-ins.  In neighboring DeKalb County Moore received 10,097 votes to Jones’ 3,559; but while rural areas supported Moore, metropolitan and urban districts ultimately put Jones over the top.

Jones, a former Federal Prosecutor, will be the first Democratic U.S. Senator from Alabama to be in the Senate in 25 years.  He will take his seat in the U.S. Senate in January.

(Information provided in part by al.com/www.al.com)

COUNTIES WON BY JONES
Jefferson
Madison
Mobile
Montgomery
Tuscaloosa
Lee
Talladega
Dallas
Russell
Clarke
Chambers
Marengo
Macon
Barbour
Pickens
Butler
Hale
Lowndes
Sumter
Wilcox
Choctaw
Conecuh
Perry
Greene
Bullock

COUNTIES WON BY MOORE
Shelby
Baldwin
Morgan
Etowah
Calhoun
Limestone
Houston
Lauderdale
St. Clair
Elmore
Cullman
Marshall
Walker
Colbert
Autauga
Blount
DeKalb
Coffee
Tallapoosa
Dale
Jackson
Chilton
Covington
Escambia
Lawrence
Pike
Geneva
Marion
Monroe
Franklin
Winston
Cherokee
Bibb
Washington
Henry
Randolph
Fayette
Crenshaw
Lamar
Clay
Coosa
Cleburne