The polls close in Alabama at 8 p.m. New York time as the country awaits the results of a special Alabama Senate election that has improbably electrified the…
The polls close in Alabama at 8 p.m. New York time as the country awaits the results of a special Alabama Senate election that has improbably electrified the nation.
Republican Roy Moore, 70, was slightly ahead in most polls as the voting commence, boosted by the enthusiastic endorsement of President Trump despite lurid allegations of sexual misconduct .
The self-described conservative evangelical Christian vows to back the president’s agenda if elected.
Democrat Doug Jones, 63, a former federal prosecutor, is a pro-choice moderate running in a deeply red state, but was expected to draw a large turnout from African-Americans leery of Moore and Trump.
The race will test Trump’s political clout after nearly a year in office, with his approval ratings at historically low levels.
A win by Moore would strengthen Trump’s grip on the Republican Party, some of whose leaders have not backed Moore.
A Jones victory could mean trouble for Trump and his populist political base.
It would certainly narrow the Republicans’ already slim 52-48 majority in the Senate, possibly making it harder for Trump to advance his policy agenda.
With Reuters
