‹ 2017  2026 ›
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| United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2020 | ||||
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| Nominee | Doug Jones | Bradley Byrne | ||
| Party | Democratic | Republican | ||
| Percentage | 49% | 44% | ||
Senator before election
Doug Jones Democratic
Senator-elect
Doug Jones Democratic | ||||
The 2020 United States Senate election in Alabama was held on November 3, 2020, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alabama, concurrently with the 2020 U.S presidential election , as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Democratic Senator Doug Jones, the winner of the 2017 special election, was reelected over Republican Congressman Bradley Byrne in one of the biggest upsets of the cycle.
Background[]
In 2017, President Donald J. Trump nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions for the position of U.S Attorney General. This sparked a heated, and nationally watched special election between Democratic former prosecutor Doug Jones and Republican former judge Roy Moore. Moore, who'd already attracted ire for transphobic and islamophobic comments, received national attention after he was outed as a pedophile.
Roy Moore & Jeff Sessions Cold Open - SNL
This resulted in both a political fire storm and equal recognition of Jones who received the support of Democrats and Republicans alike. On 12 December, Jones defeated Moore 50.0-48.3%, becoming the first Democrat elected to the U.S Senate in Alabama since 1992.
Jones proved to be a polarizing Senator. Enjoying mixed to positive approval his entire first three years, he left moderates satisfied with his independent nature, while sometimes irritating progressives with his occasional alliance with Republicans. The dominant conservative wing of the GOP, still fuming they lost the deeply-red state of Alabama to the Democrats, made it their goal to defeat Jones in 2020.
Nominations[]
Democratic party nomination[]
Democratic candidates
- Doug Jones, incumbent U.S Senator (Nominee)
Despite speculation he might face a primary challenge from the left by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin or Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Jones was easily renominated.
Republican party nomination[]
Republican candidates
- Bradley Byrne, U.S Representative (Nominee)
- Tommy Battle, Mayor of Huntsville
- Jim Ziegler, State Auditor
- Tommy Tuberville, former college football coach
- Roy Moore, former judge
- Bobby Bright, former Democratic U.S Representative
In sharp contrast to Jones' easy renomination, the Republican primary was a messy and divisive affair. With favorite Mo Brooks bowing out of a potential run due to health concerns, Brooks' colleague in the U.S House Bradley Byrne was the first to announce his campaign in February 2019. Byrne, not quite a household name or dominant force in Alabama politics, failed to clear the field and was soon joined by a multitude of primary rivals the same year, most notably Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, State Auditor Jim Ziegler, and even Roy Moore himself. Every candidate in the GOP primary embraced alt-right conservatism, appealing to Alabama voters as being the true "Trump Republican". With the unpopular President neglecting to endorse any candidate, Battle and Ziegler locked arms in lambasting Byrne as being a "fraud", citing his withdrawal of support from Trump in 2016. Byrne, quickly dropping in the polls, was forced to move even further to his right, at one point even calling for a total ban on abortion with no exceptions. Outspending his opponents 10-1 and enjoying the support of Mitch McConnell and the party establishment, Byrne barely edged Battle and the others, and received the nod to face Jones, albeit much more bruised than before.
General Election Campaign[]
Byrne wasted no time in viciously attacking Jones in a blitzkrieg of negative campaign ads. He made no bones about appealing to the Evangelical right in Alabama, reminding fundamentalists how Jones voted against zealot-darling and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Byrne vehemently embraced anti-immigrant and nativist positions, not only supporting the President's border wall but also calling for a permanent U.S Marine presence at the border. Jones continued to proudly bear the mantle of a middle-of-the-roader, moving neither right nor left. The Senator cited the work he'd done with Trump and the GOP, but said he was proud to serve the people of Alabama and no party. Jones also banked on sour memories of Moore, trying to paint Byrne as the same shade of extremist as his first rival. Boosted by the ongoing financial crisis, Jones led in many polls, with his worst showings being a tie with Byrne.
Many elected officials and celebrities campaigned for Jones and Byrne. Jones surrogates included former President Barack Obama , writer and future President Diego Braun, retired NBA star Charles Barkley, and actress Courtney Cox. Byrne surrogates included President Trump, Vice President Christie, U.S HHS Secretary Ben Carson, and Reverend Franklin Graham.
In October 2020, Byrne was caught on a hot mic referring to protesting African-Americans who were recently angered over the killing of a unarmed Black man in Birmingham as "rabid animals". Many were incensed, and Byrne was forced to apologize. Many Republicans including former Ohio Governor John Kasich, former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, and Kevin McCarthy called on Byrne to step down from the race, but he refused.
Results[]
Riding on the financial crisis, presidential coattails, and 90% of Black voters, Jones defeated Byrne 49-44%, with 6% of voters writing in a third candidate. In his victory speech, Jones thanked the people of Alabama for giving him the opportunity to serve for a full term, joking that his first order of business was to take a nap after barnstorming for 72 hours straight.
Jones would later serve in two different presidential administrations as Attorney General and U.N Ambassador respectively.