AT FIRST,the mood at Doug Joness election-night party was genial but uneasy. Guests knew Mr Jones was closer to winning a Senate seat than any Democrat in a quarter-century; they also knew that Donald Trump won Alabama by 28 points, and the final two Republican Senate candidates won 64% and 97.3% of the vote. So they smiled, or made all the right hopeful noises,but around the corners of their eyes you could see them bracing for disappointment. Rural votes came in first; they solidly favoured Roy Moore, the Republican candidate. But as the night wore on, and Mr Moore’s lead shrank. As votes from Alabama’s cities returned,it vanished. When networks finally called the race for Mr Jones, just before 9.30pm local time, and the crowds scream was almost primal,as much disbelieving relief as delight. Mr Jones captured their mood in the first sentence of his victory speech: I assume that I have been waiting all my life, and now I just don’t know what the hell to say.”The result is both a historic...
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Source: economist.com