<P> In mid-November, multiple women alleged that Moore had made unwanted advances or sexual assaults on them when he was in his early thirties and they were in their teens (the youngest was 14 at the time). As a result of these allegations, many national Republican leaders and office holders called for Moore to withdraw from the special election or withdrew their endorsements of him . However, Donald Trump and many Alabama Republicans reaffirmed their support . At the time of the revelations, it was too late to remove his name from the ballot . Many Republican leaders proposed shifting their support to a write - in candidate such as Strange . Moore has stated that he never engaged in sexual misconduct, although he has not denied that he approached or dated teenagers over the age of 16 while he was in his 30s . Sixteen is the legal age of consent in Alabama . In late November, retired Marine Colonel Lee Busby launched a write - in campaign . </P> <P> At 9: 23 p.m. CST, the Associated Press called the election for Jones, though Moore refused to concede . Jones is the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in Alabama since former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley was elected president of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008 . </P> <P> Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, becoming the first Democratic U.S. Senator from Alabama since Howell Heflin's retirement in 1997 . </P> <P> Following then - President - elect Donald Trump's nomination of then - Senator Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General, Robert Aderholt, a member of the United States House of Representatives, had asked to be appointed to the seat . Representative Mo Brooks had also expressed interest in the seat, while Strange had stated before being selected that he would run for the seat in the special election whether or not he was appointed . Other potential choices Bentley interviewed for the appointment included Moore, Del Marsh, the President Pro Tem of the Alabama Senate, and Jim Byard, the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs . </P>

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