U.S. Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama made a flurry of campaign stops Monday as the Deep South Democrat tries to avoid being swept out of office by Republican Tommy Tuberville and a red wave on Election Day.
Jones, who is running for a full term after winning a special election three years ago, made a last-minute push to get voters to the polls as he seeks a coalition of Democrats, independents and Republicans, required to hold on to the seat. During a stop at the AFL-CIO labor union office in Montgomery, Jones brushed aside predictions that he can’t win, noting he had done so once.
“We’ve got a tough road tomorrow. Everybody knows this. We’ve got a tough road. We’ve got to get our folks voting,” Jones said. “This is not about me. This has never ever been about me and my family. It’s about you. … It’s all about One Alabama,” the senator said, referencing his campaign slogan.
In 2017, Jones was the first Alabama Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in a quarter-century. He is facing reelection in a state where President Donald Trump won 62% of the vote in 2016.
Jones, as he has at other stops, emphasized health care issues, including the fate of the Affordable Care Act, which he says provides health coverage protections for hundreds of thousands of people in the state.
“Make no mistake, folks, your health care is on the ballot. … Leave it to Alabama to try to get rid and throw into turmoil the health care of 957,000 Alabamians that have preexisting conditions in this state,” Jones said.
Marilyn Hobbs, a program administrator for a media company, said she has already cast an absentee ballot for Jones and for Joe Biden in the presidential election.
“He definitely has a chance,” Hobbs said of Jones. “The same people who voted for him last time, we are going to vote for him again. I do believe women will play a central part in voting for this senator and this president.”
Jones took parting shots at Tuberville, saying his opponent’s campaign consisted of only, “Drain the swamp, build the wall, no amnesty, I’ve got Donald Trump’s back and let me tell you lies about Doug Jones.”
He also lampooned Tuberville as a quitter, noting the Republican had said he might spend part of the day golfing.
The Tuberville campaign did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Tuberville held a Sunday rally in Gardendale, which he said was his final stop of the race. Tuberville emphasized his support for Trump and said Jones does not represent the conservative voters of the state.
“When we win, you are going to get someone like Donald Trump who is going to work for you,” Tuberville said. “I’m not doing this to be on television or be in the newspaper. I’ve done all that.”
Tuberville did not announce any campaign stops Monday. He told supporters all that was left to do was go vote and send a message.
“I’m probably going to get a haircut. I might even go hit a few golf balls. I may be sore Tuesday night when I get up on the stage at the end of the election. This is the last event I’ll attend. There is not a lot we can do other than go vote,” Tuberville said Sunday.
Wearing a string of GOP buttons and carrying a face mask that read, “Biden will Keep Lock Downs For Years,” Meghann Mustico, a 40-year-old file clerk from Hoover, came to hear Tuberville speak on Sunday.
“I know he will better represent Alabama,” Mustico said. “President Trump has been the voice for the unborn, stood up for veterans rights, and I have a feeling he is going to follow his lead.”
Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
