"We both belong to the radical middle... my advice to Doug Jones is this, is, you be an Alabama Democrat." -Joe Manchin
That was good advice. For Jones, his task is to build a coalition that can win again a few years from now. He has several very interesting and different groups to thank for his win. Disaffected Christian Evangelists, African Americans and Alabama's white liberals. From what French says, Jones has the opportunity to claim support from real Christians who reject the Tea Party radical right wing represented by Trump. Then there is Tyson, a black activist who quite honestly sounds off about the same issues you do, as well as the issues of racial social equality.
I think that people like French and Tyson can represent a new kind of coalition. Jake Carnley is another voice in the coalition that Jones needs to serve. Being a moderate Democrat doesn't mean being a blue Republican. I don't have high hopes but I think they are the kind of people Jones has to serve in order to win.
Nancy French, an evangelist who opposed Moore:
As a Southern, conservative, Christian person, I have felt like all of my identifiers have been yanked from me and that I've believed years and years and years of lies from the Republican Party. And that much is true. However, the fact that my friends and neighbors came out and actually sent a message that this is not what we're about, it's just very inspiring to me.
SHEILA TYSON, a leader in the effort to turn out the African American vote:
Well, you know, we had some very tough issues here in the state of Alabama. We had - we do not have Medicaid expansion. They never did get it out the whole time that the president - Barack Obama was in office. We also - we do not have - they turned down our increase in minimum wage. We're still at $7.25. And the jobs that they are bringing into the state of Alabama, they don't have paid leave of absence, they're not promoting women the way they should, and it's not fair wages for all black women.
Jake Carnley, millenial, buisiness owner
“The priorities have definitely changed to the economy and, in this election, simple decency. As this administration gets more zany, people have to decide whether they’re at on decency and choose empathy or ignorance, empathy or issues that could really divide us. As millennials, we’ve made a conscious choice.”
Carnley added: “I think one reason we are able to choose empathy is that we know gay people and we know black people. We are locking arms with people in this fight and have real stakes in it and that’s perhaps something our parents and grandparents never had. For millennials, it’s about being able to put a face and a personality to an issue rather than just an idea.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/dec/16/alabama-senate-election-doug-jones-roy-moore-donald-trump
https://www.npr.org/2017/12/14/570723592/jones-victory-credited-to-african-american-voters