Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-AL) urged his defeated Republican competitor to give it up on Thursday, saying he was “very confident in the outcome of this race.”
“I understand the frustration a little bit, it is a close race,” Jones told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie. “But I’d say, look, it’s time to move on. Every race is tough, it’s bitter sometimes. I think this one was one that the people of Alabama have now spoken a little bit, and they decided to heal.”
“I think he would do well to just, go ahead, let’s get this behind us so the people of Alabama can get someone in there and start working for them,” he added.
Moore has so far refused to concede the race despite a margin of victory for Jones well beyond what would trigger an automatic recount.
“In this race, we have not received the final count to include military and provisional ballots,” Moore said in a YouTube video Wednesday night. “This has been a very close race – and we are awaiting certification by the secretary of state.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind,” Jones said of his victory. “We’ve looked at these numbers, and we’ve had folks. We feel very confident in the outcome of this race.”
Guthrie asked later about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s call for Mitch McConnell to wait for Jones to be seated before the vote on Republicans’ tax bill, which would dramatically change the tax code in favor of the wealthy and corporations.
“I’m going to just let that play out, I really don’t have a position on that,” Jones said. “With the holidays and everything going on, this is a big deal. I want to make sure it’s done right, so let’s just see how it plays out.”
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