Doug Jones

Doug Jones is the Democratic nominee to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Session in Alabama. Born in Fairfield, Alabama, his father worked at U.S. Steel. Jones graduated from the University of Alabama where he majored in Political Science. He went on to attend Cumberland School of Law, after which he took a position working for the Senate Judiciary Committee for Senator Heflin from Alabama. He then worked for the U.S. Attorney’s office before joining a private firm.

In the Know

Jones is perhaps most known for prosecuting two members of the KKK for a church bombing that took place in 1963. Known as the “16th Street Baptist Church Bombing,” it was a targeted attack against an African-American church rendered by four members of the KKK. The explosion killed four young girls and was condemned by Martin Luther King Jr. as “one of the most vicious and tragic crimes perpetrated against humanity.” The FBI opened an investigation, but with reluctant witnesses and little physical evidence, they were only able to charge two perpetrators with illegally possessing dynamite. They were fined $100 each and given a suspended 180-day jail sentence. The case was reopened in 1998 and gained momentum under Jones’s lead. Jones ultimately was able to introduce new evidence and indict two of the four initial suspects, resulting in conviction of both defendants. Jones has always maintained that it is important to re-examine crimes of the civil rights era to ensure justice for all the victims and to move us closer to equality.

2017 Headlines

Jones opposes repealing the ACA, has called for civil rights to be addressed in the wake of Charlottesville, opposes restrictions on women’s rights to get abortions, supports renewable energy research, and opposed Trump pulling the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement. Aside from the fact that Roy Moore is a deplorable human, Jones would be a good candidate in any race. What this election boils down to is that Republicans will only vote Republican and Doug Jones is too liberal for many in his state.

Fun Fact

Since Jones went to the University of Alabama, I must do this for my father: “War eagle!”