Today, HRC announced its endorsement of Doug Jones for U.S. Senator from Alabama. Jones is running against the notoriously anti-LGBTQ Roy Moore in a December 12 special election to replace now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Doug Jones is the only candidate in this race who will look out for all Alabamians, regardless of who they are or whom they love.

“Doug Jones has pledged to serve all Alabamians, including LGBTQ people,” said Eva Kendrick, HRC Alabama state director. “In this election, the choice between Roy Moore and Doug Jones could not be more stark. Moore has never passed up an opportunity to promote bigotry, division and extremism,  while Doug Jones has staked his career on fairness, equality and a positive vision for Alabama’s future. HRC is proud to endorse Doug Jones and work to help him become the next U.S. Senator from the state of Alabama.”

“I have fought for the rights of all Alabamians and all Americans my entire career and will continue to do so as U.S. senator,” Doug Jones said. “We must continue to push for equality and fight hate and discrimination in all forms.”

In 2016, HRC Alabama initiated the #NoMoore campaign to remove Moore from the Alabama Supreme Court for refusing to implement a ruling that brought marriage equality to Alabama. Following a review by the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, Moore was suspended from the bench without pay for his actions -- the second time that he was removed from that position for disobeying legal and ethical standards. Despite his assertion that he was only opposing marriage equality as a legal matter, his subsequent comments about the LGBTQ community have revealed a deep, underlying animus toward LGBTQ Alabamians. Recently, he took his extremism one step further by saying that he and Vladimir Putin may be “more akin... than [he] knows,” specifically citing both of their views on LGBTQ rights. Moore’s past is full of anti-LGBTQ comments and actions, and it is clear that this will not change if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.