Doug Jones says he is a 'pretty mainstream' candidate
Roy Moore's Alabama Senate opponent says GOP is in 'desperation mode.'
Alabama Democratic Senate nominee Doug Jones says it’s “absurd” for the campaign of GOP opponent Roy Moore to characterize him as an “ultra-liberal.”
“That’s pretty absurd,” Jones told Fox News’ Peter Doocy on Saturday at a fish fry in Birmingham. “You know, that’s their only hope. I mean look, they’re in desperation mode right now.”
As Moore tries to move past the allegations of sexual misconduct that have crippled his campaign over the last week, his campaign is emphasizing Jones’ stances on cultural issues. Moore’s wife, Kayla Moore, took aim at Jones’ positions during a speech in Montgomery on Friday.
“Our opponent -- who is an ultra-liberal, who was an Obama delegate, who is for full-term abortions, who is for more gun restrictions, who is for transgender bathrooms, who is for transgender [people] in the military -- is against everything we in Alabama believe and stand for,” Kayla Moore said.
Jones on Saturday let out a loud laugh when asked to respond to that.
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“If you look at the positions I’ve got on health care, if you look at the positions I got on jobs, you should look at the support I have from the business community, I think I’m pretty mainstream,” Jones said. “I want to reach across the aisle…So I don’t really care what he says about me.”
Alabama hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1992. But a Fox News poll taken in the wake of the Moore allegations and released Thursday shows Jones leading Moore 50 percent to 42 percent.
Jones and Moore are battling for the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was known for his tough stance on illegal immigration.
Asked if he supports the building of a wall on the border with Mexico, Jones said Saturday: “No, I do not. I think it’s too expensive.”
“I don’t think we need to be spending $20 billion dollars,” Jones said, citing an estimate cost for the wall. “I want to put it on healthcare, I want to get tax cuts for the middle class.”
Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.
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