His unexpected victory deals a blow to President Donald Trump, who backed Mr Moore, and narrows the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49.

With 99% of the votes counted, Mr Moore refused to concede on Tuesday night.

He fought a controversial campaign, in which allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.

Mr Moore, a firebrand conservative who has said he believes that homosexual activity should be illegal, has repeatedly denied the claims against him.

Why hasn’t Roy Moore conceded?

Many media outlets have reported the election in favour of Mr Jones, and 99% of the votes have been counted.

But Mr Moore, 70, told his supporters it was not yet over.

“We’ve been painted in an unfavourable and unfaithful light,” he said. “Realise that when the vote is this close that it’s not over.”

He said he believed the margin of victory could narrow as more votes poured in, which could trigger an automatic recount.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said a recount could be ordered if the margin is narrowed to less than half a percentage point.

Although Mr Moore did not concede, President Trump congratulated Mr Jones in a tweet shortly after US media declared him the winner, adding that “Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time”.

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Source: BBC

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The president has thrown his political weight fully behind former Alabama judge Roy Moore, who is vying with Democrat Doug Jones for the seat.

Mr Moore denies claims by several women that he made unwelcome sexual advances, mostly when they were teenagers.

The race remains too close to call a day before Alabamians go to the polls.

Tuesday’s election could alter the balance of power in the Senate ahead of next year’s mid-term Congressional elections.

Mr Trump has pointed to Mr Moore’s repeated denial of the allegations against him as part of his reason for endorsing the former Alabama supreme court judge.

One woman alleges Mr Moore molested her when she was 14. Another says he tried to rape her.

At a rally on Monday night, Mr Moore reiterated his denials, again questioning why his accusers kept quiet for 40 years while he held various political offices.

Speaking alongside Mr Trump’s former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, in front of a crowd which chanted the president’s slogan “Drain the Swamp”, Mr Moore drew heavily from the Bible.

“I want to make America great again with President Trump,” he said. “I want America great, but I want America good, and she can’t be good until we go back to God.”

Mr Moore’s campaign rolled out an audio message earlier on Monday with a recording of Mr Trump telling voters his agenda will be “stopped cold” if Mr Moore were to lose.

At a rally in Florida on Friday, Mr Trump proclaimed his support for the 70-year-old conservative Christian.

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Source: BBC

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