Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez inadvertently called Doug Jones, who won Alabama’s special election for a U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, ‘Doug Moore,’ confusing Jones’ name with his GOP challenger, Roy Moore.
“Doug ran a campaign where it wasn’t about right versus left. It was about right versus wrong, and it’s wrong for a party to put up a guy like Roy Moore, and the right for voters to go for a guy like Doug Moore,” he said on MSNBC’s “MTP Daily” Wednesday. He then corrected himself. “Doug uhhh, uhhh Jones — because he’s fighting for everybody.”
Perez wasn’t the only Democrat to make the same mistake. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, on Tuesday congratulated “Doug Moore” for winning Alabama’s special election on Twitter.
“Sweet home Alabama. Thank you Alabamians and Doug Moore. Good has prevailed and our country is on the way to a new day #ikneel,” she tweeted after the election results had been announced.
The tweet has since been removed.
Jones and Moore, who was facing multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, were campaigning to fill the Alabama Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions for the remainder of Sessions’ term until Jan. 2021. Luther Strange, who ran against Moore in the Republican primary, has filled the seat in the interim.
Moore declined to concede the Senate race Tuesday night after Jones had been declared the victor and is calling for a recount.
