Doug Jones thanked his family and supporters for a shocking Senate victory in Alabama Tuesday.
He also, intentionally or not, evoked opponent Roy Moore’s defense against anti-semitism claims that some viewed as cringeworthy at best.
“To all my Jewish friends, happy Hanukkah,” Jones said during a late-night victory speech, noting the eight-day Jewish celebration that began that night.
For many it brought to mind comments the day prior from Moore’s wife, Kayla Moore, who defended her husband against unspecified antisemitism claims in a campaign speech.
“Fake news would tell you that we don’t care for Jews,” Kayla Moore said in Midland City. “I tell you all this because I’ve seen it all, so I just want to set the record straight while they’re all here.”
She paused dramatically, then declared: “One of our attorneys is a Jew. We have very close friends that are Jewish, and rabbis, and we also fellowship with them.”
Kayla Moore’s defense lit Google search results and Twitter aflame. She may have been referring to coverage of Roy Moore saying that liberal donor George Soros, a Jew, will go to hell.
Regardless, many commentators saw Jones’ Hanukkah shout-out a day later as a sly reference.
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And maybe, as conservative analyst Bill Kristol mused, Roy Moore’s lawyer helped seal the race:
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In his victory speech, Jones declared that his “campaign has never been about me, it’s never been about Roy Moore,” though the Democrat did allude to the charges of sexual misconduct that plagued Moore in what should have been an easy victory for Republicans.
“At the end of the day, this entire race has been about dignity and respect,” Jones said. “This campaign has been about the rule of law. This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency.”