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By PAUL DEMARCO / Guest Columnist

We are approaching the final days of the race for the United States Senate between incumbent Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Tommy Tuberville on Nov. 3.

If it seems like the race in Alabama has been going on a long time, you are right. Some of the candidates in the Republican primary got started in early 2019, and we are now a few months from 2021.

The actual race started when Doug Jones won the special election on Dec. 12, 2017, beating Judge Roy Moore. Republicans have been eyeing this seat since then to retake the seat back.

However, Democrats have dumped millions of dollars in the race to try to protect Jones, who is considered the most endangered incumbent in the Senate.  Some of the final financial reports for both candidates are telling in many ways. For starters, Jones has outraised Tuberville 3-1 in the final three months of the election raising $10 million to Tuberville’s $3.3 million. Over the course of the election, Jones raised some $26 million, while Tuberville put $6.4 million in the bank for his campaign.

What is interesting is that over 80 percent of contributions for Doug Jones this cycle and in the past have been from out of state donors, with a lot from California.

This has been one of the most expensive Senate races in Alabama history, yet Alabama voters do not appear to be swayed by all of the out-of-state money being spent.

In a recent poll conducted by Auburn University of Montgomery, results showed Tuberville with a 12-point lead over Jones among likely voters. Tuberville had 54 percent of the vote to Jones 42 percent with undecideds at four percent.
Since control of the Senate could hinge on this race, the nation will be closely watching what happens in Alabama’s Senate race.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.