Republican Senate Candidate Roy Moore refused to concede the Alabama senate race on Tuesday, after his opponent Doug Jones declared victory. “God is always in control,” Moore said during a short speech to supporters on election night.
The current law in Alabama requires a mandatory recount when there is a half of a percent margin, but Moore remains 1.5 percent behind his opponent, Doug Jones, who was declared the winner with 99 percent in.
Moore cited Psalm 40:2 to give his supporters hope:
I waited patiently for the Lord. He inclined to me, heard my cry, brought us up out of a horrible pit out of the mirey clay and set my feet on the rock and established my goings and put a new song in our mouth.
“Wait on God and let this process play out,” Moore added.
A Moore staffer urged supporters to wait, noting that the military votes had yet to be counted. Moore is about 22,000 votes short, but it is uncertain whether the uncounted votes tally up to that number.
“May God bless you as you go on, give you safe journey, and thank you for coming tonight,” Moore concluded. “It’s not over and it’s going to take some time.”
The election is scheduled to be certified by the Alabama Secretary of State by Christmas, but a recount throws that result into question.
Doug Jones is scheduled to be sworn into the Senate in early January.