Tuesday, Mobile, AL FOX affiliate WALA unveiled the latest FOX10 News/Strategy Research poll on the December 12 special election for U.S. Senate between Republican former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Democrat former Clinton U.S. Attorney Doug Jones.
The poll surveyed 3,000 likely voters and was taken on November 13, days after a Washington Post report was published that accused Moore of engaging in inappropriate conduct with four teenage girls more than 34 years ago.
The poll gives Moore a six-point advantage over shows Jones by a 49-to-43 percent margin with 8 percent undecided.
Strategy Research’s Jon Gray explained to FOX10’s Bob Grip how the race had changed since the last poll conducted by his firm in October and why the movement has left an opening for Jones to pull off the upset.
“When we polled back in October, Roy Moore was at 52 to 41,” Gray said. “He had an 11-point advantage. When we polled last night 3,000 voters in Alabama, we’re looking at that lead changing. He’s essentially lost three points. Doug Jones has picked up two points. And you see down here, we moved one point to the undecideds. That’s a big deal because now the undecideds are going to come in. This 49 number, Bob — that’s big because he’s not over 50 percent, which means we’re still open.”
“And if you take the undecideds, and if they all went to Doug Jones, Doug Jones could win,” he continued. “If he gets 8 percent of the vote, he gets 51 percent, and he wins. Of course, if they all go to Roy Moore, then, of course, we don’t have to worry, if you’re Republican. And if you’re a Democrat, you’ll be scratching your head going, ‘What happened?’ This race has gone down to the undecideds. It has definitely gotten tighter.”
The poll also surveyed voter sentiment on the sexual misconduct allegations against Moore and if they had influenced their support. Thirty-six percent of all likely voters said they intended to vote for Jones anyway and 35 percent said the allegations made them more likely to vote for Moore.
However, 11 percent said the allegations made it less likely they would vote for Moore and 18 percent said they were “either undecided, or that the allegations made no difference to them.”
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