document_title: Scarlett O'Hara

question_text: scarlets first love in gone with the wind

text: Scarlett O'Hara

text: Biography[edit]

text: O'Hara is the oldest living child of Gerald and Ellen O'Hara. She was born in 1844 or 1845 on her family's plantation Tara in Georgia. She was named Katie Scarlett, after her father's mother, but is always called Scarlett, except by her father, who refers to her as "Katie Scarlett."[3] She is from a Catholic family of Irish and French ancestry, and a descendant of an aristocratic Savannah family on her mother's side (the Robillards). O'Hara has black hair, green eyes, and pale skin. She is famous for her fashionably small waist.[4] Scarlett has two younger sisters, Susan Elinor ("Suellen") O'Hara and Caroline Irene ("Carreen") O'Hara, and three little brothers who died in infancy. Her baby brothers are buried in the family burying ground at Tara, and each was named Gerald O'Hara, Jr.

text: Personality[edit]

text: Scarlett O'Hara is an atypical protagonist, especially as a female romantic lead in fiction. When the novel opens, Scarlett is sixteen. She is vain, self-centered, and very spoiled by her wealthy parents. She can also be insecure, but is very intelligent, despite her fashionable Southern-belle pretense at ignorance and helplessness around men. She is somewhat unusual among Southern women, whom society preferred to act as dainty creatures who needed protection from their men. Scarlett is aware that she is only acting empty-headed, and resents the fashionable "necessity" of it, unlike most of her typical party-going Southern belles social set.

text: Outwardly, Scarlett is the picture of southern charm and womanly virtues, and a popular belle with the country males. The one man she truly wants, however, is her neighbor, Ashley Wilkes – the one man she can't have. The Wilkes family has a tradition of intermarrying with their cousins, and Ashley is promised to his cousin, Melanie Hamilton of Atlanta. Scarlett's motivation in the early part of the novel centers on her desire to win Ashley's heart. When he refuses her advances (which no well-bred Southern lady would be so forward as to make), she takes refuge in childish rage, and spitefully accepts the proposal of Charles Hamilton, Melanie's brother, in a misguided effort to get back at Ashley and Melanie.

text: Rhett Butler, a wealthy older bachelor and a society pariah, overhears Scarlett express her love to Ashley during a barbecue at Twelve Oaks, the Wilkes' estate. Rhett admires Scarlett's willfulness and her departure from accepted propriety as well as her beauty. He pursues Scarlett, but is aware of her impetuousness, childish spite, and her fixation on Ashley. He assists Scarlett in defiance of proper Victorian mourning customs when her husband, Charles Hamilton, dies in a training camp, and Rhett encourages her hoydenish behavior (by antebellum custom) in Atlanta society. Scarlett, privately chafing from the strict rules of polite society, finds friendship with Rhett liberating.

text: The Civil War sweeps away the lifestyle for which Scarlett was raised, and Southern society falls into ruin. Scarlett, left destitute after Sherman's army marches through Georgia, becomes the sole source of strength for her family. Her character begins to harden as her relatives, the family slaves and the Wilkes family look to her for protection from homelessness and starvation. Scarlett becomes money-conscious and more materialistic in her motivation to ensure that her family survives and Tara stays in her family, while other Georgia planters are losing their homes. This extends to stealing her younger sister's fiancé, going into business herself (well-bred southern ladies never worked outside the home), engaging in controversial business practices and even exploiting convict labor in order to make her lumber business profit. Her conduct results in the accidental death of her second husband, Frank Kennedy, and shortly after she marries Rhett Butler for "fun" and because he is very wealthy.

text: Scarlett is too insecure and vain to truly grow up and realize her pursuit of Ashley is misdirected until the climax of the novel. With the death of Melanie Wilkes, she realizes her pursuit of Ashley was a childish romance. She realizes she never really loved Ashley and that she has loved Rhett Butler for some time. She pursues Rhett from the Wilkes home to their home, only to discover he has given up hope of ever receiving her love, and is about to leave her. After telling him she loves him, he refuses to stay with her, which leads to the famous line, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." Wracked with grief, but determined to once again pursue and win her man, realizing that Tara is what matters most to her (other than Rhett) Scarlet returns home to Tara to launch her pursuit of Rhett at a later time.

text: Searching for Scarlett[edit]

text: While the studio and the public agreed that the part of Rhett Butler should go to Clark Gable (except for Clark Gable himself), casting for the role of Scarlett was harder. The search for an actress to play Scarlett in the film version of the novel famously drew the biggest names in the history of cinema, such as Bette Davis (who had been cast as a Southern belle in Jezebel in 1938), and Katharine Hepburn, who went so far as demanding an appointment with producer David O. Selznick and saying, "I am Scarlett O'Hara! The role is practically written for me." Selznick replied rather bluntly, "I can't imagine Rhett Butler chasing you for twelve years." [5] Jean Arthur and Lucille Ball were also considered, as well as relatively unknown actress Doris Davenport. Susan Hayward was "discovered" when she tested for the part, and the career of Lana Turner developed quickly after her screen test. Tallulah Bankhead and Joan Bennett were widely considered to be the most likely choices until they were supplanted by Paulette Goddard.

text: The young English actress Vivien Leigh, virtually unknown in America, saw that several English actors, including Ronald Colman and Leslie Howard, were in consideration for the male leads in Gone with the Wind. Her agent happened to be the London representative of the Myron Selznick talent agency, headed by David Selznick's brother, Myron. Leigh asked Myron to put her name into consideration as Scarlett on the eve of the American release of her picture Fire Over England in February 1938. David Selznick watched both Fire Over England and her most recent picture, A Yank at Oxford, that month, and thought she was excellent but in no way a possible Scarlett, as she was "too British". But Myron Selznick arranged for David to first meet Leigh on the night in December 1938 when the burning of the Atlanta Depot was being filmed on the Forty Acres backlot that Selznick International and RKO shared. Leigh and her then lover Laurence Olivier (later to be her husband) were visiting as guests of Myron Selznick, who was also Olivier's agent, while Leigh was in Hollywood hoping for a part in Olivier's current movie, Wuthering Heights. In a letter to his wife two days later, David Selznick admitted that Leigh was "the Scarlett dark horse", and after a series of screen tests, her casting was announced on January 13, 1939. Just before the shooting of the film, Selznick informed Ed Sullivan: "Scarlett O'Hara's parents were French and Irish. Identically, Miss Leigh's parents are French and Irish."[6]

text: In any case, Leigh was cast—despite public protest that the role was too "American" for an English actress—but Leigh was able to pull off the role so well that she eventually won an Academy Award for her performance as Scarlett O'Hara.

text: Other actresses considered[edit]

text: A great number of actresses were considered. In fact, there were approximately 32 women who were considered and or tested for the role. The search for Scarlett began in 1936 (the year of the book's publication) and ended in December 1938.[7]

text: Between 1936 and 1938, the following actresses were considered for the role, which required playing Scarlett from 16 years of age until she was 28 (actress age in 1939, the year of Gone With the Wind's release, when Leigh was 26).

text:
Lucille Ball (28)
Constance Bennett (35)
Clara Bow (34)
Mary Brian (33)
Ruth Chatterton (47)
Claudette Colbert (36)
Joan Crawford (35)
Bette Davis (31)
Frances Dee (30)
Irene Dunne (41)
Madge Evans (30)
Glenda Farrell (35)
Alice Faye (24)
Joan Fontaine (22), sister of Olivia de Havilland, who played Mellie (23)
Kay Francis (34)
Janet Gaynor (33)
Paulette Goddard (29)
Jean Harlow (28)
Susan Hayward (22)
Katharine Hepburn (32)
Miriam Hopkins (37)
Rochelle Hudson (23)
Dorothy Lamour (25)
Andrea Leeds[8] (25)
Carole Lombard (31)
Anita Louise (24)
Myrna Loy (34)
Pola Negri (42)
Maureen O'Sullivan (28)
Merle Oberon (28)
Ginger Rogers (28)
Norma Shearer (37)
Ann Sheridan (24)
Gale Sondergaard, who also was considered for but ultimately lost the role of the Wicked Witch of the West the same year[8] (40)
Barbara Stanwyck (32)
Gloria Stuart (29)
Margaret Sullavan (30)
Gloria Swanson (40)
Lana Turner who was considered by Cukor to be too young to have the depth for the role (18)
Linda Watkins (31)
Mae West (46)
Jane Wyman (22)
Loretta Young (26)

text: Between late 1937 and mid-1938, approximately 128 actresses were nominated for the role of Scarlett through letters of suggestion sent to Selznick International Pictures from the public.[8]

text: Adaptations[edit]

text:
A 1966 musical stage adaptation was a major hit in Japan and London's West End, but failed to survive in America where it starred Lesley Ann Warren and Harve Presnell. It closed after engagements in Los Angeles and San Francisco, never opening on Broadway.
In 1980 a film about the search for Scarlett O'Hara was made entitled Moviola: The Scarlett O'Hara War with actress Morgan Brittany impersonating Vivien Leigh, whom she resembled.
In the 1994 TV mini-series based on the sequel Scarlett, the character was played by English actress Joanne Whalley.
In the Margaret Martin musical Gone with the Wind, the role of Scarlett O'Hara was originated by Jill Paice.
In the South Korean stage production Girls' Generation member Seohyun played Scarlett, alongside Bada, former member of S.E.S..

text: Historical sources for the character[edit]

text: While Margaret Mitchell used to say that her Gone with The Wind characters were not based on real people, modern researchers have found similarities to some of the people in Mitchell's own life as well as individuals she heard of. Rhett Butler is thought to be based on Mitchell's first husband, Red Upshaw. Scarlett's upbringing resembled that of Mitchell's maternal grandmother, Annie Fitzgerald Stephens (1844–1934), who was raised on a plantation in Clayton County, Georgia (where the fictional Tara was placed), and whose father was an Irish immigrant. Another source for Scarlett might have been Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, the mother of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. Martha grew up in a beautiful Southern mansion, Bulloch Hall, in Roswell, just north of Atlanta, Georgia. Her physical appearance, beauty, grace and intelligence were well known to Mitchell and the personality similarities (the positive ones) between Martha, who was also called Mittie, and Scarlett were striking.[citation needed]

text: Comparisons to other characters[edit]

text: Troy Patterson of Entertainment Weekly argued that Ally McBeal, the main character of the television series with the same name, has similarities to O'Hara and that "Scarlett and Ally are fairy-tale princesses who bear about as much resemblance to real women as Barbie and Skipper."[9] Patterson wrote that Ally is similar because she is also a child from a ruling class family, "pines hopelessly after an unavailable dreamboat", and has a "sassy black roommate" in place of a "mammy" to "comfort her".[9]

text: Notes[edit]

text:
Jump up ^ Taylor, 1989 & 62.
Jump up ^ "Shrewd, Selfish Scarlett: A Complicated Heroine". NPR. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
Jump up ^ Mitchell 1936, pp. 404, 413, 451.
Jump up ^ "[T]here was no one in Fayetteville, Jonesboro or in three counties, for that matter, who had so small a waist." Mitchell 1936, pp. 75–76. With a tightly-laced corset, she could fit into a dress with a 17-inch dress. Mitchell 1936, p. 76.
Jump up ^ Higham, Charles (2004). Kate: The Life of Katharine Hepburn. New York City, NY: W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-32598-9. Pg. 94
Jump up ^ "Letter from David O. Selznick to Ed Sullivan". Harry Ransom Center - The University Of Texas At Austin. Jan 7, 1939.
Jump up ^ Thompson, David. "Hollywood", 1930s pgs. 178 - 182
^ Jump up to: a b c "The Making of Gone With The Wind" Part 2, Documentary circa 1990s.
^ Jump up to: a b Patterson, Troy, Ty Burr, and Stephen Whitty. "Gone With the Wind." (video review) Entertainment Weekly. October 23, 1998. Retrieved on December 23, 2013. This document has three separate reviews of the film, one per author.

tag: ol


document_title: United States Senate special election in Alabama, 2017

question_text: when does the winner of the alabama senate race take office

root

text: Background[edit]

text: Potential appointees[edit]

text: Following then-President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of then-Senator Sessions to be U.S. Attorney General, Robert Aderholt, a member of the United States House of Representatives, had asked to be appointed to the seat.[27] Representative Mo Brooks had also expressed interest in the seat, while Strange had stated before being selected that he would run for the seat in the special election whether or not he was appointed.[28][29] Other potential choices Bentley interviewed for the appointment included Moore, Del Marsh, the President Pro Tem of the Alabama Senate, and Jim Byard, the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.[30]

tag: p

text: Republican primary[edit]

text: Campaign[edit]

text: The Republican primary attracted national attention, especially following Trump's endorsement of incumbent Senator Luther Strange. Strange was backed by several key figures within the Republican establishment, most notably Mitch McConnell. His two main rivals in the primary consisted of former state judge Roy Moore and Mo Brooks. While Strange showed no signs of losing the first round of the primary, almost every opinion poll showed him trailing Roy Moore in a runoff. Strange came in second place in the first round of the primary behind Roy Moore, securing a spot in the runoff.[31]

text: National interest in the race dramatically increased in the month before the runoff. Strange maintained his endorsement from Trump, who campaigned for him in Huntsville during the closing days of the campaign.[32] Trump's endorsement of Strange sparked criticism among his own base, many of whom preferred Moore and detested Strange for his seemingly establishment feel. Several notable people close to Trump broke from the President to endorse Moore, including HUD Secretary Ben Carson and Breitbart Executive Chairman Steve Bannon. Despite the endorsement of Trump, Strange was handily defeated by Roy Moore in the runoff.[33]

text: Candidates[edit]

text: Nominated[edit]

text: Roy Moore, former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and candidate for Governor in 2006 and 2010[34]

tag: ul

text: Eliminated in runoff[edit]

text: Luther Strange, incumbent U.S. Senator (appointed) and former Attorney General of Alabama[35]

text: Eliminated in primary[edit]

text:
James Beretta, physician[36]
Joseph F. Breault, Air Force chaplain and nominee for the Utah House of Representatives in 2016[36][37]
Randy Brinson, gastroenterologist and activist[38]
Mo Brooks, U.S. Representative[39]
Dom Gentile, businessman[40][41]
Karen Jackson, attorney and perennial candidate[36][42]
Mary Maxwell, candidate for NH-02 in 2006[43][44]
Bryan Peeples, businessman[45]
Trip Pittman, State Senator[46]

text: Withdrew[edit]

text: Ed Henry, State Representative[47][48] (withdrew from race on May 17).

text: Declined[edit]

text:
Robert Aderholt, U.S. Representative[49]
Slade Blackwell, State Senator[50][51]
Bradley Byrne, U.S. Representative[52][53]
Bill Hightower, State Senator[35]
Perry O. Hooper Jr., former State Representative[54][55]
Mary Scott Hunter, member of the Alabama State Board of Education[56]
Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the State Senate[57][58][59]
Jonathan McConnell, businessman and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[57]
John Merrill, Secretary of State of Alabama[60]

Glenn Murdock, Associate Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court[61]
Gary Palmer, U.S. Representative[52]
Jimmy Rane, businessman[57]
Martha Roby, U.S. Representative[52]
Mike Rogers, U.S. Representative[52]
Connie Rowe, State Representative[52]
Cam Ward, State Senator[50]
Jim Zeigler, Alabama State Auditor[62]

tag: table

text: Endorsements[edit]

text:
[show]Roy Moore

U.S. Cabinet officials

Ben Carson, United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Director of Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984–2013), presidential candidate in 2016[63]

Former U.S. Senators

Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, 2005–2015[64]

U.S. Representatives

Andy Biggs, member of the United States House of Representatives from Arizona's 5th congressional district[65]
Mo Brooks, member of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th congressional district and former US Senate candidate[66][67][68][69]
Jody Hice, member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district[70]
Jim Jordan, member of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 4th congressional district[71]
Steve King, member of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th congressional district[citation needed]
Thomas Massie, member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district[citation needed]
Mark Meadows, member of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th congressional district and Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus[70]

Former U.S. Representatives

Paul Broun, former member of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district[72]
Joe Walsh, former member of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district[73]

Governors

Fob James, 48th Governor of Alabama[74]

Statewide officials

Ken Cuccinelli, 46th Attorney General of Virginia, former Virginia State Senator, and Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2013[75]
Jim Zeigler, current State Auditor of Alabama[76]

State Senators

Bill Armistead, former State Senator and former Chair of the Alabama Republican Party[77]
Trip Pittman of Montrose, former US Senate candidate[78]
Larry Stutts of Sheffield[79]
Tom Whatley of Auburn[79]

State Representatives

Mike Ball of Madison[79]
K. L. Brown of Jacksonville[79]
Lynn Greer of Rogersville[79]
Tommy Hanes of Scottsboro[79]
Ed Henry of Hartselle, chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign.[80]
Mike Holmes of Wetumpka[79]
Becky Nordgren of Gadsden[79]
Ritchie Whorton of Scottsboro[79]
Rich Wingo of Tuscaloosa[79]
Randy Wood of Anniston[79]

Other individuals

Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist, executive chairman of Breitbart News[81]
Brent Bozell, conservative writer and founder of the Media Research Center[82]
Ann Coulter, conservative commentator[83]
Steve Deace, Conservative writer for The Washington Times[84]
Erick Erickson, conservative blogger and former member of the Macon City Council[85][86]
Nigel Farage, chair of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, Member of the European Parliament for South East England, and former chair and leader of the UK Independence Party[87]
Paul Gottfried, paleoconservative philosopher, historian and columnist[75]
Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary[88]
Laura Ingraham, conservative talk radio host[83]

Tim James, businessman, candidate for Governor of Alabama in 2002 and 2010.[89]
Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under Ronald Reagan, and Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1996, 2000, and 2008[90][91]
Mark Levin, conservative talk radio host[92]
Chuck Norris, American martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter[93]
Phil Robertson, American businessman and reality television star[94]
Roger Stone, political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist[95]
Richard Viguerie, American conservative figure, political writer[96]
Chuck Woolery, game show host, talk show host, and musician[97]
Siran Stacy, football player[98]

Organizations

Coalition of African American Pastors[99]
Courageous Conservatives PAC[100]
Gun Owners of America[101]
National Association for Gun Rights[102]
Senate Conservatives Fund[70]

text:
[show]Luther Strange

U.S. President

Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States[103]

U.S. Vice President

Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States[104]

U.S. Senators

Mitch McConnell, US Senate Majority Leader (R-KY)[105]
Richard Shelby, United States Senator (R-AL)[106]

Former State Representatives

Perry O. Hooper Jr., former State Representative[55]

Organizations

National Rifle Association[107]
National Right to Life[108]

text:
[show]Mo Brooks

U.S. Representatives

Mark Meadows, U.S. Representative (R-NC) and Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus[109]
Lamar S. Smith, U.S. Representative (R-TX)[110]
Mike Rogers, U.S. Representative (R-AL)[111]

State representatives

Ed Henry, State Representative, chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign.[112]

Other individuals

Mark Levin, conservative talk radio host[113]
Sean Hannity, conservative talk radio host and host of Hannity[114]
Laura Ingraham, conservative talk radio host[115]
Ann Coulter, conservative commentator[116]

Organizations

Courageous Conservatives PAC[117]
Senate Conservatives Fund[118]
FreedomWorks[119]
Gun Owners of America[120]
Students for Trump[121]

text: First round[edit]

text: Polling[edit]

text:
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
James
Beretta
Joseph
Breault
Randy
Brinson
Mo
Brooks
Mary
Maxwell
Roy
Moore
Bryan
Peeples
Trip
Pittman
Luther
Strange
Undecided

Trafalgar Group (R)[122]
August 13–14, 2017
870
± 3.3%
1%
1%
6%
17%
1%
38%
1%
6%
24%
5%

Emerson College[123]
August 10–12, 2017
373
± 5.0%
1%
0%
0%
15%
0%
29%
0%
10%
32%
11%

Trafalgar Group (R)[124]
August 8–10, 2017
1,439
± 2.6%
1%
1%
4%
20%
2%
35%
1%
6%
23%
8%

Cygnal[125]
August 8–9, 2017
502
± 4.4%
–
–
2%
18%
–
31%
–
7%
23%
13%

Strategy Research[126]
August 7, 2017
2,000
± 2.0%
1%
1%
1%
19%
4%
35%
1%
9%
29%
0%

JMC Analytics (R)[127]
August 5–6, 2017
500
± 4.4%
–
–
2%
19%
–
30%
–
6%
22%
17%

RRH Elections (R)[128]
July 31 – August 3, 2017
426
± 5.0%
–
–
2%
18%
–
31%
–
8%
29%
11%

Strategy Research[129]
July 24, 2017
3,000
± 2.0%
1%
1%
2%
16%
5%
33%
2%
5%
35%
–

Cygnal[130]
July 20–21, 2017
500
± 2.0%
–
–
–
16%
–
26%
–
–
33%
–

text: Results[edit]

text:
Republican primary results[5]

Party
Candidate
Votes
%

Republican
Roy Moore
164,524
38.9%

Republican
Luther Strange (incumbent)
138,971
32.8%

Republican
Mo Brooks
83,287
19.7%

Republican
Trip Pittman
29,124
6.9%

Republican
Randy Brinson
2,978
0.6%

Republican
Bryan Peeples
1,579
0.4%

Republican
Mary Maxwell
1,543
0.4%

Republican
James Beretta
1,078
0.3%

Republican
Dom Gentile
303
0.1%

Republican
Joseph Breault
252
0.1%

Total votes
423,282
100.0%

text: Runoff[edit]

text: President Donald Trump supported Moore's opponent Strange during the primary runoff, and almost the whole national Republican establishment wanted Strange to win.[7] Trump's efforts on behalf of Strange included a rally in Alabama, plus tweeting.[9]

text: Debates[edit]

text: Complete video of debate, September 21, 2017

text: Averages[edit]

text:
Model
Moore
Strange
Spread

RealClearPolitics[131]
52.5%
41.5%
Moore +11.0

text: Polling[edit]

text:
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Roy
Moore
Luther
Strange
Undecided

Cygnal[132]
September 23–24, 2017
996
± 3.1%
52%
41%
7%

Trafalgar Group (R)[133]
September 23–24, 2017
1,073
± 3.0%
57%
41%
2%

Optimus (R)[134]
September 22–23, 2017
1,045
± 2.9%
55%
45%
–

Emerson College[135]
September 21–23, 2017
367
± 5.1%
50%
40%
10%

Gravis Marketing[136]
September 21–22, 2017
559
± 4.1%
48%
40%
12%

Strategy Research[137]
September 20, 2017
2,000
± 3.0%
54%
46%
–

Strategy Research[138]
September 18, 2017
2,930
± 3.0%
53%
47%
–

JMC Analytics (R)[139]
September 16–17, 2017
500
± 4.4%
47%
39%
14%

Voter Consumer Research (R-SLF)[140]
September 9–10, 2017
604
± 4.0%
41%
40%
19%

Emerson College[141]
September 8–9, 2017
355
± 5.2%
40%
26%
34%

Strategic National[142]
September 6–7, 2017
800
± 3.5%
51%
35%
14%

Southeast Research[143]
August 29–31, 2017
401
± 5.0%
52%
36%
12%

Harper Polling[144]
August 24–26, 2017
600
± 4.0%
47%
45%
8%

Voter Consumer Research (R-SLF)[145]
August 21–23, 2017
601
± 4.0%
45%
41%
14%

Opinion Savvy[146]
August 22, 2017
494
± 4.4%
50%
32%
18%

JMC Analytics (R)[147]
August 17–19, 2017
515
± 4.3%
51%
32%
17%

Cygnal[125]
August 8–9, 2017
502
± 4.4%
45%
34%
11%

RRH Elections (R)[128]
July 31 – August 3, 2017
426
± 5.0%
34%
32%
34%

text:
[show]Hypothetical polling

Poll source
Date(s)
administered

Sample
size
Margin
of error
Roy
Moore
Mo
Brooks
Undecided

RRH Elections (R)[128]
July 31 – August 3, 2017
426
± 5.0%
43%
20%
37%

text: Results[edit]

text:
Republican primary runoff results[148]

Party
Candidate
Votes
%

Republican
Roy Moore
262,204
54.6%

Republican
Luther Strange (incumbent)
218,066
45.4%

Total votes
480,270
100.0%

text:
Results of first round and runoff

Moore
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%

Strange
  30–40%
  40–50%
  50–60%

Brooks
  40–50%
  50–60%

Moore
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%

Strange
  50–60%

text: Democratic primary[edit]

text: Candidates[edit]

text: Nominated[edit]

text: Doug Jones, former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama[149]

text: Eliminated in primary[edit]

text:
Will Boyd, pastor, former Greenville, Illinois City Councilman, nominee for AL-05 in 2016 and write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate from Illinois in 2010[150]
Vann Caldwell, Talladega County Constable and perennial candidate[36]
Jason Fisher, businessman[151]
Michael Hansen, activist and nonprofit executive[152]
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., digital marketing executive for a laboratory supply company (no relation to the Massachusetts Kennedy family)[153][154][155]
Charles Nana, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016[36]

text: Withdrew[edit]

text:
Ron Crumpton, activist, nominee for the State Senate in 2014 and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2016[156][62]
Brian McGee, retired teacher and Vietnam War veteran[36][157][158]

text: Declined[edit]

text:
Roger Bedford, former State Senator and nominee for the U.S. Senate in 1996[159]
Elaine Beech, State Representative[160]
Sue Bell Cobb, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama[161]
Chris England, State Representative[56][160]
Craig Ford, State Representative[160][162]
Gary Johnson, minister and political activist[163]
Walt Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa[161][164]
Terri Sewell, U.S. Representative[161]

text: Endorsements[edit]

text:
[show]Doug Jones

U.S. Vice President

Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States[165]

U.S. Senator

Maggie Hassan, U.S Senator (D-NH)[166]

U.S. Representatives

John Lewis, U.S. Representative (D-GA)[167]
Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative (D-OH)[168]
Terri Sewell, U.S. Representative (D-AL)[169]
Cedric Richmond, U.S. Representative (D-LA), Congressional Black Caucus Chairman[170]
Jim Clyburn, U.S. Representative (D-SC), Assistant Minority Leader[170]

State figures

Patricia Todd, State Representative[171]
Christopher J. England, State Representative
Omar Neal, Former Tuskegee, Alabama Mayor[170]

Newspapers

The Washington Post[172]
AL.com[173]

Other individuals

Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress[174]
Joe Trippi, Democratic campaign worker and consultant[175]
George Will, Author and journalist[176]

Organizations

Alabama Democratic Conference[177]
Communications Workers of America[178]
MoveOn.org[179]

text:
[show]Robert Kennedy Jr.

Individual

Carl Lewis, Olympic Gold Medalist, University of Houston Track and Field Head Coach[180]

text: Polling[edit]

text:
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Will
Boyd
Vann
Caldwell
Jason
Fisher
Michael
Hansen
Doug
Jones
Robert
Kennedy Jr.
Charles
Nana
Undecided

Emerson College[123]
August 10–12, 2017
164
± 7.6%
8%
2%
1%
0%
40%
23%
1%
25%

Strategy Research[181]
August 7, 2017
2,000
± 2.0%
9%
5%
3%
7%
30%
40%
5%
–

Strategy Research[182]
July 24, 2017
3,000
± 2.0%
6%
4%
4%
4%
28%
49%
5%
–

text: Results[edit]

text:
Democratic primary results[5]

Party
Candidate
Votes
%

Democratic
Doug Jones
109,105
66.1%

Democratic
Robert Kennedy Jr.
29,215
17.7%

Democratic
Michael Hansen
11,105
6.7%

Democratic
Will Boyd
8,010
4.9%

Democratic
Jason Fisher
3,478
2.1%

Democratic
Brian McGee
1,450
0.9%

Democratic
Charles Nana
1,404
0.9%

Democratic
Vann Caldwell
1,239
0.8%

Total votes
165,006
100.0%

text:
Results

Jones
  40–50%
  50–60%
  60–70%
  70–80%
  80–90%
  90–100%

Boyd
  30–40%

text: Independents and write-in candidates[edit]

text: Candidates[edit]

text: Declared[edit]

text:
Ron Bishop (L, write-in),[183]
Lee Busby (R, write-in), retired Marine colonel[184]
Jeff "Cog" Coggin (I, write-in), Air Force veteran[185]
Chanda Mills Crutcher (I, write-in), minister[186]
Eulas Kirtdoll (I, write-in)[187]
Arlester "Mack" McBride (I, write-in)[188]
Mac Watson (R, write-in)[189]

text: Declined[edit]

text: Craig Ford, Democratic State Representative[160][162]

text: General election[edit]

text: Controversies[edit]

text: On November 9, The Washington Post reported that four women had accused Roy Moore of engaging in sexual conduct with them when they were teenagers and he was an assistant district attorney in his thirties. One of the women was 14 years old at the time, below the legal age of consent.[13] A few days later a fifth woman said that she had received unwanted attention from Moore when she was 15 years old, and that in December 1977 or January 1978,[190] when she was 16, Moore sexually assaulted her.[14][191] Moore denied the allegations.

text: After this, certain Republican leaders and conservative organizations withdrew their endorsements of Moore or asked him to drop out of the campaign. These included Texas Senator Ted Cruz, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Ivanka Trump,[192] the National Republican Senatorial Committee,[193] former Republican presidential nominees Mitt Romney[194] and John McCain,[195] Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,[196] Ohio Governor John Kasich,[197] Utah Senator Mike Lee,[198] Montana Senator Steve Daines,[199] and House Representatives Barbara Comstock, Carlos Curbelo, and Adam Kinzinger, as well as the Young Republican Federation of Alabama.[200][201][202][203][204] Other conservative websites and organizations such as National Review urged readers not to vote for Moore.[205][206] Moore continued to receive support from the state party. A week before the election, President Donald Trump strongly endorsed Moore.[207] Following Trump's endorsement, the RNC reinstated their support for him,[208] and Republican leaders said they would "let the people of Alabama decide" whether to elect Moore.[209]

text: At the time of the revelations, it was too close to the election for Moore's name to be removed from the ballot.[210] Republican officials proposed various ways to promote an alternate Republican candidate. One suggestion was to ask Governor Kay Ivey to delay the special election until 2018,[19] but Ivey said she had no plans to change the election date.[211] Some Republicans such as Senator Lisa Murkowski floated the prospect of a write-in campaign to elect Luther Strange, with Utah Senator Orrin Hatch actively endorsing a write-in campaign for Strange.[212] However, Strange said it was "highly unlikely" that he would run a write-in campaign.[213] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who formerly held the Senate seat, as a write-in candidate.[214] In late November, Retired Marine Col. Lee Busby launched a write-in campaign stating that he thought there is room for a centrist in the race.[22]

text: Debates[edit]

text: Republican nominee Roy Moore refused to debate Democratic nominee Doug Jones.[215][216][217] Moore turned down debate invitations extended by the League of Women Voters,[216] WHNT-TV and AL.com.[217][215] Jones' campaign said that Jones was "willing to debate Roy Moore anytime, anywhere" and accused Moore of "hiding from the voters, from the media and from his record for weeks."[217][215] Moore and his campaign stated that he refused to debate Jones because their policy positions were already clear to voters and thus there was no need for a formal debate.[217][215]

text: Predictions[edit]

text:
Source
Ranking
As of

The Cook Political Report[218]
100 !Tossup
December 7, 2017

Sabato's Crystal Ball[219]
100 !Tossup
December 7, 2017

Rothenberg Political Report[220]
100 !Tossup
December 7, 2017

text: Candidates[edit]

text: On ballot[edit]

text:
Roy Moore (R), former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama
Doug Jones (D), former United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama

text: Write-in[edit]

text:
Ron Bishop (L)[221]
Lee Busby (R)[184][222]
Jeff "Cog" Coggin (I)[185]
Chanda Mills Crutcher (I)[186][223]
Eulas Kirtdoll (I)[187]
Arlester "Mack" McBride (I)[188]
Mac Watson (I)[224]

text: Endorsements[edit]

text:
[show]Doug Jones

Former U.S. Executive Branch officials

Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the United States[165]
Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential nominee[225]
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[226]

U.S. Senators

Cory Booker, U.S. Senator from New Jersey[227]
Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois[228]
Dick Durbin, U.S. Senate Minority Whip from Illinois[227]
Joe Donnelly, U.S. Senator from Indiana[229]
Jeff Flake, U.S. Senator from Arizona [Republican] [230]
Al Franken, U.S. Senator from Minnesota[231]
Maggie Hassan, U.S Senator from New Hampshire[166]
Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California[232][233]
Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senator from New Mexico[234]
Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator from Virginia, former 2016 vice presidential nominee[227]
Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. Senator from Nevada[235]

Jeff Merkley, U.S. Senator from Oregon[236]
Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator from Connecticut[237][238]
Patty Murray U.S. Senator from Washington[239]
Brian Schatz, U.S. Senator from Hawaii[240]
Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader from New York[241]
Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Senator from New Hampshire[227]
Chris Van Hollen, U.S. Senator from Maryland, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman[227]
Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts[242]
Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator from Rhode Island[243]

U.S. Representatives

Alma Adams, U.S. Representative from North Carolina[244]
Karen Bass, U.S. Representative California[244]
Joyce Beatty, U.S. Representative from Ohio[244]
Sanford Bishop, U.S. Representative from Georgia[244]
Anthony G. Brown, U.S. Representative from Maryland[244]
G. K. Butterfield, U.S. Representative from North Carolina[244]
James Clyburn, U.S. Representative South Carolina, Assistant Minority Leader[170]
John Conyers, U.S. Representative from Michigan, Dean[244]
Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative from Maryland[244]
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, from the District of Columbia[244]
Keith Ellison, U.S. Representative from Minnesota, DNC Vice Chair[245]
Marcia Fudge, U.S. Representative from Ohio[244]
Tulsi Gabbard, U.S. Representative from Hawaii[246]

Al Green, U.S. Representative from Texas[244]
David Jolly, former Republican U.S. Representative from Florida[247]
Ro Khanna, U.S. Representative from California[248]
Barbara Lee, U.S. Representative from California[244]
Sheila Jackson Lee, U.S. Representative from Texas[244]
John Lewis, U.S. Representative from Georgia[167]
Delegate Stacey Plaskett, from the U.S. Virgin Islands[244]
Cedric Richmond, U.S. Representative from Louisiana, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman[170]
Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Representative from Delaware[244]
Tim Ryan, U.S. Representative from Ohio[168]
Terri Sewell, U.S. Representative from Alabama[169]
Bennie Thompson, U.S. Representative from Mississippi[244]

Governors

Charlie Baker, 72nd Governor of Massachusetts (Republican)[249]

Former Governors

Deval Patrick, an American politician, civil rights lawyer and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015.[250]
Howard Dean, Governor of Vermont 1991–2003, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair 2005–2009[251]
Martin O'Malley, Governor of Maryland 2007–2015, Mayor of Baltimore 1999–2007[252]

State figures

Joyce Alene, the U.S. attorney in Birmingham, appointed by Barack Obama.[253]
Billy Beasley, Minority Leader of the Alabama Senate
Sue Bell Cobb, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice, current candidate for Governor of Alabama[254]
Anthony Daniels, Alabama House Minority Leader[255]
Artur Davis, former U.S. Representative (D-AL)[256]
Christopher J. England, State Representative
Jason Fisher, former Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate[257]
Parker Griffith, former Alabama congressman and an unsuccessful Democratic nominee for governor in 2014[258]
Robert Harrison, Madison County, Alabama District 6 Commissioner[259]
Walt Maddox, Mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, current candidate for Governor of Alabama[260]
Renato Mariotti, former federal prosecutor, candidate for Illinois Attorney General.[253]
Omar Neal, former Tuskegee, Alabama Mayor[170]
Patricia Todd, State Representative[171]
Doug Turner, former Republican candidate for the New Mexico gubernatorial election, 2010[261]
Steve Westly, former State Controller and Chief Financial Officer of California[262]
Randall Woodfin, Mayor of Birmingham[263][241]
Bob Vance, Circuit Judge in Jefferson County, Alabama
Rodger Smitherman, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 18th District.

Priscilla Dunn, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 19th District.
Linda Coleman, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 20th District.
Henry Sanders, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 23rd District.
Bobby Singleton, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 24th District.
Vivian Davis Figures, Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District and nominee for the U.S. Senate in Alabama in 2014
Marcel Black, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 3rd district.
Johnny Mack Morrow, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 18th district.
Laura Hall, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 19th district.
Craig Ford, Former Minority Leader of the Alabama House of Representatives, currently represents the 28th district.
Barbara Boyd, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 32nd district.
Richard Lindsey, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 39th district.
Rod Scott, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 55th district.
Mary Moore, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 56th district.
Elaine Beech, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 65th district.
Thad McClammy, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 76th district.
Alvin Holmes, Democratic member of the Alabama House of Representatives. representing the 78th district.

Individuals

Uzo Aduba, actress[264]
Seth Abramson, attorney, political commentator and professor at the University of New Hampshire[265]
John Anzalone, Democratic pollster[266]
William Barber II, member of the national board of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)[267]
Charles Barkley, former professional basketball player[268]
Paul Begala, former adviser to Bill Clinton[269]
W. Kamau Bell, stand-up comic and television host.[270]
Adam Best, founder of FanSided[271]
Donna Brazile, former Acting DNC Chairwoman
Maria Cardona, former Senior Advisor to Hillary Clinton[272]
James Carville, former aide to Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton, Fox News contributor[273]
Don Cheadle, actor, writer, producer, and director[274]
Andrei Cherny, CEO of Aspiration[275]
Chelsea Clinton, only child of Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton[276]
Mike Cooley, musician[277]
Misha Collins, actor[278]
Laverne Cox, actress and advocate[279]
Leah D. Daughtry, former chief of staff to Howard Dean and CEO of the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Convention committees[280]
Scott Dworkin, co-founder of The Democrat Coalition[281]
Jesse Ferguson, former Deputy National Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton[282]
Bonnie Fuller, editor of HollywoodLife.com[283]
Constance Hill, CEO of Girls Inc of Central Alabama[284]
Jason Isbell, musician[285]
Tracy James, longtime Republican, former Jeff Sessions staffer[286]
Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-Chief of Mother Jones[287]
Michael Kelly, actor[288]
Jim Kessler, founder of Third Way (think tank) (Republican)[289]
Jimmy Kimmel, television host and comedian[290]
Shaun King, journalist, The Young Turks commentator and civil rights activist[291]
Bill Kristol (Republican), editor-in-chief of The Weekly Standard[292]
Talia Lavin, writer for the New Yorker[293]
William LeGate, entrepreneur, Thiel Fellow, and computer programmer[294]
Sean McElwee, policy analyst for Demos[295]
Debra Messing, actress[296]
Alyssa Milano, American actress, activist, producer and former singer[297]
Tim Miller, (Republican) former communications director for Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign[298]
Holly O'Reilly, March For Truth organizer[299]

Patton Oswalt, stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor and writer[300]
Richard Painter, former chief White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush[301]
Adam Parkhomenko, adviser to Hillary Clinton, Founding Partner at The Renegade Group[302]
Archie Parnell, Democratic nominee for South Carolina's 5th congressional district of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2017[303]
Piper Perabo, film and television actress[304]
Karine Jean-Pierre, Senior Advisor and National Spokeswoman for MoveOn; served as the Deputy Campaign Manager to both Barack Obama and Martin O’Malley[305]
Joy-Ann Reid, national correspondent at MSNBC[citation needed]
Jennifer Rubin, (Republican) blogger for The Washington Post[306]
Mark Salter, (Republican) former chief of staff to John McCain; has often been referred to as McCain's "alter ego"[307]
Symone Sanders, former national press secretary for Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign[308]
Steve Schmidt (Republican), former Senior Campaign Strategist and Advisor to the John McCain Presidential Campaign.[309][310][311]
Bakari Sellers, first vice chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party[312]
Samuel Sinyangwe, policy analyst and racial justice activist[313]
Topher Spiro, Vice President for Health Policy and senior fellow for Economic Policy at American Progress[314]
Michael Skolnik, entrepreneur, film producer, and civil rights activist[315]
George Takei, actor, director, author, and activist[316]
Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress[174]
Channing Tatum, actor[317]
Joe Trippi, Democratic campaign worker and consultant[175]
Tommy Vietor, former spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council and Barack Obama[318]
Michael Wear, former faith outreach for Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign[319]
George F. Will, (Republican) columnist for The Washington Post and MSNBC[320][321]
Oliver Willis, Research Fellow at Media Matters for America[322]
Keegan-Michael Key, actor, comedian, writer, and producer [323]
John Weaver, (Republican) chief strategist for Republican Ohio Governor John Kasich; former advisor to John McCain's presidential campaigns of 2000 and 2008, the Democratic Congressional Campaign.[307]
Mike Murphy, (Republican) political consultant for John McCain, Jeb Bush, John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Spencer Abraham, Christie Whitman, Lamar Alexander, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.[307]
George Wallace, an American comedian and actor.[324]
Rob Reiner, actor, producer, and activist[325]
Carl Reiner, comedian, actor, and writer[326]
Kerry Washington, actress and producer.[327]
Bellamy Young, actress, singer and producer.[328]

Newspapers

The Auburn Plainsman, student-run newspaper for Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama[329]
The Birmingham News, the principal newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama and the largest newspaper in Alabama[330][331]
The Crimson White, student-run publication of the University of Alabama[332]
The Huntsville Times, newspaper serving Huntsville, Alabama and the surrounding areas of north Alabama's Tennessee Valley region[330][331]
Press-Register, newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin, and Alabama's oldest newspaper[330][331]
The Washington Post[333]

Organizations

Alabama Democratic Conference[177]
Communications Workers of America[178]
Daily Kos[334]
Democracy for America[335]
End Citizens United[336]
Everytown for Gun Safety[337]
Human Rights Campaign[227]
League of Conservation Voters[338]
MoveOn.org[179]
NowThis News[339]

text:
[show]Roy Moore

U.S. Executive Branch officials

Donald Trump, 45th President of the United States[340]
Mike Pence, 48th Vice President of the United States[341]
Ben Carson, United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Director of Department of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital (1984–2013), presidential candidate in 2016[63]

U.S. Senators

Tom Coburn, former U.S. Senator from Oklahoma, 2005–2015[64]
John Cornyn, U.S. Senate Majority Whip (R-TX) (Withdrawn)[342]
Ted Cruz, U.S. Senator from Texas (Withdrawn)[343][344]

Steve Daines, U.S. Senator from Montana (Withdrawn)[345]
Mike Lee, U.S. Senator from Utah (Withdrawn)[198]
Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Majority Leader (R-KY) (Withdrawn)[346]
Rand Paul, U.S. Senator from Kentucky[347]

U.S. Representatives

Robert Aderholt, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 4th congressional district[348]
Andy Biggs, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 5th congressional district[65]
Mo Brooks, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 5th congressional district and former US Senate candidate[66][67][68][69]
Paul Broun, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district[72]
Bradley Byrne, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 1st congressional district[348]
Jeff Duncan, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 3rd congressional district[349]
Newt Gingrich (R-GA), former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives[350]
Andy Harris, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 1st congressional district[351]
Jody Hice, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 10th congressional district (Withdrawn)[352]

Steve King, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 4th congressional district[citation needed]
Thomas Massie, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 4th congressional district[citation needed]
Mark Meadows, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th congressional district and Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus[70]
Gary Palmer, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 6th congressional district[348]
Martha Roby, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 2nd congressional district[348]
Mike Rogers, member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama's 3rd congressional district[348]
Joe Walsh, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district[73]

Statewide office holders

Kay Ivey, 54th Governor of Alabama[353]
Fob James, 48th Governor of Alabama[74]
Twinkle Cavanaugh, President of the Alabama Public Service Commission[354]
Ken Cuccinelli, 46th Attorney General of Virginia, former Virginia State Senator, and Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia in 2013[75]
John Merrill, current Alabama Secretary of State[355]
Jim Zeigler, current State Auditor of Alabama[76]

State Senators

Bill Armistead, former State Senator and former Chair of the Alabama Republican Party[77]
Gerald Dial, State Senator[356]
Larry Grooms, State Senator from South Carolina[357]
Bill Hightower of Mobile[358]

Del Marsh, President Pro Tempore of the State Senate[359]
Trip Pittman of Montrose, former US Senate candidate[78]
Larry Stutts of Sheffield[79]
Tom Whatley of Auburn[79]

State Representatives

Will Ainsworth of Guntersville[360]
Mike Ball of Madison[79]
K. L. Brown of Jacksonville[79]
Dickie Drake of Leeds[361]
Matt Fridy of Birmingham[361]
Lynn Greer of Rogersville[79]
Tommy Hanes of Scottsboro[79]
Ed Henry of Hartselle, chairman of Donald Trump's Alabama campaign.[80]
Mike Holmes of Wetumpka[79]
Mac McCutcheon, Speaker of the Alabama House[362]

Arnold Mooney of Birmingham[361]
Barry Moore of Enterprise[361]
Becky Nordgren of Gadsden[79]
Kerry Rich of Guntersville[361]
David Sessions of Grand Bay[361]
Randall Shedd of Cullman[361]
Ritchie Whorton of Scottsboro[79]
Jack Williams of Wilmer[361]
Rich Wingo of Tuscaloosa[79]
Randy Wood of Anniston[79]

Sheriffs

Ron Abernathy of Tuscaloosa County[363]
Blake Dorning of Madison County[363]
Todd Entrekin of Etowah County (Withdrawn)[364]
Bill Franklin of Elmore County[363]
Tony Helms of Geneva County[363]
Jimmy Kilgore of Talladega County[363]

William Maddox of Henry County[363]
Dennis Meeks of Covington County[363]
Ray Norris of Clarke County[363]
Jeff Shaver of Cherokee County[363]
Jody Wade of Bibb County[363]

Political commentators

Brent Bozell, conservative writer and founder of the Media Research Center[82]
Mike Cernovich, American alt-lite writer.[365]
Ann Coulter, conservative commentator[83]
Steve Deace, Conservative writer for The Washington Times[84]
Erick Erickson, conservative blogger and former member of the Macon City Council (Withdrawn)[85][86]

Sean Hannity, conservative commentator[366]
Laura Ingraham, conservative talk radio host[83]
Mark Levin, conservative talk radio host[92]
Jack Posobiec, pro-Trump internet activist, political commentator and conspiracy theorist.
Richard Viguerie, American conservative figure, political writer[96]

Religious leaders

Chuck Baldwin, politician, radio host, host of "Chuck Baldwin Live!", founder and former pastor of the Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, current president of Liberty Fellowship in Kalispell, Montana, 2008 Constitution Party presidential candidate, and 2004 Constitution Party vice presidential candidate[367]
Gary Bauer, president of American Values[368]
Scott Dawson, evangelist[369]

James Dobson, President of Focus on the Family and Christian right activist[370]
Jerry Falwell Jr., President of Liberty University[371]
Franklin Graham, Christian evangelist and missionary[88]
Ralph E. Reed, Jr., evangelist and candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Georgia in 2006[citation needed]

White nationalists

Andrew Anglin, white nationalist, founder and editor of The Daily Stormer[372]
David Duke, former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, white nationalist, conspiracy theorist, and former Louisiana State Representative[373]
William Daniel Johnson, white nationalist and leader of the American Freedom Party.[374]
Kevin B. MacDonald, white nationalist, retired professor, conspiracy theorist, and editor of Occidental Observer[375]
Robert Warren Ray, white nationalist, writer for The Daily Stormer[376]
Paul Nehlen, white nationalist, inventor, Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in 2016 and 2018.[377][378]

Other individuals

Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist, executive chairman of Breitbart News[81]
Nigel Farage, chair of Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, Member of the European Parliament for South East England, and former chair and leader of the UK Independence Party[87]
Sebastian Gorka, Breitbart columnist and former deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump.
Paul Gottfried, paleoconservative philosopher, historian, columnist, and former professor at Elizabethtown College[75]
Tim James, businessman, candidate for Governor of Alabama in 2002 and 2010.[89]
Alan Keyes, former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs under Ronald Reagan, and Republican candidate for President of the United States in 1996, 2000, and 2008[90][91]
Chuck Norris, American martial artist, actor, film producer and screenwriter[93]

Phil Robertson, American businessman and reality television star[94]
Siran Stacy, retired football player[98]
Roger Stone, political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist[95]
Frances Taylor, president of the Alabama Federation of Republican Women[379]
Kelli Ward, former Arizona State Senator and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018[380]
Chuck Woolery, game show host, talk show host, and musician[97]
Dean Young, former congressional candidate and friend of Roy Moore[381]

Organizations

American Freedom Party[374]
Asian American GOP Coalition[382]
Birmingham Young Republicans (Withdrawn)[383][384]
Coalition of African American Pastors[99]
Courageous Conservatives PAC[100]
Gun Owners of America[101]
National Association for Gun Rights[102]
National Republican Senatorial Committee (Withdrawn)[385]

National Right to Life Committee[386]
National Right to Work PAC[citation needed]
Republican National Committee[387]
Senate Conservatives Fund[70]
The Daily Stormer[372]
Tea Party Patriots[388]
The Right Stuff[389]

text: Polling[edit]

text:
Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Roy
Moore (R)
Doug
Jones (D)
Lee
Busby (R)
Other
Undecided

Change Research[390]
December 9–11, 2017
1,543
± 2.0%
51%
45%
–
–
4%

SurveyMonkey[391]
November 30 – December 11, 2017
2,203
± 4.5%
47%
49%
–
–
4%

Fox News[392]
December 7–10, 2017
1,127
± 3.0%
40%
50%
–
2%
8%

Emerson College[393]
December 7–9, 2017
600
± 3.9%
53%
44%
–
4%
–

Monmouth University[394]
December 6–9, 2017
546
± 4.2%
46%
46%
–
2%
6%

Public Policy Polling (D-Not One Penny)*[395]
December 7–8, 2017
1,092
–
46%
48%
–
–
6%

Gravis Marketing[396]
December 5–8, 2017
1,254
± 2.8%
49%
45%
–
–
6%

Trafalgar Group (R)[397]
December 6–7, 2017
1,419
± 3.1%
51%
46%
–
3%
–

Change Research[398]
December 5–7, 2017
2,443
± 2.0%
51%
44%
–
–
5%

SurveyMonkey[399]
November 30 – December 7, 2017
1,559
± 5.5%
47%
49%
–
–
4%

WBRC-TV/Strategy Research[400]
December 4, 2017
3,200
± 2.0%
50%
43%
–
3%
4%

Gravis Marketing[401]
December 1–3, 2017
1,276
± 2.7%
44%
48%
–
–
8%

Emerson College[402]
November 30 – December 2, 2017
500
± 4.3%
49%
46%
5%
–
–

CBS News/YouGov[403]
November 28 – December 1, 2017
1,067
± 3.8%
49%
43%
–
4%
4%

Washington Post/Schar School[404]
November 27–30, 2017
739
± 4.5%
47%
50%
–
3%
–

JMC Analytics (R)[405]
November 27–28, 2017
650
± 3.8%
49%
44%
–
5%
2%

The Polling Company/National Research Inc (R)[406]
November 26–28, 2017
600
± 4.0%
46%
45%
–
–
9%

Change Research[407]
November 26–27, 2017
1,868
± 2.3%
49%
44%
–
–
7%

Emerson College[408]
November 25–27, 2017
500
± 4.3%
53%
47%
–
–
–

WBRC-TV/Strategy Research[409]
November 20, 2017
3,000
± 2.0%
47%
45%
–
3%
5%

WT&S Consulting (R)[410]
November 18–20, 2017
11,641
± 1.2%
46%
40%
–
–
13%

Change Research[411]
November 15–16, 2017
2,090
–
43%
46%
–
–
11%

The Polling Company/National Research Inc (R)[406]
November 13–16, 2017
600
± 4.0%
41%
49%
–
–
10%

Gravis Marketing[412]
November 14–15, 2017
628
± 3.5%
42%
47%
–
–
11%

Fox News[413]
November 13–15, 2017
649
± 3.5%
42%
50%
–
2%
7%

FOX10 News/Strategy Research[414]
November 13, 2017
3,000
± 2.0%
49%
43%
–
–
8%

NRSC (R)[415][416]
November 12–13, 2017
500
–
39%
51%
–
–
10%

WT&S Consulting (R)[417]
November 11, 2017
1,536
± 3.3%
50%
40%
–
–
11%

Emerson College[418]
November 9–11, 2017
600
± 3.9%
55%
45%
–
–
–

JMC Analytics (R)[419]
November 9–11, 2017
575
± 4.1%
44%
48%
–
2%[420]
6%

Change Research[421]
November 9–11, 2017
1,855
–
44%
40%
–
3%
13%

Gravis Marketing[422]
November 10, 2017
478
± 4.5%
48%
46%
–
–
6%

WT&S Consulting (R)[417]
November 9, 2017
1,354
± 3.5%
50%
39%
–
–
11%

Opinion Savvy[423]
November 9, 2017
515
± 4.3%
46%
46%
–
4%
4%

NRSC (R)[415]
November 6–7, 2017
–
–
51%
42%
–
–
8%

WBRC-TV/Strategy Research[424]
November 6, 2017
2,200
± 2.0%
51%
40%
–
–
9%

Axis Research (R-SLF)[425]
October 24–26, 2017
503
± 4.5%
56%
39%
–
–
5%

FOX10 News/Strategy Research[426]
October 19, 2017
3,000
± 3.0%
52%
41%
–
–
7%

WBRC-TV/Strategy Research[427]
October 16, 2017
3,000
± 2.5%
51%
40%
–
–
9%

Fox News[428]
October 14–16, 2017
801
± 3.5%
42%
42%
–
3%
11%

NRSC (R)[415]
October 3–5, 2017
–
–
53%
37%
–
–
10%

Cygnal/L2[429]
October 2–5, 2017
497
± 4.4%
49%
41%
–
–
9%

JMC Analytics (R)[430]
September 30 – October 1, 2017
500
± 4.4%
48%
40%
–
1%[420]
11%

Opinion Savvy[431]
September 27–28, 2017
590
± 4.0%
50%
45%
–
–
5%

Emerson College[135]
September 21–23, 2017
519
± 4.3%
52%
30%
–
–
18%

Emerson College[141]
September 8–9, 2017
416
± 4.8%
44%
40%
–
–
16%

text: * Unpublished poll released on December 15

text:
[show]Hypothetical polling

with Roy Moore on ballot and Luther Strange as write-in candidate

Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Roy
Moore (R)
Doug
Jones (D)
Luther
Strange (R)
Other
Undecided

Opinion Savvy[423]
November 9, 2017
515
± 4.3%
41%
44%
12%
1%
2%

with Luther Strange on ballot

Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Luther
Strange (R)
Doug
Jones (D)
Other
Undecided

Fox News[432]
November 13–15, 2017
649 LV
± 3.5%
38%
48%
3%
5%

823 RV
± 3.0%
39%
46%
3%
6%

Emerson College[135]
September 21–23, 2017
519
± 4.3%
49%
36%
–
15%

Emerson College[141]
September 8–9, 2017
416
± 4.8%
43%
40%
–
17%

with generic Republican/Democrat

Poll source
Date(s)
administered
Sample
size
Margin
of error
Generic
Republican
Generic
Democrat
Undecided

Washington Post/Schar School[404]
November 27–30, 2017
739
± 4.5%
50%
44%
6%

JMC Analytics (R)[405]
November 27–28, 2017
650
± 3.8%
49%
46%
3%

JMC Analytics (R)[419]
November 9–11, 2017
575
± 4.1%
45%
47%
8%

JMC Analytics (R)[430]
September 30 – October 1, 2017
500
± 4.4%
49%
45%
6%

text: Results[edit]

text:
External video

 Doug Jones election night remarks, December 12, 2017, C-SPAN

 Roy Moore election night remarks, December 12, 2017, C-SPAN

text: Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore by a margin of 21,924 votes. Voter turnout was 40.54% of Alabama's 3,326,812[433] registered voters.

text: Jones won primarily by running up huge margins in the state's major cities. The state's four largest counties—Jefferson (home to the state's largest city of Birmingham), Mobile (home to Mobile), Montgomery (home to the state capital of Montgomery) and Madison (home to Huntsville)—all gave Jones 56 percent or more of the vote. He carried Jefferson by over 83,800 votes, and Montgomery by almost 30,500 votes; either county would have been more than enough to give him the victory. Jones also dominated the Black Belt. He took over 96 percent of the black vote, and 61 percent of votes from those under 45. While Moore dominated the state's rural areas, he significantly underperformed Trump's totals in those areas, as well as the suburbs.[434]

text: As of December 15, Moore demanded a recount and refused to concede the race, despite being urged by Trump, Bannon, and others to do so. If the final margin of victory is less than 0.5%, then a recount would have been automatically triggered. If not, then either candidate can request a recount at his expense.[435][436] However, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill estimates that a recount could cost anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million, an amount that must be paid in full when the request is made. Moore had only $636,046 on hand by the time the campaign ended.[437] A number of right-leaning websites have pushed conspiracy theories about voter fraud providing the margin for Jones.[438] Merrill noted on December 20 that the only remaining ballots to count are 366 military ballots and 4,967 provisional ballots left to be counted; even if all those votes were for Moore, the margin would not be sufficient to trigger an automatic recount.[439]

text: Because the number of write-in votes was larger than Jones' margin of victory, the names written in were both counted and listed.[440] Luther Strange, who lost the Republican primary to Moore, received the most write-in votes, followed by former White House aide Lee Busby, U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, who also ran in the Republican Senate primary, Libertarian write-in candidate Ron Bishop, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

text: After the election, Moore filed a lawsuit attempting to block the state from certifying the election and calling for an investigation into voter fraud. On December 28, 2017, a judge dismissed this lawsuit and state officials certified the election results, officially declaring Doug Jones the winner.[441] Jones was sworn into office on January 3, 2018, by Vice President Mike Pence.[26] Jones became the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Alabama since former Lieutenant Governor Lucy Baxley was elected President of the Alabama Public Service Commission in 2008 over Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh.[25] Prior to that, Democrat Jim Folsom Jr. was elected Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 2006 over Republican Luther Strange.[442] The last Democrat to win a federal statewide election in Alabama was Richard Shelby in 1992, who switched to the Republican Party in late 1994.

text:
General election results[443][444]

Party
Candidate
Votes
%

Democratic
Doug Jones
673,896
49.97%

Republican
Roy Moore
651,972
48.34%

Write-in
Write-ins
22,852
1.69%

Total votes
1,348,720
100.0%

Democratic gain from Republican

text: Results by county[edit]

text:
Doug Jones
Roy Moore
Write-ins
Total votes

County
Votes
 %
Votes
 %
Votes
 %
Turnout
 %

Autauga
5,615
38.38%
8,762
59.90%
253
1.73%
14,630
38.32%

Baldwin
22,261
35.60%
38,566
61.68%
1,703
2.72%
62,530
42.74%

Barbour
3,716
57.53%
2,702
41.83%
41
0.63%
6,459
38.35%

Bibb
1,567
29.95%
3,599
68.79%
66
1.26%
5,232
38.32%

Blount
2,408
16.94%
11,631
81.80%
180
1.27%
14,219
37.45%

Bullock
2,715
80.37%
656
19.42%
7
0.21%
3,378
45.53%

Butler
2,915
51.02%
2,758
48.27%
41
0.72%
5,714
42.36%

Calhoun
12,331
44.04%
15,238
54.43%
429
1.53%
27,998
36.18%

Chambers
4,257
55.75%
3,312
43.37%
67
0.88%
7,636
32.42%

Cherokee
1,529
27.09%
4,006
70.98%
109
1.93%
5,644
33.00%

Chilton
2,306
23.06%
7,563
75.62%
132
1.32%
10,001
35.42%

Choctaw
2,277
53.66%
1,949
45.93%
17
0.40%
4,243
40.10%

Clarke
4,363
51.93%
3,995
47.55%
43
0.51%
8,401
43.96%

Clay
990
27.52%
2,589
71.96%
19
0.53%
3,598
36.92%

Cleburne
600
19.37%
2,468
79.66%
30
0.97%
3,098
29.47%

Coffee
3,730
31.10%
8,063
67.22%
202
1.68%
11,995
36.52%

Colbert
6,881
46.41%
7,771
52.41%
171
1.15%
14,828
37.75%

Conecuh
2,259
55.21%
1,815
44.35%
18
0.44%
4,092
39.84%

Coosa
1,415
42.71%
1,867
56.39%
30
0.91%
3,312
41.42%

Covington
2,107
23.33%
6,835
75.69%
88
0.97%
9,030
35.09%

Crenshaw
1,320
35.46%
2,347
63.04%
56
1.50%
3,725
37.66%

Cullman
4,161
19.73%
16,609
78.74%
324
1.54%
21,094
37.61%

Dale
3,844
35.04%
6,991
63.72%
136
1.24%
10,971
34.87%

Dallas
10,503
74.75%
3,487
24.82%
60
0.43%
14,050
44.88%

DeKalb
3,559
25.62%
10,097
72.69%
234
1.68%
13,890
34.31%

Elmore
7,711
34.33%
14,415
64.16%
338
1.50%
22,464
41.34%

Escambia
3,642
41.78%
4,987
57.22%
87
1.00%
8,716
35.39%

Etowah
10,568
40.34%
15,730
60.04%
620
2.37%
26,918
38.57%

Fayette
1,143
24.39%
3,491
74.55%
50
1.07%
4,684
38.40%

Franklin
1,771
29.34%
4,216
69.86%
48
0.80%
6,035
33.50%

Geneva
1,290
18.92%
5,433
79.72%
93
1.37%
6,816
37.84%

Greene
3,345
87.64%
462
12.12%
9
0.24%
3,816
53.89%

Hale
3,902
69.33%
1,691
30.11%
32
0.57%
5,625
46.26%

Henry
1,899
38.32%
3,015
60.91%
38
0.77%
4,952
39.20%

Houston
9,198
37.81%
14,846
61.02%
285
1.17%
24,329
34.18%

Jackson
3,330
30.82%
7,317
67.75%
154
1.43%
10,801
29.44%

Jefferson
149,759
68.13%
66,350
30.18%
3,716
1.69%
219,825
47.38%

Lamar
779
21.31%
2,847
77.89%
29
0.79%
3,655
34.46%

Lauderdale
9,970
43.02%
12,818
55.31%
388
1.67%
23,176
37.53%

Lawrence
3,033
36.04%
5,321
63.23%
61
0.72%
8,415
35.49%

Lee
19,886
57.61%
14,059
40.73%
674
1.95%
34,519
32.90%

Limestone
9,606
39.19%
14,298
58.33%
515
2.10%
24,514
41.18%

Lowndes
3,783
79.08%
988
20.65%
13
0.27%
4,784
47.14%

Macon
5,783
88.14%
759
11.56%
20
0.30%
6,567
37.70%

Madison
65,997
56.98%
46,381
40.04%
3,447
2.98%
115,825
45.68%

Marengo
4,498
61.11%
2,805
38.11%
62
0.84%
7,361
46.01%

Marion
1,311
19.72%
5,269
79.25%
68
1.02%
6,647
32.82%

Marshall
5,145
26.47%
13,842
71.21%
450
2.32%
19,437
34.22%

Mobile
62,716
56.46%
46,828
42.15%
1,546
1.39%
111,090
38.55%

Monroe
3,266
49.59%
3,280
49.80%
40
0.61%
6,586
40.79%

Montgomery
48,374
72.35%
17,739
26.53%
745
1.11%
66,858
44.05%

Morgan
10,935
35.48%
19,215
62.34%
671
2.18%
30,821
40.28%

Perry
3,140
79.04%
821
20.68%
11
0.28%
3,972
48.70%

Pickens
3,064
50.44%
2,965
48.81%
46
0.76%
6,075
44.18%

Pike
4,015
48.51%
4,165
50.32%
97
1.17%
8,277
37.58%

Randolph
1,695
34.25%
3,231
65.29%
23
0.46%
4,949
29.66%

Russell
6,761
64.77%
3,622
34.70%
55
0.53%
10,438
28.52%

Shelby
27,311
41.71%
36,455
55.67%
1,718
2.62%
65,484
45.63%

St. Clair
6,212
27.43%
15,889
70.15%
459
2.03%
22,560
38.05%

Sumter
3,527
80.91%
814
18.67%
18
0.41%
4,359
43.95%

Talladega
9,977
50.13%
9,701
48.75%
223
1.12%
19,901
37.45%

Tallapoosa
4,605
38.59%
7,179
60.16%
150
1.26%
11,934
40.19%

Tuscaloosa
30,869
57.23%
22,067
40.91%
1,007
1.87%
53,943
40.83%

Walker
4,330
26.20%
11,938
72.23%
259
1.57%
16,527
35.19%

Washington
1,805
34.86%
3,325
64.21%
48
0.93%
5,178
39.78%

Wilcox
3,345
76.74%
1,000
22.94%
16
0.37%
4,359
46.94%

Winston
911
16.10%
4,681
82.71%
67
1.18%
5,659
35.80%

Totals
673,896
49.97%
651,972
48.34%
22,852
1.69%
1,348,720
100.00%


document_title: All men are created equal

question_text: who said we hold these truths to be self evident

text: All men are created equal

text: Origin of Thomas Jefferson's use of the phrase[edit]

text: Thomas Jefferson, at the age of 33, may have also borrowed the expression from an Italian friend and neighbor, Philip Mazzei,[4] as noted by Joint Resolution 175 of the 103rd Congress as well as by John F. Kennedy in A Nation of Immigrants.[5][6]

text: In 1776 the Second Continental Congress asked Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman to write the Declaration of Independence. This Committee of Five voted to have Thomas Jefferson write the document. After Jefferson finished he gave the document to Franklin to proof. Franklin suggested minor changes, and one of them stands out far more than the others. Jefferson had written, "We hold these truths to be sacred and un-deniable..." Franklin changed it to, "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

text: The second paragraph of the United States Declaration of Independence starts as follows:

text: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;[7]

text: The Virginia Declaration of Rights, chiefly authored by George Mason and approved by the Virginia Convention on June 12, 1776, contains the wording:

text: all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights of which . . . they cannot deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.[8]

text: George Mason was an elder-planter who had originally stated John Locke's theory of natural rights:

text: All men are born equally free and independent and have certain inherent natural rights of which they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.[9]

text: Mason's draft was accepted by a small committee and then rejected by the Virginia Convention. Thomas Jefferson, a competent Virginia lawyer, saw this as a problem in legal writing and chose words that were more acceptable to the Second Continental Congress.

text: The Massachusetts Constitution, chiefly authored by John Adams in 1780, contains in its Declaration of Rights the wording:

text: Article I. All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.[10]

text: The plaintiffs in the cases of Brom and Bett v. John Ashley and Commonwealth v. Nathaniel Jennison argued that this provision abolished slavery in Massachusetts.[11] The latter case resulted in a "sweeping declaration . . . that the institution of slavery was incompatible with the principles of liberty and legal equality articulated in the new Massachusetts Constitution".[12]

text: The phrase has since been considered a hallmark statement in democratic constitutions and similar human rights instruments, many of which have adopted the phrase or variants thereof.[13]

text: Slavery and the phrase[edit]

text: The contradiction between the claim that "all men are created equal" and the existence of American slavery attracted comment when the Declaration of Independence was first published. Before final approval, Congress, having made a few alterations to some of the wording, also deleted nearly a fourth of the draft, including a passage critical of the slave trade. At that time many members of Congress, including Jefferson, owned slaves, which clearly factored into their decision to delete the controversial "anti-slavery" passage.[14] In 1776, abolitionist Thomas Day responding to the hypocrisy in the Declaration wrote, though the first draft stated " All free men are created equal":

text: If there be an object truly ridiculous in nature, it is an American patriot, signing resolutions of independency with the one hand, and with the other brandishing a whip over his affrighted slaves.[14]

text: Criticism[edit]

text: The phrase "all men are created equal" has come in from criticism from elitists and traditional conservatives. Richard Weaver writing in one of the cornerstone works of traditional conservatism, Ideas Have Consequences (1948), wrote paraphrased a nineteenth-century writer in writing that "no man was ever created free and no two men [were] ever created equal". He continues:

text: The comity of peoples in groups large or small rests not upon this chemerical notion of equality but upon fraternity, a concept which long antedates it in history because it goes immeasurably deeper in human sentiment. The ancient feeling of brotherhood carries obligations of which equality knows nothing. It calls for respect and protection, for brotherhood is status in family, and family is by nature hierarchical.[15]

text: Legacy[edit]

text: The Vietnamese proclamation of independence, written in 1945, uses the phrase "all men are created equal" and mentions the U.S. Declaration of Independence in it as well.

text: The Rhodesian declaration of independence, ratified in November 1965, is based on the American one, however, it omits the phrase "all men are created equal", along with "the consent of the governed".[16][17][18]


document_title: Bachelorette party

question_text: when do you go on a bachelorette party

question_tokens: when do you go on a bachelorette party

text: Bachelorette party

text: History[edit]

text: Prior to its usage as a term for a pre-wedding party, hen party was used in the United States as a general term for an all-female gathering, usually held at a hostess's residence. In 1897, The Deseret News noted that a hen party was a "time honored idea that tea and chitchats, gossip smart hats, constitute the necessary adjuncts to these particular gatherings".[6] In 1940 Eleanor Roosevelt was described as hosting a Christmas-time hen party for cabinet wives and "ladies of the press".[7][8][9]

text: The bachelorette party is consciously modeled after the centuries-old bachelor's party,[4][10] which is itself historically a black tie dinner given by the bridegroom,[5] or sometimes his father,[11] shortly before his wedding.

text: Modern adaptations[edit]

text: The practice of giving a party to honour the bride-to-be goes back for centuries. However, certain American bachelorette party customs involving licentiousness among some social groups may have begun during the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s. It was uncommon until at least the mid-1980s,[3] and the first book on planning bachelorette parties was published only in 1998.[10]

text: Since the 1980s, many parties in honor of the bride-to-be that were labeled as bachelorette parties often involved displays of sexual freedom, such as trading intimate secrets, getting drunk, and watching male strippers.[3] Parties that honored the bride-to-be without them avoided that label.[10] Now, however, the term is used for a wide variety of parties.[12][13]

text: Bachelorette parties became especially popular around the turn of the 21st century and frequently appeared in the news.[14]

text: Those uncomfortable with these modern customs of debauchery often celebrate the night before their wedding with a combined stag and doe party, a custom that has become increasingly popular.[3]

text: Author Beth Montemurro has tied the cultural significance of a bachelorette party to concepts of gender equality.[10]  The phrase "hen party" mirrors the male "stag party" in referencing social stereotypes of each gender at the party.[15]

text: Entertainment[edit]

text: Many different kinds of entertainment are selected, depending on what the organizers think will best please their guest of honor.[16][17] While notions of a bachelorette party as a night of drunken debauchery have persist in some social circles since the 1980s,[3] it is becoming widely seen in America as an opportunity for female bonding.[12] According to etiquette expert Peggy Post, "Whatever entertainment is planned, it should not embarrass, humiliate, or endanger the honoree or any of the guests."[4]

text: When held in a private venue, such as the hostess's home, the party may take any form that pleases the hostesses and honors the bride-to-be. Dinners and cocktail parties, which provide comfortable opportunities for participants to talk or to give intimate advice to the bride-to-be, are common.[4] Other hostesses choose a themed party, such as a "pamper party," with guests indulging in spa treatments, or a cooking class.[18][19] While proposing a toast to the bride-to-be is common at most bachelorette parties, some center on drinking games.

text: In the 21st century, many companies sell products aimed at the organizers of bachelorette parties, including packs of themed games, pre-printed invitations, decorations, novelties, and sex toys. A common theme of parties is male nudity. In North America, it is common in some social circles to hire a male stripper or attend a male strip club.

text: In the UK, a naked butler has become a common theme and a popular hen party idea. The naked butler is often dressed in just a collar, dickie bow, cuffs and a short apron or trunks. He will wait on the hen and her party including serving drinks and food as well as hosting or taking part in hen party games and entertainment. An extension of this concept that has also become popular in the UK is the hiring of a naked chef to cater for the guests often accompanied by a naked butler to serve the food and drinks. Life drawing parties featuring a nude male model might also be held.[20]

text: Organization[edit]

text: Participants are often all women. Bridesmaids (if any) are typically invited, but any of the bride's close friends may be included.[4]

text: This party is typically hosted by one or more members of the wedding party, although it is possible for any friend to host a party in honor of the bride-to-be. Formally, a party in honor of the bride-to-be is never hosted by the bride-to-be,[21] although she may participate in its planning. While it is normally the duty of a hostess to pay for the entertainment she gives her guests, it is common in most English-speaking countries for participants to share the costs of this event.[4] Whether the bride-to-be pays her share, or whether her share is divided between other participants is determined by the organizers and the bride-to-be during the early stages of the planning process.

text: Participating in a bachelorette party is always optional, and many brides decline these parties altogether.[4] Neither bridesmaids nor other friends can be required either to attend or to pay for any part of this party.[22]

text: Since it is derived from a formal dinner, a bachelorette party is properly held in the evening,[5] usually about a week (or at least a few days) before the wedding,[4] and usually includes dinner, although alternative approaches are not uncommon.[4]

text: Role of alcohol[edit]

text: In the early 21st century, some bachelorette parties rivaled the drunkenness seen in Hollywood portrayals of bachelor parties.[23]

text: However, sober bachelorette parties are not unusual.[23]  Many brides and guests are staying sober in recovery from alcoholism or are not drinking alcoholic beverages due to pregnancy or health issues, for religious reasons, or because they do not want to drink alcohol.[24]  Sober parties focus on building relationships and activities beyond hanging out at a place that serves alcohol.[23]

text: Location[edit]

text: Many bachelorette parties are held at home or at a nearby restaurant.  Some people turn a bachelorette party into a weekend trip to another city.  Some cities, such as Austin for people in the southwestern US and Nashville for people in the Upper Midwest, are relatively popular with American bridal parties that are seeking a weekend destination and can afford to pay hundreds of dollars per person for the experience.[25]  Other people will travel farther to cities such as Las Vegas.  In the UK, parties in relatively inexpensive European destinations such as Latvia and the Canary Islands are popular.

text: One reason that bridal parties travel to a different city is because they want to behave differently than they normally would, but they do not want to deal with the social repercussions that might ensue if friends, family members, or professional acquaintances saw them doing this.[25]  When large numbers of bachelor and bachelorette parties choose the same cities, this can produce extra jobs and new businesses to cater to them, but it also draws complaints from local residents who are faced with the disruption and public service costs caused by the seasonal influx of noisy parties and drunken visitors.[25]  Stag parties caused so much disruption in Riga, Latvia that the city formed a police group specifically to deal with bachelor and bachelorette parties.[26][27]

text: Alternatives[edit]

text: A more traditional alternative is the bridesmaids luncheon, hosted by friends of the bride's mother or mothers of the bridesmaids, usually give the day before the wedding. Attendees include the bridesmaids, their mothers and close female friends and relatives; the event is often multi-generational including mothers and even grandmothers of the bride and groom. At a bridesmaids luncheon, the bride often presents a small gift to each bridesmaid. The purpose of the luncheon is for the bride to thank her attendants and includes presenting them with bridesmaid gifts. This is also the time when the bridesmaids' gift, if any, is customarily given to the bride. If there is a cake, it may contain symbolic good luck charms.

text: If a significant aspect of the party is presenting small gifts to the bride-to-be, then the event is properly called a bridal shower. For the convenience of the bride-to-be, bridal showers are usually held earlier than a bachelorette party.[28] A stag and doe party, also called a "Jack and Jill", "buck and doe" or "hag" (hen + stag) party, is a fundraising party that includes both men and women.[3] These parties are held by couples wishing to distance themselves from the licentiousness associated with many post-1980s bachelorette parties and are becoming increasingly popular, especially as a means to financially support a wedding.[3]