Doug Jones (D., Ala.) has seen his unfavorability rating increase sharply alongside a decline in his favorability rating among Alabama voters since he took office, signaling a difficult battle for re-election.
Morning Consult's polling showed Jones with a 39 percent favorability rating and a 37 percent unfavorability rating, with 24 percent of voters undecided. Yellowhammer News pointed out that this represented a 20-point swing for Jones since the first quarter of 2018. 47 percent of Alabama voters approved of Jones right after he took office, and just 25 percent viewed him unfavorably.
Jones was off to a strong start after knocking off Republican Roy Moore, a former justice in the Alabama Supreme Court, by a narrow margin in the special election to fill the Senate seat of Luther Strange, who was appointed to replace then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore was dogged by numerous allegations of sexual assault with teenage girls, which he denied.
Now, Jones has lost eight points in his favorability rating and gained 12 percent in his unfavorability rating. It is unclear who he will face in next year's election, but his former opponent is currently struggling in the polls.
Moore, who declared his candidacy last month, is struggling to make headway in the race for the Republican nomination. A poll from last month showed him in a distant third place behind former football coach Tommy Tuberville and Rep. Bradley Byrne (R., Ala.). Tuberville is the current frontrunner at 29 percent, and Byrne is in second with 21 percent, according to the poll. Moore came in at 13 percent.