Doug Jones in 2017 Alabama special Senate election
On Gun Control:
More background checks; raise purchase age to 21
Q: You said on the floor of the Senate:(VIDEO CLIP) JONES: You can't simply demonize the NRA and pro-gun groups. While I know that these groups sometimes take what many, including me, consider extreme positions, they also represent millions of law-
abiding gun owners who are concerned that their right to bear arms are at risk.
(END VIDEO) Q: What's your message to everyone we saw march last week who say that the NRA has had a stranglehold on Congress?
JONES: There is some truth to that.
And those millions of kids around the country also represent a point of view that we have to do something to stem the tide of gun deaths in this country.
Q: So, what does that mean right now?
JONES: Well, we took a step, that the CDC can start
doing some investigation and studies about gun violence. I think we can find that common ground. We can do more on background checks. I'd like to see the age limit of 21 for all semi-automatic weapons. We can have those kind of dialogues.
Source: ABC This Week 2018 interviews for 2017 Alabama Senate race
Apr 1, 2018
On Gun Control:
No assault weapons ban at this time
Q: Your colleague, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), has now says we have to try again on the assault weapons ban. Can you go that far?JONES: I'm not sure I can go that far just yet. We've got to get done what I think can be done right now. Let's reach
across and within our own party to do those things that we can do, and that to me is where I want to focus. I really don't believe that a gun ban is feasible right. And I think that there are things that can be done, that we need to look at.
Source: ABC This Week 2018 interviews for 2017 Alabama Senate race
Apr 1, 2018
On Corporations:
Cut corporate tax rates, but not by increasing the deficit
Q: It looks like the Senate and Congress is going to pass the tax bill before you get to town. But if you had a chance, would you vote for this bill or against it?JONES: Well, I've got to be honest with you, that's a 500 page bill. So I haven't had a
real chance to look at that and study it, as a lot of people have not, which is one of my biggest concerns about the way things are going up there right now. This seems to be done, plopped into a vote too quickly. What I'm seeing and hearing and just
reading about, there's things that I like about it, cutting corporate tax rates, cutting some things for the middle class and increasing the standard deduction. But my biggest concerns are the process and also the fact that it's going to increase the
deficit by over a trillion dollars. That causes me great concern. I don't buy into the fact that it's going to grow the economy such that that trillion dollars debt will get wiped out. I think that's a major problem.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2017 on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Dec 17, 2017
On Immigration:
Opposes funding a border wall; supports comprehensive reform
Q: Would you support a deal that fixes DACA, that protects the so-called DREAMers, but on the other hand has tougher border enforcement and includes some money for continuing to build President Trump's wall?JONES: I have said before that I opposed
the building of a wall. I think that's an expense that the taxpayers just don't have to incur because I do think you can increase border security without having to go to the incredible expense of building that wall, at least the figures that I've seen.
I do support the DACA program and would love to see that extended. I hope there can be some bipartisan efforts reached to do that. Immigration has been one of the toughest political footballs going on up there right now and we've had bills in the past
that just fell by the wayside because of politics. If there's comprehensive immigration, I think it's going to be very complicated. But it's something that I would love to look at.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2017 on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Dec 17, 2017
On Principles & Values:
Democrat willing to find common ground with Republicans
Q: Doug Jones pulled off a stunning upset this week, becoming the first Democrat elected to the Senate in deep red Alabama since 1992. Let's start with what you said on election night:(VIDEO CLIP) JONES: We've tried to make sure that this campaign
was about finding common ground and reaching across and actually getting things done for the people.
(END VIDEO) Q: Where do you see an opportunity to find common ground and work with a Republican Congress and President Trump?
JONES:
I think there's an opportunity at every turn. It doesn't matter what the issue is, there's always the opportunity to find common ground. And I hope to have that voice. I said on election night that I hope this is a message not to just Republicans that
we've got a Democrat who's willing to reach across the aisle. I hope it's a message to Democrats to try to find that common ground. It's one of those things where you've got to reach across, you've got to try.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2017 on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Dec 17, 2017
On Principles & Values:
I am going to be the kind of senator the people can talk to
Q: Your opponent, Judge Moore, continues to refuse to concede, saying that this race is not over, and this week issued this video:(VIDEO CLIP) MOORE: Today, we'll no longer recognize the universal truth that God is the author of our life and liberty.
Abortion, sodomy and materialism have taken the place of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
(END VIDEO) Q: Do you think that Roy Moore is hurting Alabama by continuing this contest?
JONES: Well, I just have quit trying to figure out what
Judge Moore means when he says things like that. I don't find it in the mainstream of America. I certainly don't even find it in the mainstream of Alabama. I think it's time to move on. And I think he is hurting the people of this state. I have told
folks and I want to try to represent everyone. I'm not going to be a senator in which people are going to agree with 100% of the time, but I am going to be the kind of senator the people can talk to, that we can reason with.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2017 on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Dec 17, 2017
On Civil Rights:
2000: Got convictions of two involved in 1963 church bombing
In 2000, he was given the chance to work on the case that first inspired him to become a prosecutor. Jones worked to successfully convict Thomas Edwin Blanton Jr. and Bobby Frank Cherry, two members of the KKK, for their role in the 16th Street Baptist
Church bombing in 1963. Chris Hamlin, a pastor at the church, remembers his first meeting with Jones. "He was very persistent and passionate about pursuing the case," he said. "He understood what was at stake in the African-American community."
Source: Newsweek magazine on 2017 Alabama special Senate race
Dec 10, 2017
On Education:
Supported integration of his high school in late '60s
At Fairfield High School in the late 1960s, Jones was inspired to take on soothing tensions that came with integrating his school. Darnell Gardner, a black classmate of Jones' who went on to become president of the Fairfield City Council, credits
Jones with easing him into a majority-white school. "We had some guys who didn't like integration, they called me names I'd rather not repeat," he said. "But Doug was always there, he'd take care of it and act as a mediator."
Source: Newsweek magazine on 2017 Alabama special Senate race
Dec 10, 2017
On Families & Children:
Supported women accusing opponent of sexual misconduct
As Trump and the Republican National Committee repeatedly rallied behind Roy Moore and dismissed the allegations against him, Jones' lead in the polls tightened. His campaign then decided to toughen its rhetoric against
Moore and vouch for the nine women who came forward with accusations against him. "Those brave women are entirely credible, they're telling the truth," said Jones. "Moore will be an embarrassment to the people and businesses of Alabama."
Source: Newsweek magazine on 2017 Alabama special Senate race
Dec 10, 2017
On Crime:
Former prosecutor supports reform
I support sentencing reform and back creating options for alternative sentencing, seeking to rehabilitate those in the justice system instead of sending all of them to prison at a high cost to their families and to taxpayers. We must reduce
sentencing disparities that see a disproportionate number of black and Latino Americans sentenced to prison. I also support modifying the three-strikes law to provide alternatives to lifetime sentences for those convicted of non-violent offenses.
Source: 2017 Alabama Senatorial website DougJonesForSenate.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Government Reform:
Restore integrity to politics
I will bring integrity back to Washington and back to Alabama politics. We are all tired of politicians who have been bought and paid for by special interests and who view the world through a partisan lens instead of considering the best interest of
those they are supposed to represent. This race is not about Democrats or Republicans. It is about the people of Alabama--giving them honest answers while working to protect their health care, rights and economic interests.
Source: 2017 Alabama Senatorial website DougJonesForSenate.com
Nov 1, 2017
On Drugs:
Legalization for medical and recreational use
Doug Jones has spoken openly about his stance on medical cannabis. He completely supports the use and legalization of medical cannabis.
He is also a supporter of the decriminalization of cannabis because he knows the criminal justice system must get out of the business of locking up non-violent cannabis users.
Source: Chicago Now on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Oct 23, 2017
On Environment:
Conservationists back Jones
The League of Conservation Voters Action Fund cited Jones' environmental protection platform in endorsing him. Jones said protecting the environment is also a benefit to
Alabama's economy, "Hunting and fishing have an economic impact of $2.7 billion in Alabama and support 30,500 jobs. Being good stewards is good for our state and good for business."
Source: Birmingham News on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Oct 12, 2017
On Free Trade:
Free trade is good for Alabama businesses
International trade supports more than 550,000 jobs in Alabama, more than one in five in the state, with jobs related to exports paying 18 percent higher wages, according to the Business Council of Alabama. Alabama's workers and economy
benefit from mutually advantageous trade relationships with other nations. Agreements should ensure there are no barriers to exporting American goods which could increase difficulty for Alabama manufacturers who want to sell their products overseas.
Source: Birmingham News on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Sep 21, 2017
On Immigration:
Dreamers should be allowed to stay
I support the DACA program and would support legislation to ensure young people brought here as children who have never known any other nation can remain in the United States.
Children and young adults in the DACA program are contributing members of our society, serving in the military and owning businesses that employ Americans.
Source: Birmingham News on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Sep 21, 2017
On Abortion:
I stand with Planned Parenthood
I will defend women's access to contraception and a woman's right to choose and fight any legislation or executive action that would allow insurance companies to discriminate against women.
Planned Parenthood provides essential preventative and
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Civil Rights:
Full equality for women in the workplace
Today's champion of equal pay is Lilly Ledbetter and her battle for equality in Gadsden, Alabama. In the Senate, I will work to extend the spirit of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to make if mandatory that two people, doing the same job with
the same qualifications are paid equally--regardless of their gender. The shenanigans around the 2016 campaign must be pushed aside and full equality for women made the law and the norm in America.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Corporations:
Streamline regulations for small business
The most productive, innovative people I know are entrepreneurs who have had the courage to turn an idea into a business that makes their community better, grows jobs and truly stands at the heart of America. The future of our state is in
supporting the growth of small and mid-sized businesses that care about the place they are formed and the people they employ. For these businesses, we need to streamline regulations and reduce the impediments to their success.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Education:
Invest in public schools, not private experiments
There is no doubt that the quality and funding of education in America (especially in our own state) have been uneven. Rather than abandoning these communities and schools to experiments overseen by political donors,
we must commit our nation to providing first class education for children regardless of where they live. Republicans say that they believe in "equality of opportunity." It is time to provide the resources to ensure that equality.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Education:
Public service & Pell grants to reduce college costs
College, too, must be within economic reach of all families--without burdening a student with overwhelming debt.
I support a program of public service in exchange for reduced college costs and full funding of Pell grants for students and additional research funding in the sciences and arts for the colleges themselves.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Energy & Oil:
Renewables will makes us energy independent
I want to be perfectly clear: I believe in science. The impact of unchecked fossil fuels on our planet and our health has not been in dispute for decades. Period. Clean air and clean water are not controversial.
They are essential to our health, our prosperity, and our quality of life. We should be encouraging investment in renewable energy and conservation as ways to create new jobs and make ourselves energy independent.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Environment:
Coal is the past; must help workers transition
I am a legacy of the coal mining industry. Rather than promise that miners can return for generations to dangerous, scarcely regulated jobs--
I think America must step-up to secure a safety net of healthcare and job retraining for these families.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Health Care:
Fix, don't end, ObamaCare
Congress must continue to take a critical look at healthcare reform, but anything that gets my support must pass four tests:- All Americans deserve the right to quality, affordable healthcare.
-
No American should be unable to make ends meet from out-of-control medical bills.
-
Pre-existing conditions should never be a reason to deny care or make care unaffordable.
- Preventative care should be a foundation of our health care system.
It is inefficient and dangerous for Americans to rely on the emergency room to treat preventable illness.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Jobs:
Supports a "living wage"
So many people in our state work multiple jobs with long hours and still can't make ends meet. It is past time that our minimum wage should be a living wage.
Supporting both the innovation of small business and the ability of all working Alabamians to make a living wage are ideas that flow together--and both will be priorities for me in the US Senate.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Tax Reform:
End tax cuts & loopholes for wealthy
While our economy has recovered from the depths of the Great Recession, it has not done so equally and not for all. Americans should all have a place in this economy--and tax breaks or loopholes for the very rich hurt lower and moderate income families.
They hurt especially hard in Alabama. It is unconscionable to talk about lowering taxes on the rich while cutting funding for education, nutrition, childcare, housing and infrastructure.
Source: 2017-2018 Alabama Senate website DougJonesForSenate.com
Aug 17, 2017
On Gun Control:
Supporter of 2nd amendment
As a deer, turkey and bird hunter, Jones said he's also a supporter of Second Amendment rights. "Doug is culturally very Southern,"
[one journalist] said. "He's a good ole Southern boy who likes his hunting and fishing and is living the Christian life."
Source: Birmingham News on 2017 Alabama Senate race
Jun 14, 2017
Page last updated: Jan 12, 2020