Trump congratulates Doug Jones on upset victory in Alabama Senate special election

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

President Donald Trump talks to the media after new White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was privately sworn in during a ceremony in the Oval Office, Monday, July 31, 2017, in Washington.

• President Donald Trump congratulated Doug Jones on his Senate special-election victory in Alabama on Tuesday night.
• Trump had thrown his support behind Republican candidate Roy Moore in recent weeks, even as Moore's campaign stumbled under the weight of a sexual misconduct scandal.

President Donald Trump congratulated Doug Jones on Tuesday night after the Democratic Senate candidate beat Republican Roy Moore in a major upset victory in Alabama.

"Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win," a tweet from Trump's account read. "The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!"

It was a conciliatory tone from Trump who in the last week of the Alabama special election ramped up his public support for Moore, even as Moore's campaign stumbled under the weight of multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that were leveled against the Republican candidate.

At one point, Trump had sought to link Jones to top Democratic lawmakers, labeling him a "Pelosi/Schumer liberal Democrat," referencing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Experts have predicted that Jones' win could spark a gradual shift in the Republican Party's Senate majority in next year's midterm election, and, in the near term, potentially threaten Trump and his party's broader legislative agenda.