Doug Jones opens large fundraising lead over Roy Moore

Democratic Senate nominee Doug Jones raised over $10 million for his campaign between Oct. 1 and Nov. 22, easily outdistancing Republican nominee Roy Moore’s haul during that time.

According to campaign finance reports filed Thursday, Jones, a former U.S. attorney, raised about $10.1 million during the two months. Moore raised $1.76 million during the same period.

While the haul was good news for Jones, it wasn’t necessarily bad news for Moore, who traditionally lags behind opponents in fundraising and generally doesn’t do a lot of television. Moore was outspent by U.S. Sen. Luther Strange in the primary and runoff for the Senate seat, but beat Strange by nine points in the Sept. 26 GOP runoff.

The former Alabama chief justice relies on name ID and a loyal base to boost him at the polls. Moore currently holds a two-point lead in the Real Clear Politics average of Senate polls.

Still, the haul showed that Jones — whose campaign flew under the radar this summer — had raised enough money to boost his profile and compete statewide. Jones finished with $2.54 million on hand Nov. 22, compared to $636,046 for Moore.

The election is Dec. 12.

The Jones campaign reported spending $8.4 million from Oct. 1 to Nov. 22. Moore reported spending $1.6 million during that time. Jones reported raising $9.9 million from individual contributions and $150,000 from other sources, like political action committees. The campaign said in in a statement Friday that 92 percent of its donations were $50 or less. 

"Our campaign is honored by the overwhelming grassroots support we’re receiving," Jones campaign manager Wade Perry said in a statement. "It’s another sign that Doug’s message of bringing both sides together to focus on the kitchen table issues that matter to hardworking Alabamians is resonating.”

An email seeking comment was sent to the Moore campaign Friday.

Moore received $1.7 million from individual contributions and about $52,000 from other sources, like political action committees. 

It was not immediately clear from reports — running more than 13,000 pages in Jones’ case — how allegations of sexual misconduct against Moore affected fundraising for either candidate. The Republican faces a range of accusations, mostly from his time as a 30-something assistant district attorney in Etowah County from 1977 to 1982.

Nine women say Moore either gave them unwanted attention, pursued relationships with them when they were teenagers or groped them. One woman, Leigh Corfman, says she was 14 when Moore, then 32, brought her to his home, undressed her and guided her hand to the front of his underpants. The legal age of consent in Alabama, then and now, is 16.

Another woman, Beverly Nelson, says she was 16 when Moore, then 30, offered her a ride home from her place of employment, then groped her and squeezed her neck in an attempt to draw her toward his lap.

Moore denied the accusations and his campaign has tried to attack the credibility of the accusers. The women have stuck by their stories, and two say they would testify under oath.