Roy Moore releases 4-minute video refusing to concede
Roy Moore on Wednesday night released a nearly 5 minute video refusing to concede the Alabama Senate race. Moore also highlighted his extremely conservative beliefs and read a Bible verse.
"We are indeed in a struggle to preserve our republic, our civilization, and our religion and to set free a suffering humanity. And the battle rages on," Moore said.
Moore insisted not all the military and provisional ballots have been counted, and he said "we are awaiting certification by the Secretary of State."
Alabama Secretary of State Nick Merrill told CNN on Tuesday night that it's "highly unlikely" the race will end with anything other than a Jones victory. According to an unofficial tally posted on the Secretary of State's website, Doug Jones won 671,151 votes to Moore's 650,436.
More than 22,000 people wrote in a third candidate. Merrill told CBS affiliate WHNT that this election had "one of the largest write-in campaigns that's ever happened in the state in a competitive election."
"We don't have anything to compare it to because this is unprecedented in the history of the state," Merrill said.
In the video, Moore said the race was "tainted by over $50 million dollars from outside groups who want to retain power and their corrupt ideology." He insisted the race is not about being a Republican or Democrat, but the "Washington establishment which will not listen to the cries of its citizenry - and the battle rages on."
Moore also gave a rundown of some of the things he believes are wrong with society, including abortion, gay marriage, the national debt, the drug crisis, border security, and that society has "even begun to recognize the right of a man to claim to be a woman, and vice versa."
"Today, we no longer recognize the universal truth that God is the author of our life and liberty," Moore said. "Abortion, sodomy, and materialism have taken the place of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
According to WHNT, if the race is not close enough to warrant a recount -- meaning within one-half of one percent of all votes counted -- then Moore can request a recount and pay for it himself.
"The last time that it happened that anyone is aware of was when Governor Bentley edged out Tim James in June of 2010 for the July 2010 runoff," Merrill told WHNT. In that race, Tim James requested and paid for the runoff, WHNT reports.
Merrill told WHNT that he doesn't predict any recount would change the results, but the Moore campaign is "probably not interested in knowing my opinion about that."