Alabama officials have certified Democrat Doug Jones the winner of the state's US Senate race, after a state judge denied a challenge by Republican Roy Moore, whose campaign was derailed by accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls.
Jones won the vacant seat by about 22,000 votes, or 1.6 percentage points, election officials said. That made him the first Democrat in a quarter of a century to win a Senate seat in Alabama.
The seat was previously held by Republican Jeff Sessions, who was tapped by US President Donald Trump as attorney general.
Seating Jones will narrow the Republican majority in the Senate to 51 of 100 seats. In a statement, Jones called his victory "a new chapter" and pledged to work with both parties.
Moore declined to concede defeat even after Trump urged him to do so.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He stood by claims of a fraudulent election in a statement released after the certification and said he had no regrets, media outlets reported.
An Alabama judge denied Moore's request to block certification of the results of the December 12 election in a decision shortly before the canvassing board met.
Moore's challenge alleged there had been potential voter fraud that denied him a chance of victory. His filing in court sought to halt the meeting scheduled to ratify Jones' win.
Republican lawmakers in Washington had distanced themselves from Moore and called for him to drop out of the race after several women accused him of sexual assault or misconduct dating back to when they were teenagers and he was in his early 30s.
Moore has denied any wrongdoing.
