A small town Alabama newspaper that drew condemnation for an editorial this month calling for the Ku Klux Klan to “ride again” has named an African-American woman as its new editor and publisher, the paper said in a statement.
Elecia R. Dexter on Friday took the reins of the weekly Democrat-Reporter in Alabama newspaper that drew condemnation for an editorial this month calling for the Ku Klux Klan to “ride again” has named an African-American woman as its new editor and publisher, , from Goodloe Sutton, 79, the longtime owner of the paper who wrote the incendiary editorial that brought sharp rebukes from elected officials in the state and the public.
“Ms. Dexter is coming in at a pivotal time for the newspaper and you may have full confidence in her ability to handle these challenging times,” the statement said. It is unclear whether Sutton remains the owner of the paper.
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Dexter has “strong roots and a rich history” in the area, and she will continue the paper’s long journalistic tradition while moving it in a new direction, according to the release.
Sutton, who has led the publication for the past 50 years, told the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper last week he had written the editorial which called for a return of the KKK and railed against Democrats.
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The KKK was a white supremacist group that terrorized blacks in the U.S. South and later targeted other minority groups, following the Civil War and the emancipation of African-American slaves.
“Good riddance Goodloe,” U.S. Senator Doug Jones, an Alabama Democrat, tweeted in response to the news of Sutton stepping down. “His dangerous views do not represent Alabama or the small-town papers in Alabama that do great work every day.”
Sutton and his wife, Jean, won acclaim in the 1990s for a series of articles in the Democrat-Reporter that detailed corruption in their local sheriff’s department.
Smollett staged ‘hate crime’ to advance career: Police
Jean Sutton died in 2003 from cancer, according to her obituary.
The circulation of the Democrat-Reporter, which is more than 100 years old and does not publish online, was about 3,000 in 2015, according to a report that year in the Montgomery-Advertiser.
Alabama is a deeply conservative place, as its voting record amply demonstrates.
The state until today hasn't picked a Democrat for the US Senate since 1992, and that man - Richard Shelby, still a senior senator - defected to the Republicans.
Doug Jones, 63, is the Democratic candidate who won tonight.
So what do we know about this man?
When Mr Jones beat seven other candidates to win the Democratic primary in August 2017, it was the entry pass to a seriously tough fight. But he would argue he's used to those.
Gordon Douglas Jones, known as Doug, studied political science at the University of Alabama, followed by law at the state's Samford University in 1979. He rose to prominence in 1997, when Bill Clinton named him US Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama.
Then in his forties, Jones secured a string of high-profile prosecutions, including those of two Ku Klux Klan members who bombed a Baptist church in Birmingham in 1963, killing four black schoolgirls.
He was also linked to the indictment of Eric Rudolph, who killed an off-duty police officer in a 1998 attack on a Birmingham abortion clinic.
This record has helped Mr Jones present as a candidate for our violent times, where white nationalists are raising their banners unafraid on the streets of America.
"We cannot sweep this violence under the rug. We must address the forces that lead to it and prosecute those who perpetrate such acts."
Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionSupporters of Mr Jones see him as a moderate, a foil to Roy Moore's Bible-bashing
Though Roy Moore's evangelical fervour has grabbed more attention, Jones is also a Christian - specifically, a Methodist. He has worshipped at the same church for more than 30 years, and has said the message of Christianity should be one of fairness and inclusivity, not extremism.
Politics took an early hold on Jones, who began his career as a staff counsel to the US Senate Judiciary Committee, working for Alabama Senator Howell Heflin.
From 1980 he spent four years as an Assistant US Attorney, then from 1984-97 worked for a criminal defence firm in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2013, he co-founded his own firm - Jones & Hawley.
Mr Jones counts former Vice President Joe Biden as an old friend, having led his 1988 presidential campaign in Alabama. Mr Biden said of him at an October 2017 rally: "I can count on two hands the people I've campaigned for that have as much integrity, as much courage."
He added that Mr Jones "helped remove 40 years of stain and pain from this state" with the church bombing convictions.
From the off, Mr Jones has known he was facing poor odds in Alabama, which backed Donald Trump in 2016 with a 28-point landslide.
"They have told me time and again that this race is a long shot," Jones said of the problem. "Well, folks … When you are on the right side of history and the right side of justice, you can do anything."
The delicacy of the task was complicated by allegations against Jones's anti-establishment opponent, Roy Moore. The gun-toting Republican faces several claims of historic sexual misconduct with underage girls, which he denies.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionRoy Moore is facing allegations of sexual abuse, which he denies
Jones's campaign adverts have worked to paint him as the ethical choice for Alabama, even as prominent national Republicans broke ranks to refuse Moore their votes.
Some ads featured self-declared Republican voters voicing their support for Jones with the words: "Don't vote for the party. Vote for the man."
Policy-wise, Jones has pitched himself as a moderate Democrat, calling for an increase in the minimum wage, but also lower corporate taxes "to try to get reinvestment back into this country".
He supports renewable energy, but is hawkish on the need for increased defence spending, saying it will protect the US and shore up Alabama's economy.
On healthcare, a key divide between Republicans and Democrats, he opposes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, but wants changes to the existing "broken" system.
While President Trump has stoutly supported Roy Moore, national stars of the Democratic Party have waited until the last minute to descend on Alabama, to avoid spooking voters with their liberal associations.
On the eve of the election, reports said former President Barack Obama had recorded a robo-call - an automated telephone call to Alabama households - urging the public to back his man.
Image copyrightWHITE HOUSE HANDOUTImage captionFormer President Barack Obama has stepped in at the final hour to rally voters for Doug Jones
"This one's serious," Obama says in the message, according to CNN. "You can't sit it out."
Other senior Democrats who have spoken for Mr Jones include Ohio congressman Tim Ryan, and John Lewis, a revered civil rights leader who was one of the original Freedom Riders and led a famous protest march from Selma in Alabama.
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a rising Democrat star considered a possible 2020 presidential candidate, made the trip to Alabama in person, declaring: "I'm here to try and help some folk get woke. Democracy is not a spectator sport."
His supporters are convinced that Mr Jones is more than just the anti-Moore candidate. But whether he's got enough to cause an upset in the ruby red Yellowhammer state, only time will tell.
