Doug Jones’ gay son pens heartwarming note after his dad’s election loss: ‘You fought the good fight’

The blue wave delivered historic wins in Alabama, but Democratic candidate and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones narrowly lost the gubernatorial race. After the defeat, his openly gay son, Carson Jones, shared a heartfelt message to his parents about a campaign whose meaning, he wrote, extended beyond the results.

“Dear Mom and Dad, most people are lucky to make history once. And while we might not have won on Tuesday, you’ve spent the last year making a little bit of history each and every day,” Carson Jones wrote over the weekend on Instagram, recalling his father’s historic 2017 Senate special election victory. That win made Doug Jones the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama in 25 years.

“You knew the odds were against you. But you believed Alabama deserved a choice, and that the people of this state deserved better. So you went to places where candidates rarely, if ever, show up. You listened to people’s hopes, dreams, and struggles. And you gave people a reason to believe things could be different. Proud is an understatement,” Carson Jones continued.

The Instagram carousel featured photos and videos of the family on the campaign trail. In the accompanying message, he also joked about the “ridiculous AI memes we would never post (oops).”

Related: Alabama Sen. Doug Jones Says Gay Son Led Him to Be More Pro-LGBT

“I know how heavily Tuesday’s outcome weighs on both of you. Not just the loss, but what it means for Alabama and the people you care so deeply about. I wish things had turned out differently. But you fought the good fight, showed people what’s possible, and helped build something that others can carry forward. That matters.”

Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who also defeated Doug Jones in the 2020 Senate race, won the governorship by about 4 percentage points in Alabama’s closest gubernatorial race since 2002, according to WBRC’s analysis of unofficial results.

The election also brought breakthroughs for LGBTQ+ representation in Alabama. Allison Montgomery became the state’s first out transgender person elected to the Legislature, while Brett Jones became its first openly gay person elected sheriff.

Related: Alabama Goddam: Carson Jones on His State’s Bigotry and Resilience

Carson Jones campaigned for his father and shared updates on social media throughout the past year. He has also used his platform to speak out about LGBTQ+ rights. He went viral in 2018 after appearing to stare pointedly at then-Vice President Mike Pence during his father’s swearing-in. The following year, he criticized an Alabama bill that would end the issuance of marriage licenses to accommodate judges who opposed marriage equality.

In the final weeks of this year’s campaign, he wrote candidly about its emotional toll.

“I’ll be honest: this campaigning thing doesn’t get easier. You’d think by campaign #3 we’d be pros at this point, but somehow this one has felt like the hardest,” he posted on October 18.

“Maybe it’s because it feels like the most important. Maybe because it feels winnable enough to let yourself hope, but uncertain enough to be terrified of doing that. Or maybe it’s just because after 310 days, you realize how much of yourself and everyone around you has gotten wrapped up in this crazy adventure.”

Related: Dear Alabama: Sen. Doug Jones’ Gay Son Has a Message for His State

His postelection tribute follows another deeply personal letter to his parents. In 2021, he wrote for The Advocate about what he wished he had told them when he came out.

He closed his latest Instagram post with gratitude for their time together and a wish that his parents would finally give themselves a break.

"I know none of us are particularly hardwired for taking it easy, but I hope you’ll at least give it a try," he wrote. "You’ve earned it.