Republican Roy Moore declines to concede Alabama race

Candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore was expected to concede Alabama's closely scrutinized race at a watch party in Montgomery, Ala. Tuesday.

However, his team did not concede the race; instead declaring they would ask for a recount.

Alabama law requires an automatic recount if the margin is less than .5% of the vote, Moore's campaign officials said.

However, recent tallies showed Moore's opponent winning by more than 1.5%.

Democrat Doug Jones won election to the U.S. Senate from Alabama, as voters in the deeply conservative and heavily Republican state dealt a stark political blow to President Donald Trump and narrowed the GOP's majority in the Senate to two seats.

It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama, one of the reddest of red states, and proved anew that party loyalty is anything but sure in the age of Trump. It was a major embarrassment for the president and a fresh wound for the nation's already divided Republican Party.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.