Biden to escort Jones for swearing-in ceremony

Former Vice President Joe Biden will reportedly escort Sen.-elect Doug Jones (D-Ala.) for his swearing-in ceremony on Wednesday.

WAAY TV in Huntsville, Ala., reported that Biden will escort Jones in a break from tradition.

Normally, a new senator is escorted by their home-state colleague, but Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) was reportedly not asked.

{mosads}After the swearing-in, Biden is expected to speak at a gathering for Jones that will include friends, family and supporters, according to an ABC News reporter.

Jones is the first Democrat in decades to win a Senate race in Alabama, a state that reliably votes Republican. He defeated Republican Roy Moore, who faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Biden campaigned for Jones in Alabama and recorded a robocall for his fellow Democrat in the final days of the campaign.

After Jones’s win, Biden congratulated him, saying on Twitter: “Doug Jones. Thank you, Alabama. You’ve elected a man of incredible integrity, grit, and character.”

“A fighter for working class and middle class Alabamians. He is going to make you proud in the Senate,” Biden tweeted last month.

Jones’s victory further narrows Republican control in the Senate to a slim majority of 51-49.