MONTGOMERY — Stunned Roy Moore supporters said late Tuesday they were disappointed the race had been called for Democrat Doug Jones, but they hadn’t given up hope their Republican candidate could pull out a win when remaining uncounted ballots are counted.

“It’s not over until it’s over," said Brenda Callaway of Montgomery. “We just remain optimistic there’s a chance of Roy Moore being our next United States senator."

In a stunning upset, Jones narrowly defeated Moore in Tuesday's closely watched contest that had garnered national and international attention.

Callaway said she believes the race was called too soon and there’s are still many provisional and absentee ballots, particularly from military bases, to be counted.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said late Tuesday that while it will take a couple of weeks to certify the final vote, it is "highly unlikely" Jones would not be declared the winner.

Supporters streamed out of his campaign headquarters in downtown Montgomery late Tuesday after Moore took to the stage and urged the media to get more information about the next step from state election officials.

“We’ve got to wait on God and let the process play out," Moore said.

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Earlier that night, Moore campaign officials said they were still waiting for more votes to come in – despite news organizations calling Jones the winner.

“We're not calling it yet...It may be a long while," Rich Hobson, Moore’s campaign manager, told a room supporters after reports of the loss. “Meanwhile, I ask you to pray.”

At one point, Moore supporters, some with hands raised, sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and other gospel songs.

Dan Easterling, who traveled from Virginia to help Moore’s campaign this week, said he would hold out until the official count is completed. He said the race is close enough that the gap could close. He pointed to ballots in rural counties that may still need to be counted and any possible problems with voting equipment.

“It seems like there’s a heck of a lot that could go wrong," he said. “I want the votes to be counted. As an American, I want the outcome to be something we can have confidence in."

Callaway and other Moore supporters blamed the loss in part on the “media frenzy" around allegations that Moore had inappropriate contact with teenage girls when he was in his 30s. They questioned the timing of the accusations, which the Washington Post reported last month.

“We do believe in Roy Moore and we’re not going to give up on him," Callaway said.

Others took aim at Sen. Richard Shelby, the senior Republican senator from Alabama. Shelby said earlier this month that he voted absentee and wrote in a “distinguished’’ Republican. He said he didn’t vote for Moore.

Shelby repeated that this weekend.

Shelby initially supported Sen. Luther Strange, a longtime friend, in the GOP primary in September. Strange lost to Moore.

“Shelby threw it. He’s a powerful man. He sold out his constituencies," Grey Linker said outside Moore's campaign event. “He’s been elected by these people for 25 years. He just stuck a knife in them."

Still, Linker said he was sad about the loss.

“When you lose anything it’s disappointing," said Linker, who traveled from Pensacola, Fla., for the event. “If it turns around (in a recount), that’s wonderful."

But Linker acknowledged it doesn’t look good right now. “The world is not ending tonight. Think of Job in the Bible,’’ he said.

Charles Hawk of Seminole, Ala., said supporters aren’t giving up yet.

“We’re in a war. This is just one of the battles," he said.

Hawk pointed to the contest between Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman and GOP Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York. Dewey was expected to win and early headlines showed Dewey victorious. But the next day headlines were changed to reflect a Truman’s win.

“You never know what’s going to happen," Hawk said. “I’m not banking on anything. I didn’t bank on him (Moore) wining when I came up, but I felt like he might. But I’m not banking on Alabama beating Clemson in two weeks … It’s like a football game. Politics is politics."