MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama voters will head to the polls Tuesday to select nominees for U.S. Senate in a crowded Republican primary where candidates have emphasized their allegiance to President Donald Trump as they compete to replace Tommy Tuberville, who has decided to seek the governor’s office instead.
The departure of Tuberville from the Senate race has sparked an intense Republican competition for a seat expected to remain in GOP hands. Among seven Republican contenders, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall have emerged as the most recognizable names.
President Trump has thrown his support behind Moore, a three-term House member who serves on the conservative Freedom Caucus. Trump declared on social media that Moore is “one of my all time favorites” and “a totally reliable MAGA Warrior!”
Marshall is highlighting his tenure as attorney general, particularly his collaboration with other Republican-controlled states in legal challenges against former President Joe Biden’s policies while supporting Trump’s agenda.
The remaining Republican hopefuls include former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, business owner Rodney Walker, cardiac surgeon Dr. Dale Shelton Deas Jr., former U.S. Navy submarine commander Seth Burton and Morgan Murphy, who withdrew from the contest but will still appear on ballots due to printing deadlines.
With so many candidates competing, there’s a strong possibility no one will secure a majority, which would trigger a runoff election on June 16.
Four Democrats are competing for their party’s nomination: business owner Dakarai Larriett, business owner Kyle Sweetser, lawyer Everett Wess and chemist Mark S. Wheeler II. Whoever wins the Democratic primary will face significant challenges in heavily Republican Alabama.
Republican Sen. Katie Britt, the state’s other senator, is not seeking reelection this cycle.
While Alabama voters will participate in congressional primaries Tuesday, a redistricting dispute has created widespread confusion.
Voters will cast ballots in all seven congressional districts on Tuesday, but state officials plan to invalidate the outcomes in four districts as they implement a revised congressional map.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has set special primary elections for Aug. 11 in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts. This adjustment follows the state receiving approval to adopt an alternative congressional map that could boost Republican chances of gaining a House seat in November.
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen explained that Tuesday’s votes will be counted in the four affected congressional districts but will be “void for the purposes of determining the party nominees.” He noted that the Aug. 11 primary will select those nominees through winner-take-all contests without runoffs.
The most significant alteration affects the 2nd Congressional District currently held by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures. The redrawn district extends from Mobile through Montgomery to the Georgia state line.
The new district boundaries remain under legal challenge. The NAACP Legal Defense Find and allied organizations are fighting to prevent implementation of the revised map. Should they succeed, Tuesday’s primary results will stand for determining party nominees.
If the legal challenge fails and the new map takes effect, the Aug. 11 special primary will determine which candidates advance to November’s general election.
Shayla Mitchell, an organizer with the Alabama Election Protection Coalition, noted the circumstances have created voter bewilderment.
“People assumed that our election was cancelled, which is not true,” Mitchell said.
November’s gubernatorial contest could produce a rematch between Tuberville and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who became Alabama’s most recent Democratic statewide winner in a 2017 special election.
Tuberville unseated Jones in 2020, benefiting from Trump’s endorsement and name recognition from his football coaching career.
With Tuberville choosing not to pursue a second Senate term, the two politicians could face off again in the governor’s race if both secure their respective party nominations.
The attorney general’s contest has developed into an expensive and heated battle.
Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell, Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey and Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Attorney General Steve Marshall, are competing for the Republican nomination. Robertson and Mitchell have engaged in sharp exchanges and mutual accusations.
An outside organization funded advertising attacking Mitchell for authoring the primary court decision that temporarily forced in vitro fertilization clinics statewide to close operations. The ruling determined that frozen embryos could be classified as “unborn children” and allowed couples to pursue wrongful death lawsuits after their embryos were destroyed in a hospital incident. The 2024 ruling referenced an 1872 Alabama statute.
Mitchell has stated his support for IVF procedures and accused the advertisement of misrepresenting the case details.
The Republican primary victor will compete against Jeff McLaughlin, a former state legislator running without opposition in the Democratic primary.
