Republican U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville will be Alabama’s next governor.
With 99% of the vote in, Tuberville had 52.1% of the vote to Democrat Doug Jones’ 47.9%. The AP called the race early Wednesday morning.
“Winning is not an accident,” Tuberville told supporters at his election night gathering in Auburn. “Winning is a decision. And tonight, Alabama decided to win.”
It was a rematch of sorts for the candidates. Tuberville defeated Jones in 2020 to become a senator. Tuesday’s contest produced a much narrower margin of victory.
Tuberville will take the state’s top office having called “law and order” a top priority. In a campaign ad, he said he would send the National Guard into Alabama cities. He repeated that idea in his speech Tuesday.
“I give you my word,” Tuberville said. “I will make it safe to walk the streets of downtown Montgomery even if I have to put the National Guard on every damn corner.”
Tuberville mentioned other priorities including recruiting manufacturing jobs, cutting red tape and backing school choice.
Jones spoke to his supporters in Birmingham before the race was called. He said his speech was neither a victory nor a concession speech and focused on the gains Democrats made more generally.
“We have built something special that’s going to stay with us,” Jones said. “So no matter how this turns out … we’re going to continue this building process.”
Republicans maintain control
Republican swept the statewide offices with voters backing John Wahl for lieutenant governor, Caroleene Dobson for secretary of state and Katherine Robertson for attorney general.
Matt Gentry and Jim Zeigler, both Republicans, won seats on the Public Service Commission. That keeps all three members Republican, but the panel will expand in January to seven members under a new state law. Gov. Kay Ivey appointed those four new commissioners in June.
Republican U.S Rep. Barry Moore will be moving to the U.S. Senate having won the contest for the seat Tuberville is vacating. Moore’s victory speech was infused with prayer and religious rhetoric.
“I think many times in D.C. we think we’re fighting against the Democrats or we’re fighting against the left,” Moore said. “Sometimes we think we’re fighting against our own party, but there’s a spiritual battle for the future of the nation.”
All Alabama incumbents in the House of Representatives fought off challengers leaving the state’s House delegation with a five to two Republican majority.
A bright spot for Democrats
Democrats were able to celebrate the reelection of U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures in Alabama’s Second Congressional District. Figures faced an uncertain future after Republicans redrew his district to make it more favorable to the GOP. He won over Republican Rhett Marques.
Figures said he will focus on improving quality of life for his constituents.
“It looks like trying to continue to bring more resources back to this district, to the towns both rural and the bigger towns in this district,” Figures said. “So that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to get to work.”
Democrats made a dent in Republican’s control of the Alabama State House by flipping a handful of legislative seats. One of those pick-ups is a first. Democrat Allison Montgomery will become the state’s first transgender lawmaker.
Includes reporting from WBHM's Olivia McMurrey, the Gulf States Newsroom's Joseph King and Maya Miller
