Tuberville Defeats Jones to Become Alabama Governor
Tommy Tuberville defeated Doug Jones in Alabama’s gubernatorial race, winning 52.1% of the vote to Jones’s 47.9%. The result gives the Republican senator the governorship and extends his political rivalry with Jones, whom he beat in the 2020 Senate election by a much larger margin: 60.1% to 39.7%. Tuberville is due to take office in January, succeeding Gov. Kay Ivey.
The 4.2-point margin was narrower than expected. Tuberville’s polling advantage had consistently exceeded ten points in the run-up to the vote, while Democrats viewed the former senator as a strong candidate for a statewide contest in a deeply conservative state. Both candidates won their primaries by wide margins, although Tuberville’s eligibility was challenged in a lawsuit over residency requirements. The case was dismissed.
Tuberville raised several times more money overall, though Jones outraised him in June and July, and Democrats invested substantially in the race. The two candidates did not debate; Tuberville said there was no need for one. Democrats have not won an Alabama gubernatorial election since 1998. High gas prices and the Iran war, issues that hurt Republicans’ prospects elsewhere, did not substantially change Tuberville’s standing in Alabama. A separate race to fill his Senate seat featured Republican Rep. Barry Moore and Democratic attorney Everett Wess.
Alabama Democrats Fall Short Despite Narrower-Than-Expected Loss
Doug Jones came closer than polls predicted, but Alabama voters chose Republican Tommy Tuberville for governor, 52.1% to 47.9%. The 4.2-point gap was far tighter than Tuberville’s double-digit polling leads, yet Democrats will again enter a Republican-led governor’s office when Tuberville takes over from Kay Ivey in January.
Democrats had hoped Jones, a former senator, could make the strongest statewide challenge in a deeply conservative state. The race was a rematch of their 2020 Senate contest, when Tuberville beat Jones 60.1% to 39.7%. Democrats spent substantially on the gubernatorial campaign, and Jones even raised more than Tuberville in June and July, but that effort was not enough to break the party’s losing streak: Democrats have not won an Alabama governor’s race since 1998.
The candidates both won their primaries by wide margins. A lawsuit questioning Tuberville’s eligibility under residency requirements was dismissed. No debate took place, after Tuberville said there was no debate to be had. Matters that weighed on Republicans in other places, among them costly fuel and the conflict involving Iran, did not substantially damage his campaign in Alabama. The state’s separate Senate race featured Republican Barry Moore and Democrat Everett Wess.
Tuberville Wins Alabama Governorship Despite Tightened Margin
Tommy Tuberville has turned his political strength in Alabama into a victory for governor, defeating Democrat Doug Jones 52.1% to 47.9%. The win puts a Republican in line to succeed Kay Ivey in January and continues the state’s long-running rejection of Democratic gubernatorial candidates; Democrats have not won the office since 1998.
The margin was closer than polls had suggested, with Tuberville’s lead exceeding ten points in each survey conducted before voters cast their ballots. But Jones, a former senator, still could not repeat his 2020 Senate win against Tuberville, when the Republican prevailed 60.1% to 39.7%. The result underscores the challenge Democrats faced in a deeply conservative state, even after investing substantially in Jones’s campaign. Tuberville raised several times more overall, though Jones outraised him in June and July.
Both candidates won their primaries by wide margins. A lawsuit disputing Tuberville’s residency eligibility was dismissed, and no debate was held after Tuberville said there was no debate to have. High gas prices and the Iran war, which affected Republicans’ prospects elsewhere, did not substantially hurt him in Alabama. Republican Rep. Barry Moore and Democrat Everett Wess also competed for Tuberville’s Senate seat.
Reported by The Washington Examiner, CBS Sports.
