Tommy Tuberville wins Alabama governor’s race

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) is projected to defeat former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones in Alabama’s gubernatorial race, according to Decision Desk HQ.

The two previously faced off in the 2020 Senate election , when Tuberville defeated Jones by roughly 20 percentage points, flipping the seat to Republican control.

Tuberville will succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, keeping the governor’s mansion in GOP hands.

The senator, a former college football coach, was first elected to the Senate in 2020. Before entering politics, he served as head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008.

Tuberville secured the Republican nomination in May with more than 85 percent of the vote, defeating Ken McFeeters and Will Santivasci. Jones won the Democratic primary with nearly 79 percent of the vote.

The Republican aligned himself closely with President Trump throughout his campaign, emphasizing immigration enforcement , tax cuts and conservative social policies.

Tuberville held a significant fundraising advantage heading into Election Day, raising approximately $17.7 million compared with Jones’s $6.8 million, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports through Oct. 27.

Alabama has not elected a Democratic governor since Don Siegelman won the office in 1998.

The race was marked by disagreements over Medicaid expansion and school choice. Tuberville opposed expanding Medicaid, arguing the state could not afford it, while Jones supported expansion and proposed phasing out Alabama’s CHOOSE Act school voucher program. Tuberville supported expanding the program.

Tuberville also declined to debate Jones, who held a campaign event in October featuring video clips of the Republican’s past statements.