Thousands of miles of asphalt, packed county GOP meetings, and dueling television ads have all come down to this. In Alabama’s 2026 gubernatorial race, Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Tommy Tuberville are making their final, high-stakes pitches to voters as the clock ticks down to Tuesday’s general election.
The race pits two familiar political figures against each other in a deeply conservative state. Democrat Doug Jones faces an uphill battle in a state President Donald Trump won by more than 30 points in 2024, aldailynews.com reported. Sen. Tommy Tuberville enters the final stretch as the projected favorite, buoyed by the expressed support of Trump and a conservative playbook focused on school choice, tax cuts, and government efficiency.
The Final Push From the Campaign Trail
Jones has spent the final days of the campaign crisscrossing the state, holding nearly two dozen town halls, and answering questions live on social media. Speaking from his campaign bus, Jones described his vision to aldailynews.com as building “a house with a crowded table” where “everyone has a voice.”
To boost his turnout, the Democrat has brought in high-profile national surrogates, including Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and former Georgia State Rep. Stacey Abrams. His messaging centers on protecting public education, encouraging workforce development, establishing a state-run lottery, placing a one-year moratorium on data centers, and auditing the Alabama Department of Corrections.
Meanwhile, Tuberville has spent his Senate recesses speaking to county GOP chapters and business groups. While his campaign did not make him available to aldailynews.com for a final interview, the Republican laid out his legislative blueprint in a 22-page memo titled “Back to Basics: The Golden Age Playbook.”
“Back to Basics means state government does the few jobs that truly belong to it and does them well. Keep you safe. Teach your children. Keep the lights on and the roads open. Spend your money like it’s yours. Then get out of the way.” — Tommy Tuberville
Competing Visions for Montgomery
The stark policy divide between the two candidates has defined the closing weeks of the election. Tuberville’s closing television ad pulls no punches regarding these differences, claiming his opponent will grow government and raise taxes while pledging to slash taxes, expand school choice via the CHOOSE Act, and double the number of state troopers to keep your family safe. Tuberville has even gone so far as to state he would bring a “DOGE” model to Montgomery and would not hesitate to call in the National Guard to address crime in Alabama’s cities.
Jones has pushed back hard against that rhetoric. During a press conference in Birmingham, Jones questioned Tuberville’s holdings in AI-related companies and criticized his opponent’s approach to governance.
“I represent all the people of Alabama,” Jones told aldailynews.com. “(Tuberville) just talks about that now, but he has been a very divisive U.S. senator. He’s been a very divisive candidate.”
The Tuberville campaign did not respond to requests for comment regarding those accusations.
What the Polls Say Before Election Day
Polling numbers heading into the final hours show a competitive contest underneath Tuberville’s status as the projected favorite. A Cygnal poll commissioned by Alabama Daily News and Gray Television on Oct. 16 and 17 showed Tuberville holding an 11-point lead with 9% of voters undecided. However, a separate poll from Democratic firm Chism Strategies painted a tighter picture, placing the race within the margin of error.
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, with voting locations open across Alabama from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
