Attorney Everett Wess and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore won the Democratic and Republican nominations for U.S. Senate on June 16, 2026, in runoff elections. (Wess photo courtesy of candidate, Moore photo and graphic by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, won the Alabama Republican nomination for U.S. Senate Tuesday night, defeating former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson. He will face attorney Everett Wess, who defeated small business owner Dakarai Larriett in the Democratic runoff on Tuesday.
As of 10:09 p.m., Moore, who was boosted by an endorsement from President Donald Trump, had 173,262 votes, about 55.8% of the total. Hudson, a Navy SEAL veteran, had 137,267 votes, about 44.2% of the total, according to unofficial returns.
Moore won counties in the Wiregrass, where he currently represents in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also had strong support along the coast and in the northwest corner of the state.
Wess won the Democratic nomination with 48,996 votes, about 54.7% of the total, as of 10:10 p.m. Larriett had 40,589 votes, about 45.3% of the total, according to unofficial returns.
Wess campaigned on building safe communities and increasing the federal minimum wage, which has not changed since 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. A message seeking comment from Wess was left Tuesday night.
Larriett campaigned on fixing the country’s “broken systems,” which he said includes criminal justice, education and healthcare.
Moore campaigned on ending congressional stock trading, strong borders and lowering inflation by lowering the national debt. Speaking to a crowd in Enterprise, Moore thanked his supporters and donors.
“We love serving the state of Alabama. We look forward to working with Sen. (Katie) Britt and Governor (Tommy) Tuberville because the greatest days of Alabama are ahead of us,” he said.
Speaking to a crowd of about 200 people at a brewery in Hoover before the race was called, Hudson thanked his supporters for his grassroots campaign.
“I can’t thank you enough. We have over 1,000 volunteers that have worked on this campaign, but more importantly, over the last three weeks that we’ve been in this runoff, over 95,535 phone calls have been made,” he said.
Hudson campaigned on passing the SAVE America Act – a bill that would require citizens to present multiple documents to register to vote – congressional term limits and banning congressional stock trading.
In a concession speech, Hudson said he called Moore and it is “time to come together and make sure the Republican Party delivers for our Christian conservative values.”
“Make sure that we hold our officials accountable when they do not do the things they are supposed to,” he said. “It’s time to take the Democrats in November now.”
In the week leading up to the runoff, attack ads against Moore’s military record were published, leading to cease-and-desist letters to news outlets who asked the congressman for clarification and endorsements for both men from veterans across branches.
The ad, titled “Stolen Valor,” claimed that Moore misled the public on his military service. He served in the Alabama Army National Guard 1988 to 1991, and in the U.S. Army Reserves as a member of the Individual Ready Reserve from 1991 to 1997. He was not deployed to combat during his service, but in 2020, he said he wore combat boots. He retired as an E-6, or a Staff Sergeant, from the National Guard.
Hudson served in the U.S. Navy as a SEAL sniper from 2006 to 2013, and was deployed in Afghanistan and the Philippines during the Global War on Terror.
The seat became open after U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville announced he was running for governor. Aside from former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones’ tenure from 2017 to 2021, the seat has been held by Republicans for the past 30 years.
This story was updated at 9:51 p.m. to include that Everett Wess won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
From Alabama Reflector Post Url: Visit
Author: Anna Barrett