Alabama Republican gubernatorial nominee Tommy Tuberville speaks to supporters after declaring victory during an election night watch party at The Hotel at Auburn University on Nov. 3, 2026. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones did not immediately concede the contest. (Larry Robinson for Alabama Reflector)
AUBURN — Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville declared victory Tuesday in the race for Alabama governor, but Democrat Doug Jones did not concede in what appeared to be the closest gubernatorial contest in Alabama in 24 years.
The declaration from Alabama’s senior U.S. senator came hours before The Associated Press called the race for Tuberville at 12:36 a.m. early Wednesday. As of 12:43 a.m., Tuberville had 872,445 votes (52.1%) in unofficial returns, according to The Associated Press. Jones had 703,000 (47.9%).
Tuberville, however, declared victory to a crowd of more than 400 supporters in Auburn late Tuesday evening, when fewer than 70% of the ballots had been counted.
“Winning is not an accident, it is a decision,” Tuberville said to supporters in Auburn Tuesday evening. “Tonight, Alabama decided to win.”
The Associated Press estimated that about 40% of Jefferson County’s ballots had not been counted as of 11 p.m. Speaking in Birmingham to about 200 supporters Tuesday, Jones said that “there are probably at least 100,000 votes in Jefferson County alone” and that a concession would be premature.
“Seriously, we’ve been watching all of this unfold tonight,” he said. “It has been a slow process. You know, it dribbles in and dribbles out. But the fact of the matter is, there’s still a hell of a lot of votes out there.”
Jones added that “it’s not going to be easy with this, but there is a path there. We believe that we can absolutely do it, but we may not.”
The race was the most high-profile gubernatorial contest since 2018. Polling of the race was limited, but Tuberville showed leads in two polls conducted by Republican-leaning firms and a smaller one done by a Democratic firm. Tuberville had a financial advantage over Jones throughout the race.
Jones, however, managed to hold his own in fundraising and campaigned around the state, holding over 20 town halls around the state, tapping into Democratic enthusiasm and drawing hundreds and sometimes thousands of people to his events.
Democrats across the country made gains in seats that Republicans have held for years, gaining control of both chambers of Congress. Tuberville, declaring victory, said Alabama stood up to the “Blue wave.”
“In the face of blue waves, which we’ve had tonight unfortunately, this staff has stood up to the pressure and said, ‘Not in my Alabama,'” he said. “I guarantee you this: I and we will not let you down. The folks who didn’t vote for me, listen, I’m going to be your governor too. A lot of you didn’t vote for me. I don’t understand why. But honestly, at this point, I don’t care who you voted for, because we have to work and a lot of work to do.”
The two candidates’ platforms contrasted sharply. Tuberville ran on a mix of social conservative policies, promising to expand the CHOOSE Act, the state’s voucher program; to cut the state’s income and grocery taxes and to reduce the size of state government.
“We’re all in it together, because the measure of a good economy isn’t what somebody announces at the podium. It’s how much money an Alabama family has to spend and then save for the future. Now, I’m going to promise you perfection. We’re not going to do that,” Tuberville said Tuesday. “We’re going to be accountable. Every goal we set will go on a public scoreboard.”
Tuberville released a “playbook” that covers all his policy goals for the former football coach’s first term. He plans to reduce the state workforce, bring more private jobs to Alabama, protect rural hospitals and audit every government agency, and more.
Jones called for a cut to the grocery tax as part of a broader effort to improve affordability in the state. The Democratic nominee also said he would work for Medicaid expansion, affordable housing, constitutional protections for in-vitro fertilization and constitutional reform.
The candidates differed on data centers. Jones called for a one-year moratorium on new data center construction to give the Legislature a chance to develop regulations over the facilities. Tuberville’s message on the issue wavered. At a meeting of sheriffs in July, Tuberville praised data centers and called concerns about them “bullcrap.” In early September, Tuberville said he would work to give local communities power to reject data centers and require them to pay for power and water usage.
When Jones ran for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2020, Tuberville won by 20 points. Jones’ performance, if it holds in official returns, would be the best by a Democratic gubernatorial nominee since former Gov. Don Siegelman narrowly lost to Republican Bob Riley in 2002. No subsequent Democratic gubernatorial nominee received more than 42% of the statewide vote before Jones on Tuesday.
- 11:38 pmThis story was updated at 11:38 p.m. with additional quotes from Tuberville.
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Author: Anna Barrett