2026 United States Senate election in Alabama

The 2026 United States Senate election in Alabama will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Alabama. Incumbent Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville, who was first elected in 2020 with 60.1% of the vote,^[1] initially ran for re-election, but instead chose to run for governor of Alabama in 2026.^[2]

This will be the first open race for this Class II seat since 1996.^[a]

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Jared Hudson, tactical training business owner and nominee for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022^[3]
Steve Marshall, Attorney General of Alabama (2017–present)^[4]

Publicly expressed interest

Mo Brooks, former U.S. representative from Alabama's 5th congressional district (2011–2023) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2017 and 2022^[5]
Kent Davis, former commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (2019–2024)^[5]
John Merrill, former Alabama Secretary of State (2015–2023)^[5]
Barry Moore, U.S. representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district (2021–present)^[6]
Morgan Murphy, former national security advisor to Tommy Tuberville^[7]

Potential

Joe Agresti, car dealer^[8]
Tommy Battle, mayor of Huntsville (2008–present) and candidate for governor in 2018^[9]
Bradley Byrne, former U.S. representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district (2014–2021) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020^[9]
Jerry Carl, former U.S. representative from Alabama's 1st congressional district (2021–2025)^[9]
Caroleene Dobson, real estate attorney and nominee for Alabama’s 2nd congressional district in 2024^[10]
Nathaniel Ledbetter, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives (2023–present) from the 24th district (2014–present)^[9]
Bruce Pearl, Auburn Tigers men's basketball coach^[11]
Sandy Stimpson, mayor of Mobile (2013–present)^[9]
Jessica Taylor, attorney, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022, and candidate for AL-02 in 2020^[12]

Withdrawn

Tommy Tuberville, incumbent U.S. Senator (running for governor)^[2]

Declined

Will Ainsworth, Lieutenant Governor of Alabama (2019–present)^[13]
Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission (2010–2025) and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2018^[12] (appointed Alabama state director for USDA Rural Development)^[14]
Gary Palmer, U.S. representative from Alabama's 6th congressional district (2015–present) (running for re-election)^[15]
Rick Pate, Agriculture Commissioner of Alabama (2019–present)^[9] (running for lieutenant governor)^[16]
Dale Strong, U.S. representative from Alabama's 5th congressional district (2023–present) (running for re-election)^[17]

Endorsements

Tommy Tuberville (withdrawn)

Organizations

AIPAC^[18]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Tommy Tuberville (R)	$3,650,343	$3,195,496	$628,327
Source: Federal Election Commission^[19]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Dakarai Larriett, petcare business owner^[20]
Kyle Sweetser, construction company owner^[21]
Mark Wheeler II, chemist^[22]

Potential

Doug Jones, former U.S. senator (2018–2021)^[12]

Withdrawn

Greg Howard, podcaster (running for U.S. House)^[23]

Fundraising

Campaign finance reports as of March 31, 2025
Candidate	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand
Mark Wheeler II (D)	$5,438	$1,484	$3,954
Source: Federal Election Commission^[19]

Unknown party preference

Candidates

Potential

Nick Saban, former college football coach for the University of Alabama^[24]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Inside Elections^[25]	Solid R	Feb 20, 2025
The Cook Political Report^[26]	Solid R	Feb 13, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[27]	Safe R	Mar 12, 2025
Race To The WH^[28]	Safe R	Apr 27, 2025

Notes

^ Luther Strange, the incumbent Senator at the time, ran for election to finish Jeff Sessions's term in 2017, but lost in the Republican primary to Roy Moore.

References

^ "Alabama U.S. Senate Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Angle, Alex (May 27, 2025). "Tuberville to announce run for governor in 2026". Alabama Daily News. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
^ Thomas, Erica (May 28, 2025). "'Fighter for Alabama': Former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson running for U.S. Senate". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
^ Baker, Trent. "'The nation needs strong conservative leadership': Steve Marshall announces U.S. Senate bid". 1819 News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Cason, Mike (May 28, 2025). "Who will be Alabama's next US Senator? Republicans line up in race to replace Tommy Tuberville". The Birmingham News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
^ Taylor, Caleb (May 28, 2025). "U.S. Rep. Barry Moore considering run for Senate in 2026". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
^ Taylor, Daniel. "Report: Former national security advisor to Tuberville considering run for open Senate seat". 1819 News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
^ Nir, David. "Morning Digest: Why there's plenty of time for Democrats to find a challenger in Maine". www.the-downballot.com. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Poor, Jeff (April 28, 2025). "Names to watch for a potential wide-open 2026 U.S. Senate race in…". 1819 News. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
^ Cason, Mike (April 26, 2025). "Alabama political heavyweights gear up to battle for Tuberville's Senate seat: Who to watch". AL. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
^ Talcott, Shelby; Everett, Burgess (May 27, 2025). "GOP chatters about Auburn coach Bruce Pearl for Senate". Semafor. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Koplowitz, Howard (March 6, 2025). "Who could replace Tommy Tuberville in the Senate? 5 candidates to watch if he runs for Alabama governor". The Birmingham News. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
^ Baker, Trent (May 8, 2025). "Ainsworth: Not 'that much of an interest' in running for Senate — 'I've been the underdog before'". 1819 News. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
^ Taylor, Caleb (May 27, 2025). "Cavanaugh resigns as president of Public Service Commission to join Trump's USDA". 1819 News. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
^ "Gary Palmer rules out running for open U.S. Senate seat in 2026, grades President Trump's performance in first 100 days". Yellowhammer News. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
^ https://1819news.com/news/item/ag-commissioner-rick-pate-running-for-lieutenant-governor-in-2026
^ Vincent, JJ (May 28, 2025). "Dale Strong to run for re-election in 2026, will not seek Tuberville's open Senate seat". WZDX. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
^ "- AIPAC Political Portal". candidates.aipacpac.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "2026 Election United States Senate - Alabama". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
^ "Democrat Dakarai Larriett launches U.S. Senate campaign". The Cullman Tribune. April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
^ Koplowitz, Howard (April 16, 2025). "Lifelong Alabama Republican who bashed Trump at DNC running to send 'Tuberville back to Florida'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
^ Crane, Lisa (May 29, 2025). "Democrats face uphill battle in Alabama Senate race as GOP field grows". WVTM-TV. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
^ "Congressional Filings: April 2025". Journal for a Broken America. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via Substack.
^ Brauner, Michael (April 30, 2025). "Nick Saban for Senate? Paul Finebaum says now's the time – and Trump could help launch it". Yellowhammer News. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
^ "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
^ "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
^ "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
^ "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites

This Alabama elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[3] Luther Strange, the incumbent Senator at the time, ran for election to finish Jeff Sessions's term in 2017, but lost in the Republican primary to Roy Moore.

[1] "Alabama U.S. Senate Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2020.

[Tuberville-2] Angle, Alex (May 27, 2025). "Tuberville to announce run for governor in 2026". Alabama Daily News. Retrieved May 27, 2025.

[4] Thomas, Erica (May 28, 2025). "'Fighter for Alabama': Former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson running for U.S. Senate". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[5] Baker, Trent. "'The nation needs strong conservative leadership': Steve Marshall announces U.S. Senate bid". 1819 News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.

[LineUp-6] Cason, Mike (May 28, 2025). "Who will be Alabama's next US Senator? Republicans line up in race to replace Tommy Tuberville". The Birmingham News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[7] Taylor, Caleb (May 28, 2025). "U.S. Rep. Barry Moore considering run for Senate in 2026". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[8] Taylor, Daniel. "Report: Former national security advisor to Tuberville considering run for open Senate seat". 1819 News. Retrieved May 29, 2025.

[9] Nir, David. "Morning Digest: Why there's plenty of time for Democrats to find a challenger in Maine". www.the-downballot.com. Retrieved May 30, 2025.

[Poor1819-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Poor, Jeff (April 28, 2025). "Names to watch for a potential wide-open 2026 U.S. Senate race in…". 1819 News. Retrieved April 28, 2025.

[:0-11] Cason, Mike (April 26, 2025). "Alabama political heavyweights gear up to battle for Tuberville's Senate seat: Who to watch". AL. Retrieved May 1, 2025.

[12] Talcott, Shelby; Everett, Burgess (May 27, 2025). "GOP chatters about Auburn coach Bruce Pearl for Senate". Semafor. Retrieved May 27, 2025.

[guberville-13] Koplowitz, Howard (March 6, 2025). "Who could replace Tommy Tuberville in the Senate? 5 candidates to watch if he runs for Alabama governor". The Birmingham News. Retrieved March 6, 2025.

[14] Baker, Trent (May 8, 2025). "Ainsworth: Not 'that much of an interest' in running for Senate — 'I've been the underdog before'". 1819 News. Retrieved May 12, 2025.

[15] Taylor, Caleb (May 27, 2025). "Cavanaugh resigns as president of Public Service Commission to join Trump's USDA". 1819 News. Retrieved May 27, 2025.

[16] "Gary Palmer rules out running for open U.S. Senate seat in 2026, grades President Trump's performance in first 100 days". Yellowhammer News. April 29, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.

[17] ttps://1819news.com/news/item/ag-commissioner-rick-pate-running-for-lieutenant-governor-in-2026

[18] Vincent, JJ (May 28, 2025). "Dale Strong to run for re-election in 2026, will not seek Tuberville's open Senate seat". WZDX. Retrieved May 28, 2025.

[19] "- AIPAC Political Portal". candidates.aipacpac.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025.

[FEC1-20] "2026 Election United States Senate - Alabama". fec.gov. Federal Election Commission. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

[21] "Democrat Dakarai Larriett launches U.S. Senate campaign". The Cullman Tribune. April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 7, 2025.

[22] Koplowitz, Howard (April 16, 2025). "Lifelong Alabama Republican who bashed Trump at DNC running to send 'Tuberville back to Florida'". The Birmingham News. Retrieved April 16, 2025.

[23] Crane, Lisa (May 29, 2025). "Democrats face uphill battle in Alabama Senate race as GOP field grows". WVTM-TV. Retrieved May 29, 2025.

[24] "Congressional Filings: April 2025". Journal for a Broken America. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025 – via Substack.

[25] Brauner, Michael (April 30, 2025). "Nick Saban for Senate? Paul Finebaum says now's the time – and Trump could help launch it". Yellowhammer News. Retrieved April 30, 2025.

[26] "Senate Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved January 14, 2025.

[27] "2026 CPR Senate Race Ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved February 11, 2025.

[28] "2026 Senate ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved February 13, 2025.

[29] "2026 Senate Forecast". Race to the WH. Retrieved March 19, 2025.

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