Republican Tommy Tuberville, a sitting United States senator, won the race for Alabama governor on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, beating Democrat Doug Jones in unofficial returns. Tuberville had 872,076 votes, or 51.8 percent, while Jones had 806,149 votes, or 47.9 percent. The margin was about 3.9 points, or roughly 66,000 votes, in a contest that drew about 1.69 million voters statewide. All totals remain unofficial until county and then state certification is complete.
The Alabama election results 2026 mark a notable shift in Montgomery. Tuberville will succeed term-limited Republican Governor Kay Ivey, who could not seek another full term. He ran for governor while serving in the U.S. Senate, so his victory also opens a Senate question that voters answered on the same ballot. Jones, a former U.S. senator, was seeking a return to statewide office, and the race was a rematch of their 2020 Senate contest, which Tuberville had won by a much larger margin.
Turnout and reporting were broad. All 67 Alabama counties had reported their unofficial numbers by early Wednesday, and about 1.69 million Alabamians voted, a statewide turnout of 43.94 percent. That figure, based on ballots cast against registered voters, shows a midterm electorate that was engaged but far from universal. County results will now be checked, provisional ballots reviewed, and military and overseas ballots added where eligible, before the state certifies the final numbers.
The closeness of the governor’s race surprised some observers who had expected a wider Republican margin in a state that leans heavily Republican in statewide contests. October polling had suggested a larger Tuberville lead, and the final unofficial gap of under four points was far narrower. Tuberville claimed victory on Tuesday night, while Jones had not conceded in the latest reports available early Wednesday, saying late Tuesday that a concession would be premature while Jefferson County votes were still being counted.
Tuberville’s Win and the Governor’s Job in Alabama
The governor runs the executive branch in Alabama, proposes state budgets, signs or vetoes bills passed by the Legislature, and makes a long list of appointments. Tuberville, a former Auburn head football coach before entering the Senate, campaigned on tax cuts, an expansion of the CHOOSE Act school choice program, and a smaller state government. Jones pushed for Medicaid expansion, more affordable housing, and a cut to the grocery tax, along with ending taxes on overtime earnings and raising wages.
Tuberville will take office in January, giving his team time to plan the transition from the Ivey administration. That transition matters for state agencies, for the budget process, and for local governments that rely on state funding and guidance. A new governor also sets the tone for the legislative session that follows, choosing which bills to champion, which to veto, and how to use the executive’s agenda-setting power. For voters, the practical test will be whether campaign promises on taxes, schools, and government size become legislation.
The governor’s race was also a test of name recognition and party loyalty. Both men were already well known statewide from their Senate service, so the campaign was less about introducing candidates and more about records, platforms, and turnout. Tuberville’s win keeps the governor’s office in Republican hands, extending a long run of Republican control of the state’s top executive office, even as the margin narrowed compared with his 2020 Senate victory over the same opponent.
Republicans Win Every Other Statewide Office
Republicans won every other statewide office on the ballot, completing a sweep down the ticket. For lieutenant governor, John Wahl won with 54.3 percent. The lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, breaks tie votes, and is first in line if the governor’s office opens up, making the office more important than its low profile sometimes suggests. Wahl’s win pairs him with Tuberville at the top of the new administration.
In the U.S. Senate race for the seat Tuberville vacated by running for governor, Barry Moore won with 54.7 percent, according to the brief for this story, and other reporting put his margin at about 55 to 45. That result means Alabama’s Senate delegation will change, with Moore joining the state’s other senator in Washington. Voters who backed Tuberville for governor also had to choose his Senate successor on the same ballot, a double decision that shaped both Montgomery and Washington.
Other statewide Republican wins included Katherine Robertson for attorney general at 54.9 percent, Caroleene Dobson for secretary of state at 54.5 percent, Young Boozer for treasurer at about 56 percent, and Corey Hill for agriculture commissioner at about 55 percent. Those offices handle law enforcement and legal advice, elections and business records, state funds, and agriculture policy. Together, the sweep gives Republicans unified control of the executive offices that administer elections, money, and regulation in Alabama.
Alabama Election Results: All Four Amendments Pass
Voters approved all four statewide constitutional amendments, but by very different margins. Amendment 1 passed most comfortably, Amendments 3 and 4 passed by clear margins, and Amendment 2 passed by less than two points. Each amendment needed only a simple majority to pass, and none carried a cost or a tax by itself, according to the Fair Ballot Commission summary cited in local coverage. Still, each will change how state and local government works in specific, practical ways.
Amendment 1, on filling a lieutenant governor vacancy by election, passed with 65.4 percent yes. It requires a special election to fill a lieutenant governor vacancy occurring more than 60 days before the next general election, and it lets the Legislature set salaries for the lieutenant governor and legislative officers through a joint resolution. It also tightens approval for lawmakers’ travel spending. Supporters framed it as a democratic fix: voters, not appointees, should choose a replacement for an office that is first in line for governor.
Amendment 2, on the process for school system consolidation, was the night’s closest statewide result, passing with 50.9 percent yes. It passed with 759,239 yes votes to 731,880 no votes, a gap of 27,359 votes, or about 1.8 points. The amendment creates a voluntary process for neighboring school systems to merge, with voter-approval requirements before a merger takes effect. In Etowah County, for example, there are three public school systems: Gadsden City, Etowah County, and Attalla City, and consolidation debates there show why a statewide process matters locally.
Amendment 3, on the Pledge of Allegiance and student-led prayer in public schools, passed with 62.6 percent yes. It requires daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools and allows student-led prayer at school events. Amendment 4, on playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” in public schools, passed with 58.6 percent yes. It requires all public schools to broadcast or arrange a performance of the first stanza of the national anthem at least once a week. Both measures will require schools to adjust morning routines and event planning.
Amendments 3 and 4 drew particular attention from educators, because they set statewide rules for daily school life. Supporters said they reinforce patriotism and student expression, while critics raised questions about how schools will handle students who do not wish to participate and how the rules will be applied consistently across districts. School boards and superintendents will now need clear guidance on implementation, opt-out practices, and scheduling, especially in schools where assemblies and morning announcements already run on tight timetables.
What Certification Means, and What Comes Next
Each county reviews its provisional ballots and certifies its count first. The state then certifies the statewide races. Until then, every number in this story is unofficial and could change slightly. Provisional ballots, military and overseas ballots, and routine canvass checks can move totals by small amounts, though they rarely reverse a lead of several points. State certification was reported as due by November 25, giving counties time to complete their reviews carefully.
Alabama law requires an automatic recount in a general election when a candidate or ballot measure loses by no more than one-half of one percent of votes cast. On the unofficial numbers, no statewide race or amendment falls inside that range. The closest is Amendment 2, at about 1.8 points, followed by the governor’s race at about 3.9 points. The numbers can still move a little before certification, but for now no automatic recount is in sight for any statewide contest.
For Alabama voters, the next steps are transition and implementation. Tuberville’s administration will form, the Legislature will prepare for its next session, and school districts will plan for the new pledge, prayer, and anthem rules. Voters who supported or opposed the amendments should watch how agencies and school boards write the detailed rules, because the ballot language sets the principle while implementation decides the daily effect. The certified results, when published, will close the counting chapter and open the governing one.
Sources
USN reviewed reporting from multiple outlets for this story. Read more from Gadsden Thrive, Montgomery Advertiser and Alabama Political Reporter.