The former Democratic senator. Doug Jones launches campaign to become Alabama’s next governor
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, the latest Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama, launched his campaign for governor Friday, saying voters deserve a choice and a leader who will put aside divisions to address the state’s urgent needs.
“With your help, we can finish what we started. We can build the Alabama we’ve always deserved,” Jones told a packed crowd at a campaign rally in Birmingham featuring musician Jason Isbell.
He said the state faces pressing problems in the economy, health and education that are not being addressed by public officials.
The campaign kicked off on Jones’ eighth birthday. superb victory 2017 against Republican Roy Moore, and Jones said Alabama had proven at the time that it could defy “the simplified labels of red and blue.”
“You stood up and said something simple but powerful. We can do better,” Jones said. “You said with your votes that our values, Alabama’s values, are more important than any political party, any personality, any prepackaged ideology.”
His entry into the race paves the way for a possible rematch with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who defeated Jones by 20 points in 2020 and is also now gubernatorial candidate. Both parties will hold primaries in May before the November elections.
Before running for office, Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney, was best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the infamous 1963 Birmingham church bombing.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Jones said families are struggling with things like health care, energy bills and simply making ends meet.
“People are struggling,” he said. “They are suffering.”
Jones used part of his speech to outline his platform if elected governor. He said it’s time for Alabama to join most states in establishing a state lottery and expanding Medicaid. Medicaid expansion, he said, will protect rural hospitals from closure and provide health care coverage to working families and those who need it.
He criticized Tuberville’s opposition to expanding Affordable Care Act subsidies. Jones said many Alabama families rely on these subsidies to purchase health insurance “to keep their families healthy.”
Alabama hasn’t elected a Democratic governor since Don Siegelman in 1998. In 2020, Tuberville held Jones to about 40% of the vote, which has been the ceiling for Alabama Democrats in recent statewide elections.
Jess Brown, a retired political science professor, said Jones lost in 2020 despite being a well-funded incumbent, and that’s a sign he will face an uphill battle in 2026.
“Based on what I know today, at this point in the campaign, I would say that Doug Jones, who is a very talented and brilliant man, is politically walking dead,” Brown said.
Jones acknowledged being the underdog and said his decision to run stemmed in part from Tuberville’s desire not to rise to power uncontested.
Jones highlighted recent Democratic victories in Georgiain Mississippi and other places as a reason for optimism.
Tuberville, who previously led the football program at Auburn University, had “no record except as a football coach” when he first showed up, Jones said. And “now we’ve been a United States senator for five years. Five years of embarrassing the state.”
Jones continued to question Tuberville’s residency, saying he “doesn’t even live in Alabama, and if he does, then prove me wrong.” Tuberville owns a beach house in Walton County, Florida, but has repeatedly stated that Auburn is his home.
Tuberville’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but previously noted that he beat Jones handily in 2020. Tuberville spent part of Friday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Huntsville to brand the official. relocation of US Space Command from Colorado to Alabama.
Jones’ victory in 2017 renewed the hopes, at least temporarily, of Democratic voters in the Deep South state. Those who gathered to hear him Friday welcomed his return to the political scene.
“I’m just glad there’s someone sane running in the race,” Angela Hornbuckle said. “He proved he could do it as a senator.”
