Photo: Alamy
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville easily secured the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama on Tuesday, strengthening his position in an effort to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey.
Tuberville defeated Republican challengers Ken McFeeters, an insurance agency owner, and Will Santivasci, a small business owner, in the GOP primary in the heavily Republican state.
A former college football coach best known for leading Auburn University’s football program, Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020 after campaigning as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump.
“God bless the great state of Alabama!” Tuberville wrote in a social media post after clinching the nomination.
President Trump reaffirmed his support for Tuberville on the eve of the election.
“He is a Lifelong Leader, both on and off the field, A true WINNER!” Trump wrote on social media.
Tuberville entered the race as the dominant fundraising and polling favorite and is now widely viewed as the favorite to win the general election in November. President Trump carried Alabama by roughly 30 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.
Greg Gianforte, chair of the Republican Governors Association, praised Tuberville following the primary victory.
“Tuberville has proven he is an America First fighter who can deliver real results for the people of Alabama,” Gianforte said in a statement. “As Governor, he will defend Alabama’s values, work with President Trump to continue bringing good-paying jobs to Alabama, and stand up to the radical left’s woke ideology.”
Tuberville will face former Sen. Doug Jones in the general election after Jones won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination Tuesday. Jones, who previously represented Alabama in the Senate from 2018 to 2021, defeated a crowded Democratic primary field.
The Democratic Governors Association praised Jones after his victory, saying in a social media post that he has “dedicated his career to fearlessly fighting for what is right for the people of Alabama, no matter how difficult.”
