Alabamans to choose nominees for US Senate as voting maps in flux

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Republicans will choose Tuesday among several U.S. Senate candidates who have emphasized their loyalty to President Donald Trump as the party searches for a candidate to succeed Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor this year.

Tuberville’s decision sparked a rare and bitter battle among Republicans for an open Senate seat that will almost certainly remain red. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are among the best-known candidates among seven Republicans.

Trump endorsed Moore, a three-term congressman and member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, writing on social media that he is “one of my all-time favorites” and “a totally reliable MAGA warrior!”

Marshall highlights his record as attorney general, including his work with other Republican-led states in filing lawsuits that challenged former President Joe Biden’s policies and supported Trump.

Republican candidates also include former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, business owner Rodney Walker, heart surgeon Dr. Dale Shelton Deas Jr., former U.S. Navy submarine commander Seth Burton and Morgan Murphy, who dropped out of the race but remains listed on the ballot due to a printing delay.

The number of candidates increases the chances that no one will obtain a majority of votes and that the candidate will be chosen in the second round on June 16.

On the Democratic side, business owner Dakarai Larriett, business owner Kyle Sweetser, attorney Everett Wess and chemist Mark S. Wheeler II are seeking the nomination. Any of them would face a tough climb in deep red Alabama.

The state’s other senator, Republican Sen. Katie Britt, is not running for office this year.

Alabama voters will cast ballots in congressional primaries, but a fight over redistricting has confused many.

Primary voters will cast ballots in all seven congressional districts on Tuesday, but the state currently plans to overturn results in four districts as it moves forward with plans to change congressional maps.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has scheduled special primary elections on August 11 for the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional districts. The change comes after the state won approval to move to another congressional map that could help Republicans win a House seat in November.

Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said Tuesday’s votes would be counted in Alabama’s four affected congressional districts, but would be “void for purposes of determining party nominees.” The Aug. 11 primary will determine nominees in winner-takes-all races with no runoffs, he said.

The biggest change is in the 2nd Congressional District, now represented by Democratic Rep. Shomari’s figures. The district now stretches from Mobile to Montgomery to the Georgia border.

However, district boundaries remain the subject of dispute. The NAACP Legal Defense Find and other groups are seeking to stop use of the new card. If successful, the winner of Tuesday’s primary will determine the party’s nominees.

But if it doesn’t and the new map passes, the Aug. 11 special primary will decide which candidates appear on the ballot in November.

Shayla Mitchell, organizer with the Alabama Election Protection Coalition, said the situation fueled voter confusion.

“People thought our election was overturned, which is not true,” Mitchell said.

November’s gubernatorial race could feature a rematch between Tuberville and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who became the last Democrat to win an Alabama-wide race in a 2017 special election.

Tuberville beat Jones in 2020, bolstered by Trump’s support and a recognizable name from his time as a football coach.

With Tuberville deciding not to seek a second term in the Senate, the two men could face off again in the gubernatorial race if they secure their parties’ nominations.

The race for attorney general has turned into a costly and contentious fight.

Former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell, Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey and Katherine Robertson, chief counsel for Attorney General Steve Marshall, are vying for the Republican nomination. Robertson and Mitchell exchanged a series of barbs and accusations.

An outside group funded an ad criticizing Mitchell for writing the key court opinion that led to the temporary closure of the state’s in vitro fertilization clinics. The ruling says frozen embryos can be considered “unborn children” and couples can sue for wrongful death after their embryos were destroyed in a hospital accident. The 2024 ruling relied on an 1872 Alabama law.

Mitchell said he supports IVF and that the publicity misrepresented the facts of the case.

The winner of the Republican primary will face Jeff McLaughlin, a former state lawmaker who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.