An early look at Alabama’s U.S. Senate election in 2026

By

Joseph Brusgard

Voters in Alabama will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on November 3, 2026.

The election will fill the Class II Senate seat of Tommy Tuberville (R), who first took office in 2021.

On May 27, Tuberville announced he would run for governor rather than run for re-election. WHNT-TV‘s Brian Lawson wrote that Tuberville’s decision “[meant] there [would] be a reshuffling of the state political map,” and Alabama Daily News‘ Alex Angle wrote, “This is the state’s second open U.S. Senate seat in four years. It’s an opportunity that’s got a lot of Republicans thinking.”

As of June 5, 2025, the following candidates have declared their candidacies:

  • Dakarai Larriett (D), a business owner, announced his candidacy on April 7.
  • Kyle Sweetser (D), a business owner, announced his candidacy on April 16.
  • Mark Wheeler (D), a chemist, has also announced his candidacy, entering on January 19 according to FEC reports.
  • Jared Hudson (R), a former U.S. Marine who operates an organization to end human trafficking, announced his candidacy on May 28.
  • Steve Marshall (R), the state’s attorney general since 2017, announced his candidacy on May 29.

Additionally, a number of candidates have received media speculation over potential candidacies.

In addition to political figures, two sports coaches have been viewed as potential candidates to succeed Tuberville.

  • Bruce Pearl, the head coach of the Auburn men’s basketball team, has been viewed as a potential candidate, according to Semafor.
  • Nick Saban, former head coach of the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team, has been viewed as a possible candidate by sports journalist Paul Finebaum.

In the six presidential elections from 2004 to 2024, Republican presidential candidates won the state’s popular vote. Democrats last won the state in 1976, when Jimmy Carter (D) won the state over Gerald Ford (R). In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won 62% of the vote to Joe Biden‘s (D) 37%. In 2024, Trump won 65% of the state’s popular vote to Kamala Harris‘ (D) 34%.

Republicans have held both of Alabama’s Senate seats since 2021. The last Democrat elected to the Senate was Doug Jones (D), who was elected in 2017. Alabama’s House delegation consists of five Republicans and two Democrats. Alabama Democrats gained a seat in 2024, when Shomari Figures (D) defeated Caroleene Dobson (R) in a redrawn version of Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. To read more about redistricting in Alabama, click here. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.