This week’s episode of The Voice of Alabama Politics highlighted three developments shaping the early landscape of Alabama’s 2026 elections: a likely residency challenge against U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, growing speculation surrounding a potential Doug Jones gubernatorial campaign, and a new wave of dark-money funding in the race for attorney general.
The full episode is available on YouTube.
Ballot challenge “all but certain” for Tuberville
Multiple Alabama Republican Party insiders told APR they expect a formal challenge to Tuberville’s eligibility for governor once the GOP’s qualifying period closes. The Alabama Constitution requires candidates for governor to have been state residents for seven consecutive years.
Host Bill Britt said concerns within the party intensified over the past week.
“Insiders with the Alabama Republican Party are worried he is not a resident of Alabama and cannot prove he’s a resident,” Britt said. “There will be a ballot challenge.”
Republican officials confirmed to APR that the party’s Candidate Committee must hear any challenge that is properly filed.
Panelist Josh Moon said the evidence problems facing Tuberville appear substantial.
“There is no doubt in my mind that he cannot prove he lives in this state,” Moon said. “For the last seven years? There’s no chance that can happen.”
Susan Britt noted that Tuberville could resolve the matter immediately by releasing seven years of Alabama tax returns. “If he had them, he would have already released them,” she said.
She added that county party chairs and local organizations have expressed repeated frustration that Tuberville has declined invitations to speak at Republican events.
Bill Britt said some longtime Republicans believe Tuberville is treating the race as guaranteed. “One veteran told me, ‘This has to be a party of principle, not power,’” Britt said. “Some believe he sees this as a coronation. We don’t have coronations—we have elections.”
One GOP candidate, Ken McFeeters, has already publicly committed to filing a challenge.
Britt noted that the issue could ultimately reach the courts. “It’s hard to believe the Alabama Supreme Court would sidestep the clear constitution of the state,” he said. “But it could happen.”
Speculation increases around potential Doug Jones campaign
The show also addressed increasing speculation that former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones may enter the 2026 governor’s race. If he does, it could lead to an unusual rematch with the man who succeeded him in the Senate in 2020.
“Doug Jones shocked the nation in 2017, and he did it with a spectacular coalition,” Bill Britt said.
Moon said interest in a Jones run is coming from across the political spectrum. “Everybody thinks Doug should run,” he said. “The only person we haven’t heard from is Doug.”
Susan Britt said her sense is that Jones is seriously weighing a campaign. “He has a strong record—from the bombing prosecutions to voting rights to supporting HBCUs,” she said. “He has a lane.”
The panel noted Jones’s unusual 2017 coalition of Black voters, suburban moderates, independents and crossover Republicans. Moon contrasted Jones’s record with Tuberville’s.
“Jones passed or co-sponsored around 30 bipartisan bills in two years,” Moon said. “Tuberville has been there six years and not got a thing passed.”
The panel also noted Tuberville’s strained reception among some Republican donors and business leaders.
New dark-money group emerges with $150,000 donation in AG race
A newly created 501(c)(4) nonprofit has contributed $150,000 to Republican attorney general candidate Katherine Robertson, the panel reported. The group, the Rule of Law Action Fund, incorporated in Alabama just days before sending the money.
“Robertson’s campaign has just received more money from a brand-new dark-money group,” Bill Britt said.
Moon said the organization fits a pattern seen in recent cycles.
“It’s another C4 that pops up overnight,” Moon said. “You have no idea where the money’s coming from, and that’s the whole idea—obscure the pathway of the money.”
Individuals familiar with the group told Moon it is connected to the Republican Attorneys General Association, RAGA. Combined with earlier contributions from another dark-money entity, Robertson’s campaign has now received about $1.3 million from nondisclosing sources.
While such donations are legal under Alabama law, they bypass donor transparency rules that govern traditional political committees.
“We banned PAC-to-PAC transfers because lawmakers said voters deserve to know who is supporting candidates,” Moon said. “This gets around that—legally.”
Susan Britt noted that RAGA was also involved in a similar controversy during Attorney General Steve Marshall’s previous campaign.
Watch the full episode
The full episode of The Voice of Alabama Politics is available now on YouTube. Viewers are encouraged to watch, like, subscribe and share to support independent Alabama journalism.
