Governor of Alabama · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated

Who should I vote for in the Alabama governor's race?

Doug Jones has the strongest record in the Alabama governor's race. Doug Jones scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tommy Tuberville at 46, as of October 6, 2026. Doug Jones's highest marks are accountability and roots in the constituency. Tommy Tuberville's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Democratic

Strongest record

Doug Jones

69 / 100

Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria

Character
65
Qualifications
75
Performance
67

Campaign site

Republican

Tommy Tuberville

46 / 100

Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria

Character
35
Qualifications
60
Performance
42

Campaign siteOfficial office

The good, the bad and the unresolved

The record

The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.

Doug Jones

Tommy Tuberville

Who they are

Character

Integrity

Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. Gubernatorial committee 32837 is registered and reporting; no ethics, court or campaign finance finding found. PolitiFact has rated one of his statements False and one Mostly False.

Sources: Alabama FCPA committee record, Jones (32837), PolitiFact, Doug Jones scorecard

1 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. His 2021 Senate disclosure showed about 130 stock trades from January to May 2021 reported after the STOCK Act 45-day deadline, reported by CNBC and Business Insider (E16). PolitiFact has rated four of his statements False.

Sources: CNBC, July 27, 2021, Business Insider via Yahoo News, Feb. 9, 2022, PolitiFact, Tommy Tuberville scorecard

Courage

Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.

3 / 4

Doug Jones. Broke with Senate Democrats as one of three to vote against the Green New Deal resolution (2019) and as the lone Democrat to advance the Republican coronavirus bill on a March 2020 procedural vote.

Sources: WPMI NBC 15, March 27, 2019, CNN, March 23, 2020

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Held Senate confirmation of hundreds of military promotions for about 10 months in 2023 while fellow Republicans criticized the blockade; he ended it in December 2023.

Source: NPR, Dec. 5, 2023

Accountability

Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.

4 / 4

Doug Jones. Holds open town halls across the state with unscreened questions (Sheffield, Daphne and others) and accepted debate invitations, proposing debates with Tuberville.

Sources: Alabama Political Reporter, July 7, 2026, WKRG via Yahoo News, Oct. 2, 2026, WBRC/WAFF, Aug. 26, 2026

1 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Said in August 2026 he would probably not debate Democratic nominee Doug Jones, telling reporters there was no reason to argue differences of opinion; no 2026 general election debate or forum with Jones found.

Sources: WBRC/WAFF, Aug. 26, 2026, Yahoo News, Aug. 27, 2026

Temperament and judgment

Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. U.S. attorney (1997 to 2001) and U.S. senator (2018 to 2021) with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Jones

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Head coach at four universities and a U.S. senator since 2021 with no formal censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Tommy Tuberville

Fidelity to the oath

Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. Took the oath as U.S. attorney and U.S. senator; no official finding of misuse of office and no action to reject certified results found.

Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Jones

1 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Voted Yea on the Jan. 6, 2021 objection to Arizona's electors and the Jan. 7, 2021 objection to Pennsylvania's electors (E2).

Sources: GovTrack, Senate Vote 1, Jan. 6, 2021, GovTrack, Senate Vote 2, Jan. 7, 2021

What they bring

Qualifications

Relevant experience

Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.

3 / 4

Doug Jones. U.S. senator 2018 to 2021 and U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama 1997 to 2001; has not held state executive office.

Source: Ballotpedia, Doug Jones

3 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. U.S. senator from Alabama since January 2021, his first elected office; has not held state executive office.

Source: GovTrack, Tommy Tuberville

Command of the job

Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.

3 / 4

Doug Jones. Publishes specific plans that fit the governor's powers, including Medicaid expansion for more than 154,000 people, eliminating the grocery tax and a state earned income tax credit. Served on Senate Armed Services, Banking and HELP.

Source: Doug for Alabama, Priorities

3 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Chairs the Senate Armed Services Personnel subcommittee and the HELP Education and the American Family subcommittee. His campaign issue page states general goals on taxes, jobs, border enforcement, school choice and gun rights.

Sources: GovTrack, Tommy Tuberville, Tuberville for Governor, Issues

Communication

Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.

3 / 4

Doug Jones. Three or more channels: detailed issue pages, a statewide open town hall tour and accepted debate invitations.

Sources: Doug for Alabama, Priorities, Alabama Political Reporter, July 7, 2026

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Two channels documented: a campaign issue page and question-and-answer stops with local groups; has not accepted a 2026 debate.

Sources: Tuberville for Governor, Issues, Yahoo News, Aug. 27, 2026

Roots in the constituency

Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.

4 / 4

Doug Jones. Born in Fairfield, Alabama. About 80.4 percent of itemized individual cash contributions, Nov. 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026, came from Alabama (FCPA data).

Sources: Georgetown University, Doug Jones profile, Alabama FCPA Reporting System, data download

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Qualified as an Alabama resident; owns homes in Auburn and on the Florida coast, and a suit claiming he fails the seven-year residency rule is on appeal (see Record). About 83.5 percent of itemized individual cash contributions, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026, came from Alabama (FCPA data).

Sources: Alabama Reflector via Yahoo News, Sept. 4, 2026, Alabama FCPA Reporting System, data download, Alabama FCPA committee record, Tuberville (31625)

Management

Can build and run an organization.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. Led the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama and a Senate office; no late campaign finance filing or penalty found for committee 32837.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Doug Jones, Alabama FCPA committee record, Jones (32837)

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Ran Division I football programs as head coach at four universities over two decades; gubernatorial committee 31625 is registered and reporting with the Secretary of State.

Sources: Ballotpedia, Tommy Tuberville, Alabama FCPA committee record, Tuberville (31625)

What they deliver

Performance

Results

Turns ideas into outcomes.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Below expectations for the 116th Congress (classic LES 0.281 against a 0.877 benchmark). Raised to 2 under E14: three bills he sponsored were enacted, including the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Collection Act of 2018.

Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking Senate dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Doug Jones

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Below expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.094 against a 0.852 benchmark). Raised to 2 under E14: his Supporting Families of the Fallen Act (117th) was enacted.

Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking Senate dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Tommy Tuberville

Showing up

Does the basic work of the job.

2 / 4

Doug Jones. Missed 41 of 993 roll call votes, 4.1 percent, from January 2018 to January 2021.

Source: GovTrack, Doug Jones

2 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Missed 128 of 2,544 roll call votes, 5.0 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.

Source: GovTrack, Tommy Tuberville

Constituent service

Solves problems for the people they represent.

NR

Doug Jones. No public record found.

NR

Tommy Tuberville. No public record found.

Coalition building

Wins support beyond their own faction.

4 / 4

Doug Jones. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of 1.15808 for the 116th Congress (2019 to 2020), ranked 24th, in the top quarter of senators.

Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, 116th Congress Senate scores

1 / 4

Tommy Tuberville. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of minus 1.25831 for 2023, the latest posted Senate scores, ranked 93rd, in the bottom quarter of senators scored.

Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, 2023 Senate scores

Stewardship of public money

Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.

NR

Doug Jones. No public record found.

NR

Tommy Tuberville. No public record found.

How to read this

Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.

A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.

No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.

Questions

Who should I vote for in the Alabama governor's race?

Doug Jones has the strongest record in the Alabama governor's race. Doug Jones scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tommy Tuberville at 46, as of October 6, 2026. Doug Jones's highest marks are accountability and roots in the constituency. Tommy Tuberville's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.

Who is running in the Alabama governor's race in 2026?

Doug Jones (Democratic), Tommy Tuberville (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.

Is Doug Jones a good candidate for Governor?

Doug Jones scores 69 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 65 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 67 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

Is Tommy Tuberville a good candidate for Governor?

Tommy Tuberville scores 46 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 35 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance 42 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.

How is the strongest record decided?

The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.

More on this race: every Alabama race scored, and the Alabama 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.