U.S. Senate, Alabama · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in the Alabama U.S. Senate race?
Barry Moore has the strongest record in the Alabama U.S. Senate race. Barry Moore scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Everett Wess at 53, as of October 6, 2026. Barry Moore's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Everett Wess's highest marks are roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Strongest record
Barry Moore
68 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 69
Democratic
Everett Wess
53 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
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.
Barry Moore
- Mark against2021-07-02
Filed a periodic transaction report on July 2, 2021 for cryptocurrency purchases made May 5 to June 13, 2021; the four May trades were reported after the 45-day STOCK Act deadline.
Source: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20018999
- On the record2025-08-27
Left a town hall in Baldwin County through the back door in August 2025 after sustained heckling over immigration enforcement.
Source: NBC News, Aug. 28, 2025
- On the record2021-01-07
Voted Yea on the House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021; both objections failed.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
- Credit2026-09-11
Sponsored H.R. 2069, the Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025, requiring other transaction agreements to be reported to USAspending.gov; it was signed into law Sept. 11, 2026 as Pub.L. 119-106.
- Credit2023-01-05
Sponsored H.R. 7074, the Quality Education for Veterans Act of 2022; its provisions were enacted in the Veterans Auto and Education Improvement Act of 2022, signed Jan. 5, 2023.
Everett Wess
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Barry Moore. His 2025 annual House financial disclosure was filed April 29, 2026, and Senate campaign reports are on file with the FEC. No House Ethics matter or FEC fine found. Four May 2021 crypto trades were reported late.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10076378, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20018999
Everett Wess. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Barry Moore. Voted against bills his party's House leaders backed, including the Fiscal Responsibility Act in May 2023, the FY2024 defense authorization conference report in December 2023 and the Ukraine supplemental in April 2024.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 243, 2023 (Fiscal Responsibility Act), House Clerk Roll Call 723, 2023 (H.R. 2670 conference report), House Clerk Roll Call 151, 2024 (Ukraine Security Supplemental)
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Barry Moore. Held open in-person town halls, including one in Enterprise in August 2022 and one in Baldwin County in August 2025, which he left after heckling. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: WSFA, Aug. 10, 2022, NBC News, Aug. 28, 2025
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Barry Moore. Served in the Alabama House from 2010 to 2018 and in the U.S. House since 2021. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee matter found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Barry Moore, House Committee on Ethics site search
Everett Wess. Has served eight years as Midfield municipal court judge after work as a prosecutor and public defender. No judicial or bar conduct finding found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Barry Moore. Voted Yea on the objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electoral votes on Jan. 6 and 7, 2021.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, 2021
Everett Wess. Holds sworn judicial office as Midfield municipal court judge. No official finding of misuse of office found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Barry Moore. In the U.S. House since January 2021, now in his third term, after eight years in the Alabama House of Representatives.
Everett Wess. Birmingham attorney with The Wess Law Firm, municipal judge for eight years, former prosecutor and public defender, and 10 years on the federal Criminal Justice Act panel. Has not held elected office.
Sources: WHNT via Yahoo News, May 12, 2026, Alabama Reflector via News From The States, Sept. 2026
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Barry Moore. Serves on the House Agriculture and Judiciary committees and is vice chair of the Forestry and Horticulture subcommittee. Sponsored the Stop Secret Spending Act, enacted in 2026.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 2069 (119th Congress)
Everett Wess. Names health care, public safety and education as priorities, including federal money for rural hospitals and emergency departments, stated in general terms.
Source: Alabama Reflector via News From The States, Sept. 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Barry Moore. His House office offers newsletters and mobile office hours, he has held town halls, and his campaign publishes issue pages. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page, NBC News, Aug. 28, 2025, Ballotpedia, Barry Moore
Everett Wess. Answered a WHNT candidate questionnaire before the May primary and explains his priorities in press interviews. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: WHNT via Yahoo News, May 12, 2026, Ballotpedia, Everett Wess
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Barry Moore. Born and raised on a farm in Coffee County and lives in Enterprise. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 60 percent of itemized individual contributions from Alabama.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Alabama Reflector via News From The States, June 16, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Everett Wess. Birmingham attorney and Midfield judge who has served on the Jefferson County Democratic Party executive committee and the board of a youth mentoring group. FEC by-state totals show 78 percent of a small itemized total ($3,665) from Alabama.
Sources: Alabama Reflector via News From The States, Sept. 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Barry Moore. Senate campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026, showing $3.79 million raised. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Everett Wess. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through June 30, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found. Runs his own Birmingham law firm.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Barry Moore. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.657 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 1.194, meets expectations. Sponsored four bills enacted in whole or through other measures, including the Stop Secret Spending Act in 2026.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, enacted legislation, GovTrack, H.R. 2069 (119th Congress)
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Barry Moore. Missed 42 of 2,915 roll call votes, 1.4 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Barry Moore. Runs four district offices, in Mobile, Foley, Bay Minette and Dothan, posts mobile office hours and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Office Locations, Office site, home page
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Barry Moore. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.61232 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 243 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Everett Wess. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Barry Moore. No public record found.
Everett Wess. 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 U.S. Senate race?
Barry Moore has the strongest record in the Alabama U.S. Senate race. Barry Moore scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Everett Wess at 53, as of October 6, 2026. Barry Moore's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Everett Wess's highest marks are roots in the constituency. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in the Alabama U.S. Senate race in 2026?
Barry Moore (Republican), Everett Wess (Democratic). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Barry Moore a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Barry Moore scores 68 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Everett Wess a good candidate for U.S. Senate?
Everett Wess scores 53 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 55 of 100, performance no record. 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.