Sen. Tommy Tuberville won the Republican primary for governor of Alabama Tuesday, NBC News projects, making him the clear favorite to win the general election this fall in the ruby-red state.

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The winner this fall will replace outgoing Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who is term-limited and ineligible to run for re-election.

Alabama has not elected a Democrat for governor since 1998, and President Donald Trump, who endorsed Tuberville, carried the state by 30 points in 2024. Tuberville, a former college football coach, is poised to leave the Senate after finishing a term that he was first elected to in 2020.

The Trump endorsement came after Tuberville built a voting record closely aligned with the president’s preferences.

“I was proud to endorse ‘Coach’ when he ran for the Senate in 2020, and am honored to do so again. Tommy Tuberville has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Alabama,” Trump said Monday on social media.

Tuberville had Trump’s support in 2020 in a Republican Senate primary that included former Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general. Sessions infuriated the president by appointing a special counsel to investigate alleged links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, and Trump fired him from the Cabinet in 2018 and repeatedly spoke out against him in the years that followed.

Now, Tuberville’s quest to jump from Washington to Montgomery set off a scramble among Republicans to replace him in the safe red seat.

Trump has endorsed Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who has served in the House since 2021, in that race.

Meanwhile, Tuberville is on a collision course with the Democrat he defeated in that 2020 Senate race. Former Sen. Doug Jones, who won a 2017 special election in a stunning upset result before losing his seat in 2020, won the Democratic primary for governor, NBC News projects.

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Voters in three of Alabama’s seven congressional districts head to the polls Tuesday to choose their nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives. Voters across the state will chose nominees for U.S. Senate and a full slate of state and local offices.

Following a Supreme Court redistricting ruling that has led to several Republican-led Southern states redrawing their congressional maps, primaries in four of Alabama’s seven districts — the first, second, sixth and seventh — were pushed to August.

Voters in the third, fourth and fifth congressional districts will cast ballots today. Alabama requires candidates to win a majority of the vote or face a runoff on June 16.

Ballot confusion possible

The special primary elections for the affected congressional districts will officially be held on Aug. 11. Voters may still see those congressional races on their ballots today because the map change came after ballots were already printed.

How to find your polling place

To find your polling place, go to myinfo.alabamavotes.gov. Enter your name and birth date, verify you’re not a robot and hit “Look up.” You’ll then see your voting precinct and polling location.

To see what races will be on your ballot, visit your county probate office website and look for sample ballots. From there, you can select a Democratic or Republican ballot to see the races in your area.

“We want to make sure that all of these local elected officials, like our probate judges, the circuit clerks, the sheriffs, board of registrars and especially our poll workers, you know they have the resources they need to go out and conduct a safe, secure, transparent and accountable election,” said Wes Allen, Alabama secretary of state.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What ID you need

When you show up at your polling location, you’ll need a valid photo ID. The easiest is bringing a state-issued driver’s license or photo ID.

Voters can also use a valid U.S. passport, military ID or student ID from any Alabama college or university.

If you forget your identification, you still may be able to cast a regular ballot if two poll workers know who you are.

If the workers don’t know you and you don’t have an accepted form of ID, you can still cast a provisional ballot, meaning your vote won’t be counted right away.

Posted: May 18, 2026 7:37 PM CDT

Updated: May 18, 2026 7:41 PM CDT

by
WAKA Action 8 News