Moore vs. – Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat is on the line Tuesday in a Republican runoff between President Donald Trump-backed Rep. Barry Moore and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, as Democrats also fight for their nomination and competitive statewide races add pressure to
Montgomery, Ala. — Alabama voters head to the polls Tuesday with one Republican decision looming over everything: whether President Donald Trump’s preferred nominee will keep control of the party’s path to November’s U.S. Senate race.
Rep. Barry Moore, a three-term congressman backed by Trump, faces former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson in the GOP runoff for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. The seat is vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor.
Moore and Hudson both frame themselves as something different from the other. Moore leans on his Washington record and Trump’s endorsement. Hudson leans hard on the language of outsider politics, criticizing what he calls Moore’s ties to Washington.
Moore led the first-round voting in May with nearly 40% of the ballot to Hudson’s 25%. Trump’s support was immediate and personal; recently, Trump said, “Barry Moore has my complete and total endorsement. He’s the best America First candidate you can imagine.”
Hudson. for his part. told voters during a candidate forum in May that he would challenge the political establishment Moore represents. “If you want the same thing over and over again, elect a career politician. If you want different results. somebody who can take your issues to Washington and not bring the stupidity of Washington back here to you. send a warrior to Washington. ” Hudson said.
The runoff battle is also carrying weight beyond Alabama. Trump’s picks have largely prevailed in Republican primaries this year. though his preferred candidate for Iowa governor was defeated earlier this month. In Alabama. the contest is set up as another test of how far an endorsement can travel once voters are asked to choose between two Republicans who both claim the mantle of “America First.”.
Moore says he has already earned that label, and he points to voting records. He is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and has highlighted Trump’s endorsement alongside a scorecard from a conservative group that ranks members of Congress on their voting records. “Look at my record, the most conservative member in the Alabama delegation, an ally of the president,” Moore said. “The president has endorsed me because he’s seen me in the fire. I never bow down.”.
Hudson has tried to undercut that approach with a different kind of credential. He has quipped that he doesn’t have a legislative scorecard, but has said he has racked up a high score “against the Taliban in over 60 combat operations.”
Democrats have their own runoff, with two candidates competing for the nomination to face whoever wins the Republican primary. Attorney Everett Wess and business owner Dakarai Larriett will meet again after the initial primary round in May, when Wess led with 39% to Larriett’s 29%.
Both Democrats are betting that the politics of everyday cost pressures could matter in November. including frustration with inflation and other issues. Wess. managing partner of The Wess Law Firm and a former municipal judge. city prosecutor and public defender. emphasized his legal background and his work within the Democratic Party. During an online candidate forum hosted by Birmingham Indivisible. he said. “Families throughout Alabama are struggling with inflation. housing costs. high gas bills. high utility bills and these everyday expenses.”.
Larriett’s pitch is anchored in a different personal story and a political message built around confrontation. He said he was motivated to run after an encounter with police officers in Michigan two years ago. when he said he was falsely arrested. At the forum. Larriett said. “We can and we must nominate a fighter. a Democratic fighter. for the United States Senate. someone who represents our values. ” adding that the party needs someone who “takes reproductive health seriously” and will “fight like hell” for voting rights.
Tuesday’s ballot doesn’t stop at the Senate nomination. Alabama also has competitive runoffs for attorney general and lieutenant governor.
For lieutenant governor, Secretary of State Wes Allen and former Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl are battling for the GOP nomination. The winner will face Democrat Phillip Ensler in November.
For attorney general. former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Jay Mitchell faces Katherine Robertson. who is chief counsel to the current attorney general. Marshall. Mitchell attacked Robertson over initial work by the attorney general’s office to uphold the conviction of a police officer accused of manslaughter for an on-duty shooting. Robertson has called Mitchell a “woke lawyer.” The winner will face Democrat Jeff McLaughlin in November.
In the 5th Congressional District, Andrew Sneed and Candice Duvieilh are also in a runoff for the Democratic nomination. The winner will face Republican Rep. Dale Strong, who was first elected in 2022.
Even as voters decide these nominations, Alabama is also entering another round of congressional primaries in August after winning permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to switch to a different congressional map favoring Republicans for the midterms.
The state is holding special primaries to decide nominations in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th congressional districts. The new map could give Republicans an opportunity to recapture the 2nd Congressional District in November. currently represented by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures. It could also matter nationally, where the battle for control of the narrowly divided chamber is expected to be tight.
Alabama is one of several Southern states that quickly redrew their U.S. House maps and eliminated districts held by Black Democrats following a Supreme Court decision that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act.
For Tuesday’s Senate runoff, the central question is blunt: can Trump’s endorsement — and the political story Moore tells with it — outlast the outsider challenge Hudson is built to represent?
Alabama Senate runoff Barry Moore Jared Hudson Tommy Tuberville Donald Trump Everett Wess Dakarai Larriett Wes Allen John Wahl Jay Mitchell Katherine Robertson lieutenant governor runoff attorney general runoff
Why are they calling it a SEAL thing like that actually matters.
Moore backed by Trump already sounds like a lock tbh. Hudson being a Navy SEAL is cool but I’m not sure that means anything for the Senate.
Wait so Tuberville vacated the seat to be governor? But I thought governors can’t just take over senate stuff? Idk it’s all mixed up to me. Moore being “ties to Washington” feels like a lazy attack though… isn’t literally everyone tied to Washington if they’re running for Senate?
Hudson is saying outsider politics but he’s still ex-military and rich-ish from all the branding, so like… what outsider? Moore at least has actually done stuff in congress. Also Trump backing him “personal” like bro that’s literally how politics works now. I just wish they’d stop making it sound like there’s some secret difference and just show real bills or whatever.