Alabama’s U.S. Senate race for an open seat moved to a runoff after Wednesday’s GOP field was finalized, setting up a June 16 matchup between Jared Hudson and Rep. Barry Moore. Hudson, a former Navy SEAL, advanced as a Republican nomination choice in a state where a high-profile governor’s race and congressional races are also unfolding amid a separate redistricting fight.
Hudson narrowly edged Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall in the Republican primary, positioning himself as an outsider. After advancing, Hudson wrote on social media, “We made history last night, Alabama!” and added that, “DC money is going to have to punch a lot harder if they want to stop this grassroots movement.”
Moore, a three-term congressman, is headed to the runoff after President Donald Trump endorsed him. Moore told supporters after advancing, “We’re going to win this thing, and God’s going to bless this great nation.”
On the Democratic side, business owner Dakarai Larriett and lawyer Everett Wess moved to a runoff after Tuesday’s primary set the party’s nominees for the Senate seat. The AP report said either Democratic nominee would face an uphill climb in Alabama’s deep-red environment, where statewide Democratic wins have been rare in recent cycles.
The Senate seat at issue is being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who won his Republican primary Tuesday as the party’s nominee for governor. Tuberville’s planned move to the governor’s race means voters will also see the rematch of a Senate contest previously won by Tuberville against Democrat Doug Jones, who was last to win a statewide election in Alabama.
Both Jones and Tuberville nodded to the rematch in their victory speeches Tuesday night, and Jones said, “I’m asking all of you to give us a chance, to join us, to be that force for change.” Jones was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Birmingham with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who chairs the Democratic Governors Association.
As Alabama’s Senate and governor races take shape, the state’s congressional primary outcomes are still being reworked. The AP said some of Alabama’s congressional primaries remain in flux as the state proceeds with a plan to switch to a new congressional map, a move that could open the way for Republicans to recapture Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District in November.
According to the report, voters cast ballots in all seven of Alabama’s congressional districts on Tuesday, but Republicans plan to replace the results in four districts with an Aug. 11 special primary using the new lines. Federal judges have scheduled a Friday hearing on a request by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to block Alabama from changing maps, with the litigation tied to broader post–U.S. Supreme Court redistricting dynamics that have weakened the Voting Rights Act.