Alabama primaries: Redistricting redo, special elections in August

Alabama is one of several U.S. states holding primary elections on Tuesday.

But this primary season includes an unexpected complication for voters in the deep-red southern state: some may need to return to the ballot box in a few months.

Four of the state’s congressional districts are expected to hold special primaries in August as part of a nationwide battle over redistricting.

President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw their congressional maps to give his party an advantage in the November midterm elections.

At stake is control of the U.S. House of Representatives, where each congressional district represents one seat. Republicans currently hold a slim majority.

Just this month, the Supreme Court issued a decision clearing the way for Alabama to implement a congressional map that had been rejected in 2023 for diluting Black voters’ power.

That map would rearrange four congressional districts in the state’s south, clustering many Democratic voters into a single district rather than two.

Shortly after the court’s decision, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced special primary elections in the four districts to allow for the new map’s implementation.

But the originally scheduled primaries are still taking place in those districts on Tuesday, along with other national and statewide races. Here is what to know about the Alabama primaries.

Polls open on Election Day at 7:00 a.m. (12:00 GMT) and close at 7:00 p.m. local time (0:00 GMT).

Alabama limits governors to two consecutive four-year terms, making Ivey, an 81-year-old former school teacher, ineligible for re-election in 2026.

She has served as governor since 2017, making her the longest serving female governor in U.S. history.

Ivey has been a staunch Trump supporter, leading Alabama to adopt right-wing policies restricting abortion, speeding up death-penalty cases and limiting environmental policies.

Her absence from the 2026 primary ballot has opened a hotly contested race to replace her.

Six Democrats and three Republicans are running to succeed Ivey as governor.

Whoever wins the Republican primary will have an edge in November’s general election: no Democrat has held the office since 2003.

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville is leading the pack. A former conference-winning football coach for Auburn University, Tuberville has built a national profile as a right-wing stalwart during his single term in Congress.

In 2023, he famously blocked hundreds of military promotions to protest a policy that could provide funds for service members seeking travel for abortion.

The most closely watched race is the contest for Tuberville’s Senate seat.

Ten candidates are vying for his job. The Republican field is among the most crowded this cycle, with six contenders.

The frontrunners include state Attorney General Steve Marshall, Navy SEAL veteran Jared Hudson and U.S. Representative Barry Moore for Alabama’s first district.

They share similar platforms centered on border security, backing law enforcement and protecting Second Amendment gun rights.

But each has tried to set himself apart. Moore, for instance, has touted himself as a “true conservative” who was among the first to back Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. He also has received Trump’s endorsement for the Senate.

Hudson, meanwhile, has played up his military ties, a key economic driver in Alabama. The state boasts multiple military bases and installations, as well as a rocket and spacecraft flight center in Huntsville.

If no Republican gets at least 50 percent of the primary vote, a runoff will likely occur in June.

Tuesday’s primary will also determine which Democrat advances to November’s election. Four left-leaning candidates — Dakarai Larriett, Kyle Sweetser, Everett Wess and Mark Wheeler — are seeking the nomination.

Primaries for all seven of Alabama’s U.S. House congressional districts are on the ballot.

There are also state-level positions, including attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer.

In Alabama, many statewide and local races lean heavily Republican, meaning some primary results may effectively decide November’s election.

But this cycle carries an added twist. A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in April weakened how race might be considered in congressional redistricting cases.

According to the ruling, plaintiffs must now show that districts were overtly designed to disenfranchise minority voters in order to overturn congressional maps.

That higher bar allowed states like Alabama to reinstate maps previously blocked. The new map boosts Republican chances of gaining an additional House seat.

Each win could be key in deciding the outcome of November’s midterm elections. Republicans currently hold 217 seats in the 435-seat House, a small majority. Losing even a few seats could shift control to Democrats.

Four areas are affected by the redistricting push: Alabama’s first, second, sixth and seventh congressional districts.

The old congressional map is currently in place, and primaries are expected to proceed in each of those areas on Tuesday.

But once the new map is implemented, the four districts will hold special elections in August to update their primary results. Candidates may choose to run in a different district because of the redesign.

The current map includes two Democratic-leaning districts: one containing the city of Birmingham, and another stretching from the state’s east to west.

Under the proposed redesign, the Birmingham district will absorb the westernmost stretch of the other district, concentrating Democratic voters in a single area.

Results from Tuesday’s primaries will be posted on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website before the end of the night, even for districts holding special elections in August.

A poll commissioned by Alabama Daily News showed Moore leading the Republican Senate primary with 23 percent of the vote, followed by Hudson with 19 percent and Marshall with 14 percent.

However, the poll also found that 40 percent of voters are undecided.

In the governor’s race, Tuberville dominates with 65 percent support, according to polling conducted for Gray Television Alabama stations and the Alabama Daily News.