Alabama's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
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← 2024
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| Alabama's 1st Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: January 23, 2026 |
| Primary: May 19, 2026 Primary runoff: June 16, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Alabama |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th Alabama elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Alabama, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is May 19, 2026, and a primary runoff is June 16, 2026. The filing deadline was January 23, 2026. Ballotpedia identified the May 19 Republican primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary, click here.
This is one of 51 open races for the U.S. House of Representatives this year in which an incumbent is not running for re-election. Across the country, 21 Democrats and 30 Republicans are not running for re-election. In 2024, 45 incumbents — 24 Democrats and 21 Republicans — did not seek re-election.
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Alabama's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)
- Alabama's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
The primary will occur on May 19, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Clyde Jones is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on May 19, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Clyde Jones  | |
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1
The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on May 19, 2026.
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Barry Moore (R)
May 19 Republican primary
Ballotpedia identified the May 19 Republican primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Republican primary, click here. For more on the Democratic primary, click here.
Jerry Carl (R), Rhett Marques (R), Joshua McKee (R), and four others are running in the Republican primary for Alabama's 1st Congressional District on May 19, 2026. As of January 2026, Carl, Marques, and McKee led in fundraising and local media attention.[1][2]
Incumbent Barry Moore (R) is running for U.S. Senate rather than seeking re-election. AL.com's Howard Koplowitz and Hannah Denham wrote that "[winning] the race is tantamount to election in the heavily red district, which stretches from the Wiregrass region of Alabama to parts of Mobile and Baldwin counties."[2] As of January 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election as Solid/Safe Republican.
Carl is a former member of the U.S. House. Carl represented the 1st District from 2021–2025 before losing to Moore 52%–48% in the 2024 primary after redistricting placed the two in the same district. He also served on the Mobile County Commission for eight years. Carl's campaign website describes him as "an outsider, a job creator, and a businessman looking to get things done."[3]
Marques was elected to the Alabama House in 2018 and is the owner and operator of an automotive service center. Marques describes himself as "a proven conservative fighter with a strong record of putting Alabama’s families first and protecting our values." Marques' campaign says he "is also routinely called upon to bring Republicans together to support conservative bills...His ability to unify will be critical to the success of the geographically unique district."[4]
McKee is a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in the Green Berets. After leaving the Army, McKee worked for General Motors and Hewlett-Packard. McKee says he is running "to bring mission-focused leadership to Washington, reform broken systems like the VA, and restore the American Dream for Alabama families."[5] McKee says he has "battled America’s enemies overseas – now I’m ready to defeat the enemies of freedom here at home."[6]
Also running in the primary are James Dees (R), John Mills (R), James Richardson (R), and Austin Sidwell (R).
If no candidate wins more than 50% of votes, the top two finishers will advance to a June 16 runoff.
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- U.S. House of Representatives (2021–2025)
- Mobile County Commission (2012–2020)
Biography: Carl attended Lake City Community College and worked as a sales representative. As of the 2026 election, Carl had founded more than ten companies in fields including real estate, healthcare, and furniture manufacturing.
Show sources
Sources: Jerry Carl campaign website, "About," accessed January 21, 2026; Jerry Carl campaign website, "Issues," accessed January 21, 2026; Jerry Carl campaign website, "About," accessed January 21, 2026; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "CARL, Jerry L.," accessed January 21, 2026
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Alabama House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2018)
Biography: Marques attended the University of Alabama. As of the 2026 election, Marques had been the owner and operator of an automotive service center for more than 25 years.
Show sources
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: McKee served 25 years in the U.S. Army, Army Reserves, and National Guard. While with the Army, McKee served in the Green Berets and was awarded a Bronze Star. After leaving the armed forces, McKee worked for General Motors and Hewlett-Packard and as an entrepreneur.
Show sources
See more
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Alabama
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde Jones | Democratic Party | $12,765 | $1,080 | $11,685 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Jerry Carl | Republican Party | $480,928 | $242,238 | $307,981 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| James Dees | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Rhett Marques | Republican Party | $875,879 | $100,657 | $775,222 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Joshua McKee | Republican Party | $339,762 | $74,407 | $265,355 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| John Mills | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| James Richardson | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Austin Sidwell | Republican Party | $74,848 | $50,609 | $24,239 | As of December 31, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[7]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[8][9][10]
| Race ratings: Alabama's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 2/24/2026 | 2/17/2026 | 2/10/2026 | 2/3/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Alabama in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Alabama, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Alabama | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | N/A | Fixed by party | 1/23/2026 | Source |
| Alabama | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 3% of all votes cast for governor in the district in the last election | N/A | 5/19/2026 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Incumbent Barry Moore (R) defeated Tom Holmes (D) in the general election for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Barry Moore (R) | 78.4 | 258,619 |
 | Tom Holmes (D) | 21.5 | 70,929 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1% | 306 | ||
| Total votes: 329,854 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled. Tom Holmes (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 without appearing on the ballot.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Gary Johnson (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Incumbent Barry Moore (R) defeated incumbent Jerry Carl (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Barry Moore | 51.7 | 53,956 |
 | Jerry Carl | 48.3 | 50,312 | |
| Total votes: 104,268 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Nathan Woodring (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Incumbent Jerry Carl (R) defeated Alexander Remrey (L) in the general election for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Carl (R) | 83.6 | 140,592 |
 | Alexander Remrey (L) | 15.7 | 26,369 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7% | 1,189 | ||
| Total votes: 168,150 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for May 24, 2022, was canceled.
Republican primary
The Republican primary scheduled for May 24, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Jerry Carl (R) advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 without appearing on the ballot.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Peter Alcorn (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Jerry Carl (R) defeated James Averhart (D) in the general election for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Carl (R) | 64.4 | 211,825 |
 | James Averhart (D) | 35.5 | 116,949 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1% | 301 | ||
| Total votes: 329,075 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary runoff
Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Alabama District 1
James Averhart (D) defeated Kiani Gardner (D) in the Democratic primary runoff for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Averhart | 56.7 | 15,840 |
 | Kiani Gardner | 43.3 | 12,102 | |
| Total votes: 27,942 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary runoff
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Jerry Carl (R) defeated Bill Hightower (R) in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on July 14, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Carl | 52.3 | 44,421 |
 | Bill Hightower | 47.7 | 40,552 | |
| Total votes: 84,973 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Kiani Gardner (D) and James Averhart (D) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Frederick Collins (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kiani Gardner | 44.1 | 22,962 |
| ✔ | | James Averhart | 40.3 | 21,022 |
 | Frederick Collins | 15.6 | 8,119 | |
| Total votes: 52,103 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1
Jerry Carl (R) and Bill Hightower (R) advanced to a runoff. They defeated Chris Pringle (R), Wes Lambert (R), and John Castorani (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House Alabama District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jerry Carl | 38.7 | 38,490 |
| ✔ | | Bill Hightower | 37.5 | 37,283 |
 | Chris Pringle | 19.2 | 19,126 | |
 | Wes Lambert | 3.1 | 3,102 | |
 | John Castorani | 1.5 | 1,468 | |
| Total votes: 99,469 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+27. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 27 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Alabama's 1st the 5th most Republican district nationally.[11]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 22.0% | 77.0% |
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Alabama, 2024
Alabama presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 16 Democratic wins
- 14 Republican wins
- 2 other wins
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Alabama's congressional delegation as of September 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Alabama | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Republican | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 7 | 9 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in Alabama's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Kay Ivey |
| Lieutenant Governor | Will Ainsworth |
| Secretary of State | Wes Allen |
| Attorney General | Steve Marshall |
State legislature
Alabama State Senate
| Party | As of February 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 8 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | |
Alabama House of Representatives
| Party | As of February 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 29 | |
| Republican Party | 76 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 105 | |
Trifecta control
Alabama Party Control: 1992-2025
Six years of Democratic trifectas • Fifteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Yellowhammer News, "First face off for Alabama’s 1st District: Jerry Carl vs. Rhett Marques at Eastern Shore Republican Women candidate forum," October 10, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 AL.com, "Washington leaders throw money behind GOP opponents running for open Alabama US House seat," October 16, 2025
- ↑ Jerry Carl campaign website, "Home page," accessed January 21, 2026
- ↑ Alabama Political Reporter, "State Rep. Rhett Marques annouces bid for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District," August 22, 2025
- ↑ Joshua McKee campaign website, "Meet Joshua," accessed January 21, 2026
- ↑ Yellowhammer News, "Former Green Beret, Bronze Star recipient announces run for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District," August 20, 2025
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Although he was not on the ballot, Harry F. Byrd (D) won six unpledged electoral votes in Alabama's 1960 election against Richard Nixon (R) and Democratic Party nominee John F. Kennedy. Kennedy won Alabama's popular vote and received five electoral votes.
- ↑ States' Rights Democratic Party
- ↑ American Independent Party
