United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (July 14 Republican primary runoff)

Elections in Alabama, 2020

• Primary runoff date: July 14
• Primary type: Open
• Registration deadline(s): June 29
• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No

• Early voting starts: N/A
• Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): July 13 (postmarked)
• Voter ID: Photo ID
• Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

---

Date of Alabama presidential primary: March 3 (click here for more information)

---

Click here for the latest on election date and rule changes made in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Polling places: Polling locations are subject to change. Click here to access the state's official polling site locator. For more information, contact your state election officials.

---

On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State executive offices • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • 

2026 → ← 2014
U.S. Senate, Alabama
Democratic primary Republican primary Republican primary runoff General election
Election details
Filing deadline: November 8, 2019
Primary: March 3, 2020 Primary runoff: July 14, 2020 General: November 3, 2020 Pre-election incumbent: Doug Jones (Democratic)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Alabama
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican Inside Elections: Lean Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
See also
U.S. Senate, Alabama U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th Alabama elections, 2020 U.S. Congress elections, 2020 U.S. Senate elections, 2020 U.S. House elections, 2020 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House racesArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House racesFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House racesOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House racesTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House racesVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House racesSubmit

Tommy Tuberville defeated Jeff Sessions in the Republican primary runoff election for U.S. Senate in Alabama on July 14, 2020. Tuberville received 61% of the vote to Sessions' 39%.

Tuberville, a former college football coach, called himself the outsider in the race who would stand with President Donald Trump (R). The president endorsed Tuberville on March 10, 2020. FarmPAC—the political action committee of the Alabama Farmers Federation—and the Club for Growth PAC also endorsed him.

Sessions held the seat for 20 years before the president appointed him as U.S. attorney general in 2017. Sessions said he committed to the Trump agenda as a U.S. senator and in the Department of Justice. Several U.S. senators, the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council, and the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund endorsed Sessions.

Sessions and Tuberville released several opposition ads. Sessions' ads said Tuberville was not from Alabama and that he lived and voted in Florida. Sessions also said Tuberville supported amnesty for people in the country without legal permission and that Tuberville had criticized Trump on veterans' healthcare.

Tuberville criticized Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election during his time as attorney general. Tuberville's ads featured a video clip of the president saying he regretted appointing Sessions as attorney general. Tuberville also called Sessions a D.C. insider.

For more on the candidates' criticisms and responses to one another's criticisms, click here.

Incumbent Sen. Doug Jones was the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama since 1992. Roll Call named him the most vulnerable senator up for re-election in 2020. Trump won Alabama with 62% of the vote to Hillary Clinton's (D) 34% in the 2016 presidential election. Click here to learn more about what's at stake in the general election.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:

Sessions					Tuberville

Click here for coverage of the March 3, 2020, Republican primary.

This page focuses on Alabama's U.S. Senate Republican primary runoff. For more in-depth information on the primaries and the general election, see the following pages:

• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020

This election was a battleground race. Other 2020 battlegrounds included:

Georgia's 7th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary) New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (September 8 Republican primary) United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2020

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

Alabama modified its primary runoff election date as follows:

• Election postponements: The primary runoff election, originally scheduled for March 31, 2020, was postponed to July 14.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

Republican primary runoff election

Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate Alabama

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Tuberville	60.7	334,675
		Jeff Sessions	39.3	216,452

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 551,127
= 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 election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate Alabama

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tommy Tuberville	33.4	239,616
✔		Jeff Sessions	31.6	227,088
		Bradley Byrne	24.9	178,627
		Roy Moore	7.2	51,377
		Ruth Page Nelson	1.0	7,200
		Arnold Mooney	1.0	7,149
		Stanley Adair	0.9	6,608

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 717,665
= 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

• Chase Anderson Romagnano (R)
• John Paul Serbin (R)
• Marty Preston Hatley (R)
• John Merrill (R)

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Jeff Sessions

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

United States Attorney General (2017-2018), U.S. Senate (1997-2017), Alabama Attorney General (1994-1996), United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1981-1993)

Biography:  Sessions graduated from Huntingdon College and from the University of Alabama School of Law. He practiced law from 1973 to 1975 and from 1977 to 1981. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves for 10 years.

---

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

---

Sessions said he was the first senator to endorse Trump's 2016 presidential bid and that he was committed to Trump's agenda, including border policy and economic policies that Sessions said raised wages.

---

Sessions criticized Tuberville by saying he supported amnesty and was critical of Trump on veterans policy. Sessions also called Tuberville a tourist from Florida.

---

A Sessions campaign ad referred to Sessions as "the man the Democrats fear" and referred to Democrats as radicals who "plan to gut our religious freedom and our freedom of speech."

---

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "First to Endorse," November 14, 2019, Jeff Sessions' 2020 campaign website, "Home," accessed January 29, 2020, WFSA, "Candidate Profile: Jeff Sessions wants his old job back as U.S. Senator," updated January 16, 2020, YouTube, "Won't Back Down," January 16, 2020, Fox10, "Jeff Sessions talks campaign & impeachment trial on stop in Mobile," updated January 27, 2020, YouTube, "Desperate Attacks," February 18, 2020; Congress.gov, "Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions III's Biography," accessed January 29, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Alabama in 2020.

Tommy Tuberville

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Biography:  Tuberville graduated from Southern Arkansas University. He was head coach for several college football teams between 1995 and 2016, including at Auburn University and the University of Cincinnati. He retired in 2016, when he became a member of ESPN's broadcast staff.

---

Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

---

Tuberville said, "I'm not a career politician. I'm really a politician's worst nightmare." He stated that "weak-kneed career politicians aren't tough enough to stand with President Trump, but I am."

---

Tuberville criticized Sessions for recusing himself from investigations into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election. Tuberville also referred to Sessions as a career politician.

---

Tuberville said his experience as a coach equipped him to reform education policy. He said, "We have gotten away from our core beliefs in this country in education and our kids are being indoctrinated in socialism and communism."

---

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "A Career Politician's Worst Nightmare," January 26, 2020, WFSA, "Candidate Profile: Former Auburn football coach running for U.S. Senate," January 21, 2020, YouTube, "Coach," November 22, 2019, Tommy Tuberville's 2020 campaign website, "Issues," accessed January 30, 2020, YouTube, "Taking on the DC Swamp," November 7, 2019, Tuscaloosa News, "Tuberville stumps in Tuscaloosa for Senate run," February 10, 2020, Alabama Political Reporter, "Sessions responds to negative attacks from Tuberville, Byrne," February 18, 2020, YouTube, "Tough Enough," February 18, 2020; Tommy Tuberville's 2020 campaign website, "About," accessed January 30, 2020

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. Senate Alabama in 2020.

Noteworthy primary endorsements

This section includes noteworthy endorsements issued in the primary, added as we learn about them. Click here to read how we define noteworthy primary endorsements. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Runoff endorsements

Endorsements made after the March 3, 2020, primary election and ahead of the July 14, 2020, runoff are shown in the table below. The "Previous endorsee" column shows when a runoff endorsement came from a person or group that endorsed a different candidate in the primary election.

If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please email us.

Links below are for endorsement lists from candidate websites, where available:

• Jeff Sessions

Runoff election endorsements
Endorsement	Sessions	Tuberville	Previous endorsee
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)		✔
Individuals
Ed Meese, former U.S. attorney general, Ronald Reagan administration	✔
John Ashcroft, former U.S. attorney general, George W. Bush administration	✔
Organizations
National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund	✔
Eagle Forum PAC	✔
American Workers Coalition	✔
Club for Growth PAC		✔
National Association for Gun Rights PAC		✔

Primary endorsements

Republican primary endorsements
Endorsement	Byrne	Mooney	Moore	Sessions	Tuberville
Elected officials
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)				✔
U.S. Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho)				✔
U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.)				✔
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)				✔
U.S. Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)				✔
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)		✔
U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)		✔
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)		✔
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.)	✔
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.)		✔
Individuals
Economist/Club for Growth co-founder Stephen Moore				✔
Organizations
Senate Conservatives Fund		✔
Protect Freedom PAC		✔
Family Research Council Action PAC				✔
National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council				✔

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Jeff Sessions

In the "Issues" section of his campaign website, Sessions published a booklet containing his plan, "Betting on America: Standing Up to China's Cold-Blooded Drive for Power." Read the plan here.

Tommy Tuberville

Tuberville's campaign website listed the following themes:

“	SERVING THOSE WHO SERVED Changing The Way We Treat Our Veterans My father was a highly decorated WWII veteran and Purple Heart recipient, and that is why I am so passionate about changing the way our nation treats its Veterans. President Trump is off to a good start – Veteran unemployment is at its lowest point in history: 2.3%. But we can and must do more to help our Veterans re-enter the workforce and society. We must provide them with high-quality care and job training, and ensure that those who need it get the psychological care and attention they need to deal with the issues they face being back home. CORE VALUES Tommy Believes the First Duty of Government Is to Protect Our Individual Liberty I am running for the United States Senate because I believe liberals in Washington are out-of-control. I believe the first duty of government is to protect our individual liberty. I will be a leader in Washington fighting for smaller government, less taxes, and our national sovereignty. I am running to defend the Constitution, and I understand that the freedoms we enjoy must be protected and preserved for future generations. As a father and husband, I understand that decisions made in Washington have an immediate impact on families and shape the world we will leave to our children. I understand the profound blessing it is to be a citizen of the United States, and I will be responsible to help conserve that blessing for future generations. IMPROVING EDUCATION The Federal Government Is Not the Solution to Improving Our Nation’s Education System The best and most viable solutions come from the local level where parents, students, and local administrators can collaborate and work towards success together. And I believe that school choice, charter schools, and improving our existing public schools are all things that need to be a part of the education mix for Alabama children. ECONOMY Lower Taxes and Less Spending Thankfully we have a President who thinks like we do: lower taxes create jobs and less spending reduces the size and scope of the federal government. After eight long years of a declining economy, we are now seeing record job growth across the board and the lowest unemployment rates for Veterans and African-Americans in history. President Trump’s tax cuts and economic policies have driven this success – and I will join in the fight and support our President as we continue to grow our economy. IMMIGRATION & BORDER SECURITY It’s Simple — A Secure Border Means a More Secure Nation We must first secure our border as we attempt real immigration reforms that will impact our nation for decades to come. I fully support President Trump’s plan to build a wall and make our nation more secure. And I will make sure our border patrol, detention centers, and law enforcement officers along and near the border have the resources they need to fight the scourge of illegal immigration that brings drugs, terrorists, and criminals into our country on a daily basis. NATIONAL SECURITY The First Role of Government Is to Protect Citizens The first role of our government is to protect its citizens and that is why I will support a strong and robust military. I know we must provide our Armed Forces with the tools and resources they need to protect Americans at home and abroad. Alabamians are proud and we stand with our military and our Veterans who have given so much for our nation. PROTECTING LIFE Stand for the Right to Life A Christian conservative, I will always stand up for those who can’t do so on their own. I will fight to protect the sanctity of every human life because future generations may very well look back at the current wave of infanticide sweeping across our nation as this generation’s holocaust. GUN RIGHTS Defending The Second Amendment While we are fighting out-of-touch liberals to protect life and liberty, we must also stand up for the time-honored traditions we hold dear in Alabama. Being a sportsman has always been a part of my life. That is why I will always vote to protect and preserve our Second Amendment rights. INVESTIGATE THE INVESTIGATORS Tommy Will Stand With President Trump If I was in U.S. Senate today, I would be calling for a full and thorough investigation into the now-disproved Russian collusion probe of the 2016 elections. I believe that this witch-hunt was a political stunt to try and call into question President Trump’s legitimacy. I will stand with President Trump and fight any attempt to discredit his Presidency. HEALTHCARE Reforming A Broken Healthcare System Obamacare must go. This failed experiment has led to higher costs, less quality care, and a system that hurts patients and doctors more than it helps. I believe that we need a return to the free-market where companies compete for your business, while ensuring that pre-existing conditions are not a deterrent to obtaining quality insurance and care.	”
—Tommy Tuberville's campaign website (2020)

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Jeff Sessions

Supporting Sessions

"Conservative Voices" - Sessions campaign ad, released July 1, 2020

"Ed Meese Endorses Jeff Sessions in New Radio Ad" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 16, 2020

"On China, Jeff Sessions Won’t Be Silenced" - Sessions campaign ad, released April 2, 2020

"Futures to Fight For" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 27, 2020

"Warrior for Truth" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 26, 2020

"Jeff Sessions Took Action" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 13, 2020

"Fight Back with Jeff - Moral Relativism and the Radical Left" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 10, 2020

"Democrats Fear Trump" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 7, 2020

"Defending the Faithful" - Sessions campaign ad, released January 31, 2020

"Fight Back With Jeff Sessions - Religious Liberty" - Sessions campaign ad, released January 28, 2020

"Won't Back Down" - Sessions campaign ad, released January 16, 2020

"First to Endorse" - Sessions campaign ad, released November 14, 2019

"Great Job" - Sessions campaign ad, released November 7, 2019

Opposing Tuberville

"Washington Fears Sessions" - Sessions campaign ad, released July 8, 2020

"Become Citizens" - Sessions campaign ad, released July 8, 2020

"Washington's Choice" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 24, 2020

"Every Day" - Sessions campaign ad, released June 11, 2020

"Florida Man Refuses to Debate Jeff Sessions" - Sessions campaign ad, released March 11, 2020

"Florida Man Game Show" - Sessions campaign ad, released March 9, 2020

"Florida Phony" - Sessions campaign ad, released March 6, 2020

"Tuberville Blames Trump" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 27, 2020

"Tuberville for Amnesty" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 18, 2020

"Desperate Attacks" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 18, 2020

"Tuberville is Pissed Off at Donald Trump" - Sessions campaign ad, released February 17, 2020

Tommy Tuberville

Supporting Tuberville

"The Next Season" - Tuberville campaign ad, released May 4, 2020

"Bus Tour Trailer" - Tuberville campaign ad, released February 3, 2020

"Fighter" - Tuberville campaign ad, released February 2, 2020

"A Career Politician's Worst Nightmare" - Tuberville campaign ad, released January 26, 2020

"Coach" - Tuberville campaign ad, released November 22, 2019

• Untitled Tuberville campaign ad, released October 2, 2019

Opposing Sessions

"Disaster" - Tuberville campaign ad, released March 31, 2020

"Strong" - Tuberville campaign ad, released March 12, 2020

"Fired!" - Tuberville campaign ad, released March 5, 2020

"Tough Enough" - Tuberville campaign ad, released February 18, 2020

"Taking on the DC Swamp" - Tuberville campaign ad, released November 7, 2019

Satellite group ads

Opposing Sessions

"Jeff Sessions is 'Scared Stiff'" - Grit PAC ad, released June 23, 2020

Supporting Tuberville

"Game Time" - Club for Growth Action ad, released June 29, 2020

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

U.S. Senate election in Alabama, 2020: Republican primary runoff election polls
Poll	Date	Sessions	Tuberville	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
OnMessage Inc.	May 26-27	43%	49%	8%	+/-3.5	600	Sessions campaign
OnMessage Inc.	March 8-9	45%	45%	10%	+/-3.5	800	Sessions campaign
Cygnal	March 6-8	40%	52%	9%	+/- 3.9	645	N/A
WT&S Consulting	March 5	43%	49%	8%	+/- 3.3	1,234	N/A

Click [show] to see polls conducted ahead of the March 3, 2020, primary election.
Poll	Date	Adair	Byrne	Mooney	Moore	Nelson	Sessions	Tuberville	Other	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size	Sponsor
WT&S Consulting	Feb. 9-10, 2020	--	22%	3%	7%	--	32%	30%	--	7%	+/-3.3	1,048	N/A
Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy	Feb. 4-6, 2020	--	17%	--	5%	--	31%	29%	2%	16%	+/-5	400	Alabama Daily News
OnMessage Inc.	Jan. 13-15, 2020	--	22%	--	8%	--	43%	21%	1%	6%	+/-3.7	700	Sessions campaign
OnMessage Inc.	Dec. 3-5, 2019	0%	14%	1%	7%	1%	44%	21%	--	12%	+/-3.7	700	Sessions campaign

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election. It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees. The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Jeff Sessions	Republican Party	$2,535,574	$5,359,763	$0	As of December 31, 2020
Tommy Tuberville	Republican Party	$9,605,815	$9,432,335	$173,480	As of December 31, 2020
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2020. 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." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

• Club for Growth Action had spent $581,482 supporting Tuberville as of July 13, 2020.

• Grit PAC had spent $102,913 opposing Sessions and $26,414 supporting Tuberville as of July 13, 2020.

• Swamp Drainers Foundation spent $106,104 supporting Tuberville as of July 13, 2020.

Primaries in Alabama

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Alabama uses an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Runoff elections in Alabama

In Alabama, a primary election candidate for congressional, state, or county office must receive a majority of the vote (more than 50%) to be declared the winner. If no candidate wins the requisite majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters.

As of 2020, the Alabama Secretary of State office stated that "if you vote in a primary election and want to vote in a primary runoff election, you must vote in the primary runoff election of the same political party that you chose in the primary election. However, if you did not vote in a political party's primary election and would like to vote in the primary runoff election, you may choose which political party's primary runoff election you would like to vote in."

Campaign tactics and strategies

Trump/Sessions recusal debate

Following the March 3 primary, Trump criticized Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election during his time as attorney general. Trump tweeted on March 4, "This is what happens to someone who loyally gets appointed Attorney General of the United States & then doesn’t have the wisdom or courage to stare down & end the phony Russia Witch Hunt. Recuses himself on FIRST DAY in office, and the Mueller Scam begins!"

Sessions published "An open letter to the people of Alabama" on May 12, 2020. He wrote, "As the world knows, the President disagreed with me on recusal, but I did what the law required me to do. I was a central figure in the campaign and was also a subject of and witness in the investigation and could obviously not legally be involved in investigating myself. If I had ignored and broken the law, the Democrats would have used that to severely damage the President."

On May 22, Trump tweeted, "3 years ago, after Jeff Sessions recused himself, the Fraudulent Mueller Scam began. Alabama, do not trust Jeff Sessions. He let our Country down. That’s why I endorsed Coach Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville), the true supporter of our #MAGA agenda!"

Sessions responded to the tweet, "@realdonaldtrump Look, I know your anger, but recusal was required by law. I did my duty & you're damn fortunate I did. It protected the rule of law & resulted in your exoneration. Your personal feelings don't dictate who Alabama picks as their senator, the people of Alabama do."

Opposition ads

Sessions and Tuberville released several opposition ads against one another.

Tuberville criticized Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election during his time as attorney general. His ads featured clips of Trump saying he regretted appointing Sessions. See the section above for Sessions' responses to this criticism.

Sessions' ads said Tuberville supported amnesty for people in the country illegally. Tuberville said in response to the claim, "There is no pathway to citizenship if you come here illegally." Sessions' ads also said Tuberville lives in Florida and featured audio of Tuberville from August 2019 saying he was "pissed off at Donald Trump that our vets can't get healthcare." Tuberville said he lives in Alabama. After making the remark about veterans healthcare, Tuberville said, "I think [Trump]’s had to fight every battle by himself. He can’t get to all of them because nobody is helping him."

What's at stake in the general election?

Incumbent Doug Jones was the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Alabama since 1992. In May 2020, Roll Call listed him as the most vulnerable senator up for re-election in 2020. Donald Trump won Alabama by 28 percentage points in the 2016 presidential election. Jones won the 2017 Senate election by 1.7 percentage points. Click here to learn more.

U.S. Senate elections were held on November 3, 2020, and coincide with the 2020 presidential election. Thirty-three of the Senate's 100 seats were up for regular election in November. There were also two special elections in 2020. The results determined control of the U.S. Senate in the 117th Congress.

At the time of the election, the Republican Party had a 53-seat Senate majority, while Democrats had 45 seats. There were also two independents who caucus with the Democratic Party. Republicans faced greater partisan risk than Democrats in 2020 because they were defending 23 seats compared to 12 for the Democrats. Both parties had two incumbents representing states the opposite party's presidential nominee won in 2016.

In 2018, Democrats and Democratic-caucusing independents defended 26 of the 35 seats up for election, while Republicans defended the other nine. Republicans won 11 seats to the Democrats' 24, for a GOP net gain of two.

In the 24 previous Senate elections that coincided with a presidential election, the president's party had gained Senate seats in 16 elections and lost seats in nine. In years where the president's party gained seats, the average gain was three seats. In years where the president's party lost seats, the average loss was five seats. Click here for more information on presidential partisanship and down-ballot outcomes.

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.
• 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.

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in Alabama, 2020
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 3, 2020	October 27, 2020	October 20, 2020	October 13, 2020
The Cook Political Report	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican	Lean Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Election history

The tabs below show U.S. Senate election results in Alabama back to 1986.

2017

General election (December 12, 2017)

U.S. Senate, Alabama general election, December 12, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democrat	Doug Jones	50%	673,896
	Republican	Roy Moore	48.3%	651,972
	Independent	Write-in	1.7%	22,852
Total Votes				1,348,720
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

Republican primary runoff (September 26, 2017)

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican primary runoff, September 26, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Roy Moore	54.6%	262,641
	Republican	Luther Strange	45.4%	218,505
Total Votes				481,146
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

Democratic primary (August 15, 2017)

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic primary, August 15, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democrat	Doug Jones	66.1%	109,105
	Democrat	Robert Kennedy	17.7%	29,215
	Democrat	Michael Hansen	6.7%	11,105
	Democrat	Will Boyd	4.9%	8,010
	Democrat	Jason Fisher	2.1%	3,478
	Democrat	Brian McGee	0.9%	1,450
	Democrat	Charles Nana	0.9%	1,404
	Democrat	Vann Caldwell	0.8%	1,239
Total Votes				165,006
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

Republican primary (August 15, 2017)

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican primary, August 15, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Roy Moore	38.9%	164,524
	Republican	Luther Strange	32.8%	138,971
	Republican	Mo Brooks	19.7%	83,287
	Republican	Trip Pittman	6.9%	29,124
	Republican	Randy Brinson	0.6%	2,621
	Republican	Bryan Peeples	0.4%	1,579
	Republican	Mary Maxwell	0.4%	1,543
	Republican	James Beretta	0.3%	1,078
	Republican	Dom Gentile	0.1%	303
	Republican	Joseph Breault	0.1%	252
Total Votes				423,282
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Alabama, 2016

General election

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Shelby (Incumbent)	64%	1,335,104
	Democratic	Ron Crumpton	35.9%	748,709
	N/A	Write-in	0.2%	3,631
Total Votes				2,087,444
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ron Crumpton	56.1%	153,897
Charles Nana	43.9%	120,526
Total Votes		274,423
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

Republican primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Richard Shelby Incumbent	64.9%	505,586
Jonathan McConnell	27.6%	214,770
John Martin	3%	23,558
Marcus Bowman	2.5%	19,707
Shadrack McGill	2%	15,230
Total Votes		778,851
Source: Alabama Secretary of State

2014

See also: United States Senate elections in Alabama, 2014

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (Incumbent)	97.3%	795,606
	N/A	Write-in	2.7%	22,484
Total Votes				818,090
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

2010

General election

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Shelby (Incumbent)	65.2%	968,181
	Democratic	William G. Barnes	34.7%	515,619
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	1,699
Total Votes				1,485,499
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	William G. Barnes	60.8%	160,993
	Democratic	Simone D. De Moore	39.2%	103,942
Total Votes				264,935
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

Republican primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary Election, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Shelby (Incumbent)	84.4%	405,398
	Republican	N.C. Moser	15.6%	75,190
Total Votes				480,588
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

2008

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (Incumbent)	63.4%	1,305,383
	Democratic	Vivian Figures	36.5%	752,391
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	2,417
Total Votes				2,060,191
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Vivian Figures	63.7%	112,074
	Democratic	Johnny Swanson III	22%	38,757
	Democratic	Mark Townsend	14.2%	25,058
Total Votes				175,889
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

Republican primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary Election, 2008
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (Incumbent)	92.3%	199,690
	Republican	Earl Mack Gavin	7.7%	16,718
Total Votes				216,408
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

2004

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2004
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Shelby (Incumbent)	67.5%	1,242,200
	Democratic	Wayne Sowell	32.4%	595,018
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	1,848
Total Votes				1,839,066
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

Democratic and Republican primaries

Both Richard Shelby and Wayne Sowell were unopposed on their respective party's primary ballots.

2002

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions (Incumbent)	58.6%	792,561
	Democratic	Susan Parker	39.8%	538,878
	Libertarian	Jeff Allen	1.5%	20,234
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	1,350
Total Votes				1,353,023
Source: U.S. House of Representatives Office of the Clerk, "Election Statistics," accessed August 28, 2017

Democratic runoff

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Runoff Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Susan Parker	65.1%	176,582
	Democratic	Julian McPhillips	34.9%	94,614
Total Votes				271,196
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Election, 2002
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Susan Parker	48%	190,978
	Democratic	Julian McPhillips	42.8%	170,222
	Democratic	Wayne Sowell	9.2%	36,719
Total Votes				397,919
Source: Federal Election Commission, "Election Results," accessed August 29, 2017

Republican primary

Jeff Sessions was the only Republican to file for this race.

1998

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1998
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Shelby (Incumbent)	63.2%	817,973
	Democratic	Clayton Suddith	36.7%	474,568
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	864
Total Votes				1,293,405

Primaries

No Democratic or Republican primary was necessary because Shelby and Suddith were the only two candidates who filed to run in the race.

1996

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions	52.8%	786,436
	Democratic	Roger Beford	45.7%	681,651
	Libertarian	Mark Thornton	1.4%	21,550
	N/A	Write-in	0%	633
Total Votes				1,490,270

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Roger Bedford	44.8%	141,360
	Democratic	Glenn Browder	28.9%	91,203
	Democratic	Natalie Davis	22.7%	71,588
	Democratic	Marilyn Quarles Bromberg	3.7%	11,573
Total Votes				315,724

Republican runoff

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary Runoff Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions	59.3%	81,622
	Republican	Sid McDonald	40.7%	56,131
Total Votes				137,753

Republican primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary Election, 1996
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeff Sessions	37.5%	80,694
	Republican	Sid McDonald	22%	47,200
	Republican	Charles Woods	11.1%	23,793
	Republican	Frank McRight	10.2%	21,818
	Republican	Walter D. Clark	8.6%	18,513
	Republican	Jimmy Blake	7.1%	15,305
	Republican	Albert Lipscomb	3.5%	7,600
Total Votes				214,923

1992

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1992
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Richard Shelby	64.8%	1,022,698
	Republican	Richard Sellers	33.1%	522,015
	Libertarian	Jerome Shockley	2%	31,811
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	1,275
Total Votes				1,577,799

Democratic and Republican primaries

No primaries for either party were held due to lack of opposition.

1990

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1990
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Howell Heflin	60.6%	717,814
	Republican	William J. Cabaniss	39.4%	467,190
	N/A	Write-in	0%	150
Total Votes				1,185,154

Democratic and Republican primaries

No primaries for either party were held due to lack of opposition.

1986

General results

U.S. Senate, Alabama General Election, 1986
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Richard Shelby	50.3%	609,360
	Republican	Jeremiah Denton (Incumbent)	49.7%	602,537
Total Votes				1,211,897

Democratic primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Democratic Primary Election, 1986
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Richard Shelby	51.3%	420,155
	Democratic	Jim Allen, Jr.	34.7%	284,206
	Democratic	Ted McLaughlin	8.6%	70,784
	Democratic	Margaret E. Stewart	3.3%	26,723
	Democratic	Steve Arnold	2%	16,722
Total Votes				818,590

Republican primary

U.S. Senate, Alabama Republican Primary Election, 1986
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Jeremiah Denton (Incumbent)	88.5%	29,805
	Republican	Richard Vickers	11.5%	3,854
Total Votes				33,659

See also

• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)
• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2020
• United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2020
• United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2020
• United States Senate elections, 2020
• U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2020

External links

Suggest a link

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Alabama's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Katie Britt (R)

Tommy Tuberville (R)

Representatives

District 1

Barry Moore (R)

District 2

Shomari Figures (D)

District 3

Mike Rogers (R)

District 4

Robert Aderholt (R)

District 5

Dale Strong (R)

District 6

Gary Palmer (R)

District 7

Terri Sewell (D)

Republican Party (7)

Democratic Party (2)

Ballotpedia

About

Overview • What people are saying • Support Ballotpedia • Contact • Contribute • Job opportunities

---

Executive: Leslie Graves, Founder and CEO • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer

Communications: Alison Graves, Director of Communications • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Frank Festa • Sarah Groat • Nathaniel Harwood • Dillon Redmond • Erica Shumaker
External Relations: Geoff Pallay, Director of External Relations • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Ashley Fleming • Thomas Mardik • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski, Director of Operations • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Tech: Matt Latourelle, Director of Technology Operations • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Joseph Sanchez • Mary Susmitha

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen

---

Editorial Content

Josh Altic, Director of Content • Daniel Anderson, Associate Director of Elections & Data • Cory Eucalitto, Associate Director of Features • Ryan Byrne, Managing Editor of Ballot Measures • Mandy McConnell, Managing Editor of News • Doug Kronaizl, Managing Editor of Local Expansion • Abbey Smith, Managing Editor of Elections • Janie Valentine, Managing Editor of Law • Joel Williams. Managing Editor of Events • Andrew Bahl • Jaclyn Beran • Marielle Bricker • Joseph Brusgard • Emma Burlingame • Kelly Coyle • Jon Dunn • Thomas Ellis • Nicole Fisher • Joseph Greaney • Thomas Grobben • Jaime Healy-Plotkin • Brianna Hosea • Molly Kehoe • Tyler King • Glorie Martinez • Norm Leahy, Senior Editor • Nathan Maxwell • Jimmy McAllister • Brandon McCauley • Ellie Mikus • Ellen Morrissey • Mackenzie Murphy • Kaley Platek • Samantha Post • Adam Powell • Annelise Reinwald • Ethan Rice • Spencer Richardson • Victoria Rose • Briana Ryan • Myj Saintyl • Maddy Salucka • Emma Soukup • Alexis Thacker • Mina Vogel • Samuel Wonacott • Trenton Woodcox