United States Senate election in Alabama, 2026 (May 19 Democratic primary)

← 2022
U.S. Senate, Alabama
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
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican 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, Alabama 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 Alabama U.S. Senate raceAlaska U.S. Senate raceArkansas U.S. Senate raceColorado U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceGeorgia U.S. Senate raceIdaho U.S. Senate raceIllinois U.S. Senate raceIowa U.S. Senate raceKansas U.S. Senate raceKentucky U.S. Senate raceLouisiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNew Hampshire U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNorth Carolina U.S. Senate raceOklahoma U.S. Senate raceOregon U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceSouth Carolina U.S. Senate raceSouth Dakota U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

A Democratic Party primary takes place on May 19, 2026, in Alabama to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the state's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline	Primary election	General election
January 23, 2026	May 19, 2026	November 3, 2026

Heading into the election, the incumbent is Tommy Tuberville (Republican), who was first elected in 2020.

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.

This page focuses on Alabama's United States Senate Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the state's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2026

Candidates and election results

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Alabama

Dakarai Larriett (D), Lamont Lavender (D), Kyle Sweetser (D), Everett Wess (D), and Mark Wheeler II (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate Alabama on May 19, 2026.

		Candidate
		Dakarai Larriett
		Lamont Lavender
		Kyle Sweetser
	Submit photo	Everett Wess
		Mark Wheeler II

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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

• Greg Howard (D)

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.

Lamont Lavender

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Faith, Family, and Dignity Come First -Leadership should be guided by faith, grounded in family values, and committed to the dignity of every person. Government works best when it respects life, strengthens families, and treats people fairly—not when it loses sight of its purpose.

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Strong Jobs, Affordable Living, and a Growing Alabama Economy -A strong Alabama depends on manufacturing, infrastructure, and policies that lower the cost of living. By supporting Alabama workers, investing in roads and broadband, and cutting wasteful regulations, we can create good-paying jobs and help families keep more of what they earn.

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Safe Communities and Honor for Service -Public safety and respect for those who serve—law enforcement, first responders, and veterans—are non-negotiable. Safe neighborhoods, secure borders, and strong support for veterans and their families make Alabama a place where people can live, work, and raise families with confidence.

Mark Wheeler II

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "Hey there! My name is Mark Wheeler II, and I know firsthand what it means to put in long hours and hard work. I was born and raised in Heflin, Alabama. I grew facing significant financial poverty. But through determination and a whole lot of grit, I managed to earn a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Jacksonville State University, with a minor in Emergency Management. For most of my career, I worked 12-hour night shifts with constant mandatory overtime—often pushing 60+ hours a week. During the day, I squeezed in school, studied whenever I could, all while making sure to pass down my core values of love, respect, and frugality to my kids. I know what it’s like to struggle and work hard, chase a dream, and do everything possible to build a better life. Thanks to my years of hard work, I now enjoy a very fulfilling career working in Research and Development for a privately owned manufacturing company, where I help create sustainable solutions in polymers and energy transmission. My job is all about innovation and making sure we meet the highest safety standards. If you’ve ever felt like you were grinding away at a job with no end in sight, know that I understand your struggle. I have been there too. It is my deepest desire to fix this mess we all find ourselves in, and to leave a better world for our kids, and grandkids to grow up in. In the upcoming election, I hope you'll strongly consider voting for me - a man who is just like you."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Our leaders are being bought. Corrupt money is flooding into Congress, turning public service into personal profit. As long as members of Congress can trade stocks, they will continue to serve their own wallets instead of the people who elected them. This must end. We will never have a government "by the people, for the people" until we ban stock trading in Congress. Every day we wait, they grow richer while working Americans struggle. They will keep taking advantage of us—unless we stop them. I won’t just support this fight—I will lead it. I will champion legislation, push relentlessly, and negotiate aggressively to get this done. Because if Congress won’t hold itself accountable, then we must.

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Power unchecked is power abused. History has proven time and time again that absolute power corrupts absolutely—and nowhere is this more dangerous than in the halls of Congress and the Supreme Court. Without term limits, career politicians and lifelong justices grow disconnected from the very people they were meant to serve, making decisions without ever facing the consequences themselves. This must change. We need term limits to ensure that those in power know they will one day have to live under the very laws and rulings they create. Only then can we guarantee that they act in good faith—not just for their own interests, but for the generations to come. The future of our democracy depends on it.

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The United States is falling behind. While other developed nations surge ahead with cutting-edge infrastructure, we remain stuck in a cycle of crumbling roads, outdated utilities, and an economy that struggles to keep pace. If we don’t act now, the gap will only widen—weakening our economy, stifling job growth, and leaving us vulnerable on the world stage. There is a solution. Investing in Ultra High-Speed Transit, we can revolutionize our nation’s infrastructure. We can slash housing costs by opening new areas for development, create millions of high-paying jobs, strengthen our national defense by improving rapid mobility, and expand access to essential utilities like power, clean water, and high-speed internet. This is our chance.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Alabama

Election information in Alabama: May 19, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: May 4, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by May 4, 2026
• Online: May 4, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: May 14, 2026
• By mail: Received by May 12, 2026
• Online: N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: May 18, 2026
• By mail: Received by May 19, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

N/A to N/A

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET/CT)

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Dakarai Larriett	Democratic Party	$100,504	$82,520	$17,984	As of December 31, 2025
Lamont Lavender	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Kyle Sweetser	Democratic Party	$115,088	$94,121	$20,967	As of December 31, 2025
Everett Wess	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Mark Wheeler II	Democratic Party	$14,872	$12,198	$2,673	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." ** 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. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate 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. Senate candidates, 2026
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
Alabama	U.S. Senate	Ballot-qualified party	N/A	Fixed by party	1/23/2026	Source
Alabama	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	2% of the total number of votes cast in the state for U.S. Representative in the last general election	N/A	5/19/2026	Source

See also

• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2026 (May 19 Republican primary)
• United States Senate election in Alabama, 2026
• United States Senate Democratic Party primaries, 2026
• United States Senate Republican Party primaries, 2026
• United States Senate elections, 2026
• U.S. Senate battlegrounds, 2026

External links

Suggest a link

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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)

2025-2026 Elections to the United States Congress

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Election information

Ballot access for major and minor party candidates • List of candidates running for election • List of congressional challengers • Retiring senators • Retiring representatives

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Super PACs/Organizations

American Bridge 21st Century • American Crossroads • American Unity PAC • Campaign for Primary Accountability • Club for Growth Action • Congressional Leadership Fund • Cooperative of American Physicians IE Committee• Crossroads Generation • Ending Spending Action Fund • Endorse Liberty • Fair Share Action • FreedomWorks for America • Government Integrity Fund • House Majority PAC • Independence USA Fund • League of Conservation Voters • Liberty for All PAC • Majority PAC • National Association of Realtors • NEA Advocacy Fund • Now or Never PAC • Planned Parenthood Votes • Ready for Hillary • Republicans for a Prosperous America • Restore America's Voice PAC • SEIU Pea-Federal • Women Vote!

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