Former Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, announced Monday that he is running for governor of Alabama, setting the stage for another showdown with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
“We’re going to do everything we can to bring the people back to the state capital of Montgomery, Alabama,” Jones said in a video announcing his candidacy.
Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, is not eligible for reelection because of term limits.
Jones was widely expected to enter the race for governor in the deep-red state; he himself acknowledged it in his video, calling it “the worst-kept secret in the state of Alabama.”
Jones became the first Democrat to win statewide office in almost a decade in 2017, when he defeated former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore — who faced allegations of sexual abuse against underage girls — in a special election.
Jones’ run for governor will once again pit him against Tuberville, the former college football coach who soundly defeated him in 2020.
Tuberville, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, announced his campaign for governor in May.
In his video, Jones made a swipe at Tuberville, whose Alabama residence has been questioned.
“What I know and what we have heard all along is Alabama wants their next governor to be someone who lives here, who works here, who listens to the people of this state, who understands the people of this state,” he said. “And Alabama wants their next governor to be someone who treats this state with grace and dignity, and not just like a rest stop on the way to the Florida beach.”
Prior to serving in the Senate, Jones was best known as the U.S. attorney in Birmingham, where he led the successful prosecution of two former Ku Klux Klansmen for a 1963 church bombing that killed four Black girls.
Ahead of Jones’ announcement, Tuberville’s spokesperson, Mallory Blount Jaspers, posted on X early Monday: “Last time Doug Jones ran against Coach Tuberville, it didn’t go well for Doug. … This race is already over — but if Comrade Doug wants to get blown out again, be our guest.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.