Alabama holds its 2026 U.S. Senate primary on May 19 — the first open Senate seat in the state since 1996. Tommy Tuberville left to run for Governor, creating a wide-open Republican primary between AG Steve Marshall, Trump-endorsed Congressman Barry Moore, Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, Tuberville staffer Morgan Murphy, and businessman Rodney Walker. Alabama requires a majority, so a June 16 runoff is likely.
This is the most consequential Alabama Senate primary in a generation. The seat is Safe Republican — whoever wins the GOP primary wins the Senate seat in November. The Democratic primary is a formality. The Republican race is a genuine multi-candidate contest that will almost certainly require a runoff on June 16 since Alabama mandates majority, not plurality, to win a primary.
Steve Marshall (AG, two terms) is the establishment frontrunner with name recognition and a prosecutorial track record. Barry Moore (Congressman, AL-01) has Trump\'s full endorsement (Jan 17, 2026) and Club for Growth backing. Political analysts describe it as a "two-man contest" between Marshall and Moore, with Hudson as a credible third option given his Navy SEAL background and veteran appeal. Murphy and Walker are long-shots.
This is the first Class II Alabama Senate seat open since Richard Shelby retired in 2022 — Shelby mentored Katie Britt into that seat. Now both Alabama seats are up for fresh competition within four years.
Steve Marshall — Alabama AG (2017–present) · PoliVion Score: 62%
Barry Moore — U.S. Rep. AL-01 · Trump endorsed · PoliVion Score: 60%
Jared Hudson — Navy SEAL veteran · PoliVion Score: 52%
Morgan Murphy — Tuberville national security staffer · PoliVion Score: 40%
Rodney Walker — Businessman · PoliVion Score: 30%
Dakarai Larriett — Candidate · PoliVion Score: 38%
Kyle Sweetser — Candidate · PoliVion Score: 34%
Everett Wess — Candidate · PoliVion Score: 30%
Mark S. Wheeler II — Candidate · PoliVion Score: 28%
Background: Two-term Alabama Attorney General (2017–present). First AG in 40 years to hold the office for two full terms. BA Troy University; JD Faulkner University. Former Marshall County DA. Known for leading multi-state AG coalitions on constitutional challenges to Biden administration policies — border, energy, gender policy. Handled the Alabama redistricting cases that went to the Supreme Court.
Campaign message: "I don\'t only just talk about those issues that matter to conservatives across Alabama, but we've been able to deliver tangible results." Frames himself as the proven conservative with an executive and litigation track record.
TrackAIPAC: Not listed on TrackAIPAC candidates page. No documented Israel lobby exposure.
Key strength: Name recognition statewide. Two-term AG gives him a documented conservative record across real policy fights — immigration enforcement, energy regulation, gender policy litigation. Most "results" of any candidate in the field.
Background: U.S. Representative AL-01 (2021–present), previously AL-02 (2021–2025). BA Auburn University; MBA. CEO Barry Moore Industries. Alabama House of Representatives District 91 (2010–2018). Alabama National Guard. First elected to Congress in 2020 — one of the first members to endorse Trump\'s 2024 campaign. Re-elected 2022 and 2024 to AL-01.
Trump endorsement: Jan 17, 2026: "I was one of the first elected officials to endorse President Trump. We need more allies in the Senate who will help move his agenda forward." Trump reciprocated with full endorsement.
Club for Growth: Endorsed Moore. Club for Growth is the fiscal conservative PAC that often backs challengers to establishment Republicans.
TrackAIPAC: Not listed on TrackAIPAC. No documented Israel lobby exposure.
Background: Navy SEAL veteran. CEO of two organizations — the Covenant Rescue Group and The Shooting Institute. Reserve deputy with the Blount County Sheriff's Office. Ran for Jefferson County Sheriff in 2022 — lost to incumbent Sheriff Mark Pettway (D) 52-48 in the general election. That was a competitive showing in a Democratic-leaning county.
Platform: Veterans, national security, constitutional rights, law enforcement. Navy SEAL background gives him credibility on defense and security issues that neither Marshall nor Moore can fully match.
Viability: Credible third-place candidate. If the primary goes to runoff, Hudson could be a spoiler or dark horse. Does not have the statewide infrastructure of Marshall or the national backing (Trump, Club for Growth) of Moore.
Alabama requires a majority (50%+1) to win a primary. With 5 candidates splitting the Republican vote, a runoff between the top two is almost certain. The key question is who finishes second — Marshall or Moore — and what the runoff electorate looks like. Analyst Steve Flowers notes that "whichever of these five GOP candidates wins, Katie Britt will be joined by an ideologue." Trump\'s endorsement of Moore gives him a structural advantage in a state Trump won by 34 points in 2024, but Marshall\'s institutional resources and statewide name recognition from two AG terms make him a formidable opponent.
TrackAIPAC lists one Alabama Senate 2026 candidate as pro-Israel per their candidates page. Neither Marshall nor Moore are documented with major lobby totals. Republican candidates in Safe R primaries rarely attract AIPAC IE spending — the lobby reserves its resources for competitive races.
| Candidate | Status | Lobby Total | PAC Organizations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Marshall (R frontrunner) | ✓ $0 — Not Listed | $0 | — | Not listed on TrackAIPAC. No documented Israel lobby exposure. |
| Barry Moore (R, Trump endorsed) | ✓ $0 — Not Listed | $0 | — | Not listed on TrackAIPAC. No documented Israel lobby exposure. |
| Jared Hudson (R) | ⚠ Pro-Israel Listed | Listed as pro-Israel | — | TrackAIPAC: Candidate for U.S. Senate AL [R] — "This candidate is pro-Israel." ip_foreign:5 minor flag. |
| Morgan Murphy / Rodney Walker (R) | ✓ $0 — Not Listed | $0 | — | Not listed on TrackAIPAC. |
| Democratic field | ✓ $0 — Not Listed | $0 | — | None of the Democratic candidates are listed on TrackAIPAC. |
Proxy PACs & New Popup Organizations:
Official Statements & Documented Positions:
Sources: TrackAIPAC.com (data via FEC & OpenSecrets) · Checked March 22, 2026.
PoliVion scores every candidate on the same formula using only publicly available evidence — FEC filings, voting records, campaign websites, and published policy documents. Scores reflect transparency and governance capacity, not ideology, party preference, or polling position.
The scoring system has two layers: a Base Score from six weighted components, and an Integrity Penalty subtracted for documented donor conflicts, fraud-linked relationships, or foreign-interest exposure.
The Alabama U.S. Senate primary is held on May 19, 2026 — the first open Senate seat in the state since 1996. It determines which Republican advances to the November general election for a seat rated Safe Republican.
Senator Tommy Tuberville left his Senate seat to run for Governor of Alabama, opening the seat. This is the first Class II Alabama Senate seat open since Richard Shelby retired in 2022.
The leading Republican candidates include Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Congressman Barry Moore (AL-02). The winner of the Republican primary is expected to win the general election in this Safe R state.
The general election is November 3, 2026. If no candidate wins a majority in the May 19 primary, a runoff is held June 16, 2026.