Alabama voters look toward 2026 race for governor

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – 2026 will be a big year for Alabama politics. One of the notable elections will be for the state’s next governor.

The end of Governor Kay Ivey’s current term as governor will mark her term limit for the position, meaning she cannot run for reelection. Without Ivey in the mix, this leaves the 2026 governor’s race wide open.

“The one thing predictable about Alabama politics is that it’s unpredictable,” former state representative Paul DeMarco said. “If you look at some of the folks who have become governor, folks you wouldn’t expect. Didn’t have the name ID, kind of came out of nowhere. So, it’s going to be a wild ride between now and the Republican party primary, the party primary races in June of ’26.”

DeMarco says historically in wide open races for governor, there can be 7 to 8 candidates running. While no candidates have made concrete announcements about entering the race, some people have begun to hint at it.

Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth posted a 10K race picture on social media Wednesday, captioning it with a reference to the 2026 governor’s race and the hashtag “ready to run”. Ainsworth said he wasn’t available for an interview Wednesday, but he spoke with CBS 42 Morning News Anchor Andrea Lindenberg in February about the possibility of running for governor.

“I’m right now focused on session, got to get through that. I think most people that are running for governor are probably announcements that will be coming in May, the end of May is when you can start raising money, but right now we’re focused on session and doing the job we were elected to do,” he said in the interview on February 3.

Ainsworth doubled down on this when asked about running for governor after his post on social media. He said in a statement:

“I am certainly interested in continuing to serve the citizens of Alabama, but my focus is on the current legislative session and our efforts to cut taxes, fight illegal immigration, and address violent crime. I should have an announcement about my future plans once the session ends in May.”

Another possible contender for the 2026 race for governor is Senator Tommy Tuberville. He addressed the speculation in a press call Wednesday.

“I am up for reelection in two years, and I’ve heard a lot about Alabamians who want me to run for governor. I’ve talked to my family, I’m praying about it, to do what’s best for me, my family and for the people in the state of Alabama,” Tuberville said. “I don’t just do this to be doing it, I’m not up here for any kind of ego, I wouldn’t run for governor for any kind of ego. I want to help the people of Alabama.”

Alabama voters starting to think about what they want to see in the next governor.

“Everything with the economy is so hard right now, there’s a lot of improvements I think that could be made,” Birmingham resident Kelly Bowman said. “I lived in Nashville for 17 years and I can tell you having no state income tax was actually really nice.”

“I just hope whoever comes next has integrity,” Hueytown resident Logan Middlebrooks said. “I think as long as we can continue to build unity and even across political lines, that’s important to me.”

“We have a really big refugee population in Alabama and I feel like there’s so many people coming in and stuff and not enough tolerance. People aren’t willing to help and stuff,” Tuscaloosa resident Karter Wilbert said. “Everything is getting cut, social security, SNAP, all this other stuff. So, somebody that’s running on those platforms to help those less fortunate, disadvantaged or whatever.”

DeMarco says this May will be interesting, as he expects many announcements to be made during that month. He says an announcement from Tuberville could be very influential on other potential candidates.