MONTGOMERY, Ala. – As campaign season ramps up, Alabama gubernatorial nominees Tommy Tuberville and Doug Jones have each released their first television ads.
Tuberville and Jones, who are campaigning in a rematch of the 2020 U.S. Senate race that started Tuberville’s political career, did minimal TV advertising during the primary.
Jones’ ad hits on data centers, an issue that has clearly divided the candidates.
Jones, a former U.S. Senator and Democrat, has repeatedly called for a one-year moratorium on the massive facilities that power artificial intelligence to allow communities to put stronger restrictions in place. Tuberville, one of Alabama’s two Republican senators, has been outspoken in his support for data centers, alleging that any anti-data center rhetoric is propaganda from Democrats and China.
“Data center developers are getting big tax breaks from Montgomery, and Tommy Tuberville is taking their money,” Jones said in the 30-second ad. “Worse, Tuberville is pushing to build AI data centers across Alabama and says your concerns about higher electric bills, water usage and harms to your communities and environment are ‘bullcrap.’”
Jones also emphasizes Tuberville’s acceptance of $25,000 from Dallas-based Applied Digital Corporation, a company connected to a proposed data center in Brookwood, as first reported by AL.com.
The Jones campaign did not respond to a request for more information about the ad buy but indicated in a news release that the ad will run on broadcast and cable.
Tuberville’s 30-second ad is more general, highlighting several of his accomplishments during his time in Washington and proposing policies he would champion as governor.
After likening Democrats’ record to “more taxes and less results,” Tuberville says he helped to pass the “largest working class tax cut in history” through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and delivered Alabama “over $2,800 in annual savings” on taxes while in Congress.
“As your governor I’ll cut taxes even more further, starting with the elimination of the state’s grocery tax, and I’ll audit every state dollar, ensuring your tax dollars deliver real results,” Tuberville said in the video. “Less taxes, more results: that’s my slogan.”
The Tuberville campaign did not respond to Alabama Daily News’ request for more information about the ad.
The general election is Nov. 3.