BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Inflation and the cost of living are the top concern for likely Republican primary voters in Alabama, according to a new Cygnal poll commissioned by Alabama Daily News and Gray Television.
The poll also found most respondents believe Alabama is headed in the right direction, President Donald Trump’s endorsement matters to many voters but not all, and U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville has a wide lead in the Republican primary for governor.
The most important issue
Among likely Republican primary voters, 28.3% named inflation and the cost of living as their most important issue heading into the 2026 election.
The next most frequently named top issue was conservative values, chosen by 12.6% of respondents. Illegal immigration and border security followed at 11%, taxes and government spending at 9.9%, jobs and the economy at 8.2%, election integrity at 7%, crime and public safety at 5.2%, national security at 3.7%, pro-life protections and progressive threats at 3.2% each, and gun rights at 2.1%. Another 5.1% were unsure.
Inflation and the cost of living ranked especially high among voters who identified as independents but are likely to vote in the Republican primary. More than half of those voters, 55%, named it their top issue. Among traditional GOP voters, 43% did so.
Among voters categorized in the poll as “Trump’s GOP,” inflation and the cost of living was still one of the top issues, but responses were more evenly split among that issue, conservative values, and illegal immigration and border security.
The chart shows a breakdown of which groups said which issue is the most important in the upcoming primary election. Click here if you’re unable to see the chart.
The direction of the state
Most likely Republican primary voters in the poll said Alabama is headed in the right direction.
Overall, 69.1% said the state is on the right track, including 8.5% who said it is “definitely” on the right track and 60.6% who said it is “mostly” on the right track. Another 21.6% said Alabama is on the wrong track, and 9.3% were unsure.
Moderates and independents in the poll were more skeptical. In both groups, slightly more than half said Alabama is on the wrong track.
The chart shows a breakdown of which groups said Alabama is headed in the right or wrong direction. Click here if you’re unable to see the chart.
Trump’s endorsement
Trump’s endorsement remains important to many likely Republican primary voters, but the poll suggests it is not decisive for everyone.
About 37% of respondents said they would either definitely vote for or strongly consider voting for the candidate endorsed by Trump. Another 16.2% said they would consider Trump’s endorsement as part of their decision.
But 31.8% said Trump’s endorsement would not affect their vote, and 12.3% said they would vote for a candidate even without Trump’s endorsement. Another 2.7% were unsure.
The chart below shows how groups said Trump’s endorsement would impact their vote in the primary election. Click here if you’re unable to see the chart.
Tuberville’s lead
The poll also showed Tuberville with a dominant lead in the Republican primary for governor, with support across every subgroup included in the survey.
If the Republican primary were held today, 65.7% of respondents said they would vote for Tuberville. Ken McFeeters drew 7.2% support, while Will Santivasci received 3.3%. Another 24.3% were undecided.
The chart below shows how groups said they would vote is the primary was today. Click here if you’re unable to see the chart.
The survey of 500 likely Republican primary voters was conducted April 29 and 30. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%.