MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Republican gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville has released an ad centered on education as he battles Democrat Doug Jones in the race to be Alabama’s next governor.
Tuberville’s ad, titled “Smarter Plan,” hits on the current U.S. senator’s aspirations for the Alabama education system, namely strengthening the state’s school choice program established by the CHOOSE Act.
When it comes to education, we’ve got the smarter plan.
The goal is simple: protect school choice and empower parents. Let’s educate Alabama’s future generation, not indoctrinate them. pic.twitter.com/GoFhCbBaSB
— Tommy Tuberville (@CoachForGov) September 22, 2026
“We’ve got a smarter plan. Let’s start by protecting school choice and empowering parents,” Tuberville says in the ad. “Reward the good teachers while holding the poor ones accountable and focus on workforce development.”
Tuberville says in the 30-second video that education is about making Alabamians “life ready,” not just preparing students for the workforce or higher education.
Though not mentioning Jones – a former U.S. senator – verbally, the ad also highlights the Democrat’s past comments expressing skepticism about the CHOOSE Act.
“Liberals: they love to tell you how brilliant they are, but their education plan kicks tens of thousands of children out of the school of their choice,” Tuberville says in the ad.
Jones addressed the topic in a live video on X last month. Jones said in the video that though he’s not opposed to private schools, he opposes using public money for private schools.
“I think that the CHOOSE Act was an ill-conceived act,” Jones said. “I do not like the fact that taxpayer dollars are going over into private schools, private schools that by the way have no real accountability… I think it’s wrong to take money out of public schools. My bigger concern right now is that under the CHOOSE Act, we’re fixing to lift the income caps.”
The Legislature enacted the CHOOSE Act, short for Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our Students’ Education Act, in 2024, creating Alabama’s first statewide education savings account program. It allows eligible families to use public funds for approved education expenses, including tuition, textbooks, curriculum materials, school fees and certain educational services such as occupational or speech therapy.
While the law describes the ESA as a “refundable tax credit,” the program operates differently from a traditional tax credit. The ESAs are funded through the state’s Education Trust Fund, managed through ClassWallet and paid directly to schools or other approved providers. Families never handle the money themselves.
The Tuberville campaign did not return Alabama Daily News’ request for more information about the ad buy or targeted markets.
The general election is on Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 19.