Republican Jerry Carl has a significant lead in the GOP primary race for Alabama’s First Congressional District, new polling shows.
Of likely GOP primary voters, 25.2% said they’d vote for Carl today, according to The Alabama Poll. That compares to 9.2% who said Alabama Rep. Rhett Marques and 8.8% for Joshua McKee.
Carl, of Mobile, served two terms in the U.S. House and lost the 2024 GOP primary to U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, when a newly drawn map moved Moore from the second to the first district. Moore is now running for U.S. Senate. Marques is a two-term Alabama House member from Enterprise.
A significant majority of voters – 56.8% – are still undecided. The poll surveyed 400 likely Republican primary voters on Jan. 23. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9%.
“Carl’s lead is driven entirely by name identification,” the poll’s executive summary says. “Among voters who have heard of all three candidates, the race tightens considerably. The massive undecided bloc, 57%, represents both opportunity and vulnerability – these voters are available to whichever candidate can define the race first.”
While Marques may not have the name recognition that Carl has in much of the district, he does have another name he can use: U.S. Sen. Katie Britt. She’s endorsed him and given his campaign $10,000.
Other recent polling by Lowry shows that among some GOP voters, a Britt endorsement is worth as much or more than one from President Donald Trump.
A Trump endorsement makes the GOP voters polled 15% to 16% less likely to support a candidate, The Alabama Poll information said. Only 11% said the same about Britt.
Britt performs significantly better with moderates and women, segments where Trump’s endorsements underperform or actively work against candidates, the polling summary said.
And while 39% said Trump’s endorsement makes “no difference,” a Britt endorsement would move 25% toward “more likely.”
The primary is May 19.