Primary runoff 2026: what to know, who’s on the ballot

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama voters will again head to polls Tuesday for the state’s primary runoff elections.

The runoff is for races where no candidate earned more than 50% in the May 19 primary. It’s the last step for parties to decide their nominees for the general election.

Polls will be open statewide from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. No crossover voting is allowed in runoffs, meaning Alabamians who voted in May have to vote in the same party’s runoff.

People who did not cast a ballot in the primary can choose which runoff they want to participate in.

More than 3.8 million people are registered to vote in Alabama, according to the most recent available data from the secretary of state’s office. But in the May 19 primary election, just 23% of those registered voted. That’s about the same as 2022, the last comparable election. That year, turnout in the runoff election fell to just 12.8%.

There are five statewide runoffs on the Republican ballot and one on the Democratic ticket.

There may be other local and countywide races on your ballot. Click here to find a sample ballot for your area.

U.S. Senate race

Both parties’ Senate primaries to replace U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville are headed to a runoff. Tuberville is now the GOP nominee for governor.

On the Republican side, former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson and U.S. Rep. Barry Moore are battling it out to make it to November.

Moore is endorsed by President Donald Trump and has the financial support of several conservative PACs and super PACs. Losses for Trump-backed candidates have been rare across the 2026 election cycle, but recent polling shows Hudson pulling ahead in the race for the first time.

Moore and Hudson earned their spots in the GOP runoff with 39% and 26% of the vote, respectively.

Democrats Dakarai Larriett and Everett Wess are also fighting for their party’s nomination.

Wess, an attorney, led the field in May, earning 40% of the vote. Larriett, a businessman, followed with 29%.

The runoff winners will meet in November to decide who will join U.S. Sen. Katie Britt in Washington.

Congressional elections

Though four of Alabama’s congressional districts will hold a special primary on Aug. 11, there’s still one race on the ballot on Tuesday. Alabama changing back to its 2023 congressional map did not alter the boundary lines of the state’s 3rd, 4th or 5th districts.

Democrats Candice Dollar Duvieilh and Andrew Sneed are vying for the nomination to represent Alabama’s 5th congressional district.

Sneed, a Huntsville small business owner, came out of the primary with a lead, earning 42% of the vote for the North Alabama seat. Duvieilh, a former educator, got 36%.

The winner will face U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, the incumbent, in the November general election.

Lieutenant governor

John Wahl, former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, and Wes Allen, the current secretary of state, are competing in a tight runoff for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

Wahl led the May 19 primary with 41% of the vote, followed by Allen with 38%. The primary was a crowded, seven-person field, but the two easily punched their tickets to the runoff.

Wahl joined the race at the last minute after a surprise endorsement from Trump. The runoff will be a test of Trump’s influence in a state where his approval rating is soaring.

The winner of the runoff will face Democratic state Rep. Phillip Ensler of Montgomery.

Attorney general

One of the most heated races on the ballot, the Republican attorney general primary has been full of PAC money, attack ads and shots back and forth.

Katherine Robertson, chief counsel to current Attorney General Steve Marshall, and Jay Mitchell, a former justice on the Alabama Supreme Court, are fighting hard to secure the GOP nomination.

Robertson is headed into the runoff with a lead, earning 41% of the vote in the primary. Mitchell trailed her with 34% of the vote.

Blount County District Attorney Pamela Casey finished third place in the race. She has since endorsed Mitchell.

Since the primary, both candidates have racked up numerous endorsements from law enforcement officers across the state.

Democrat Jeff McLaughlin awaits the runoff winner in the general election.

Commissioner of agriculture and industries

The Republican ag commissioner race was one of the closest on the ballots in May.

Douglas Mayor Corey Hill and Baldwin County business owner Christina Woerner McInnis advanced to the runoff with 35% of the vote each.

The winner will meet former ag commissioner and Democrat Ron Sparks in the general election.

Public Service Commission

The PSC races are usually relatively quiet, but the role of the PSC has been elevated this year after a major legislative effort to overhaul its structure and rein in electricity rates became one of the most high profile issues of the 2026 session.

A challenger already ousted one Republican incumbent on the PSC, but another faces a serious challenge in the runoff.

Former State Auditor Jim “Zig” Zeigler and incumbent Chris Beeker are competing for the GOP nomination for Place 2 on the board tasked with regulating some of the state’s utilities.

Zeigler led the primary with 45% of the vote. Beeker, who has served on the board since 2024, got 25%.

Democrat Sheila McNeil will face the runoff winner in November,

State House seats

Six state legislative races – one for the Alabama State Senate and five for the Alabama House of Representatives – will be on primary runoff ballots on Tuesday.

Senate District 2

Rudolph Valentino Drake and Alex House are headed to the Democratic runoff for the North Alabama district. Drake led the primary field with 37% with House close behind at 34%.

Sen. Tom Butler, R-Madison, did not seek re-election. The winner of the runoff will face Republican John Roberts in the general election.

House District 17

Republicans Phil Segraves and Micheal Beck are in a runoff for the open District 17 seat, which includes all of Marion and Lamar Counties and part of Winston County in northwest Alabama. Segraves earned 49.7% of the vote, just missing the 50% threshold, while Beck took 27% in the primary.

The district’s current representative, Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, did not seek re-election.

Because no Democrat qualified for the race, the runoff winner will effectively take the seat.

House District 37

Republicans Jeff Monroe and John Jacobs are competing in a runoff for the open seat in Randolph and Chambers counties. Monroe secured 38% while Jacobs captured 35% of the vote.

The winner of the runoff will face off against Democrat Michelle French in November.

House District 52

After unseating incumbent Rep. Kelvin Datcher, Democrats Gigi Hayes and LaTanya Millhouse are competing in a runoff to represent the Birmingham-area district. Hayes earned 49% of the primary vote, while Millhouse earned 26%. Datcher came in third place with 25%.

There are no Republicans running in District 52. The runoff winner will be unopposed.

House District 82

Rep. Pebblin Warren is fighting to defend her seat after earning only 48% of the vote in the primary. Challenger Sidney “Doc” Brown won 23% of the vote.

The winner of the runoff will be unopposed in the general election.

House District 95

Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, R-Foley, is headed to a runoff against challenger Joe Freeman for the South Baldwin County seat. Jones secured 42% of the vote, followed by Freeman at 39%.

The Alabama Farmers Federation’s FarmPAC, one of the most influential groups in the state, endorsed Freeman. FarmPAC-backed challengers fared very well in the primary.