Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones speaks with WSFA 12 News ahead of the 2026 primary election.

Doug Jones sharply criticized the Department of Justice’s criminal prosecution of the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center, calling it another example of the agency being weaponized against President Donald Trump’s political opponents.

Jones, a former U.S. Senator, spent Tuesday afternoon in Newville, taking voters' questions on agricultural, immigration and educational policies.

“While Sen. Tuberville’s residency is a serious issue for voters, Doug Jones has no plans to challenge it in court,” a spokeswoman for Jones said in a statement. “He is focused on winning the Democratic primary for Governor on May 19th.”

Jones called on Governor Kay Ivey to suspend Alabama's gas tax for 60 days, saying a suspension of the state's 30-cent gas tax and 31-cent diesel tax would put over $100 million back into the pockets of Alabama families facing rising prices at the pump.

Jones said suspending the state’s 30‑cent gasoline tax and 31‑cent diesel tax for 60-90 days would put more than $100 million back into the hands of Alabamians.

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones also voiced concerns for independents in a statement sent Thursday. 

“We have seen this before: Dog whistle rhetoric for political gain,” Jones said. “And we need good people from all across the political spectrum to stand up and counter this.”

Doug Jones challenged Tommy Tuberville to release his Alabama tax returns and residency records, pledging to do the same — as questions about where each candidate actually lives continued to surface in the 2026 governor's race.

Former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, a Democratic candidate for Alabama governor, condemned anti-Muslim comments made by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tubervile on Tuesday, calling them “vile” and “racist and Islamophobic.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones tossed his support behind ending the straight-ticket voting option in Alabama.

“It’s no surprise a Florida casino would donate to Senator Tuberville,” said Lillian Thomas, a spokesperson for Jones. “When you live in Florida, Florida special interest groups see you as their guy.”

The former U.S. Senator criticizes Alabama's Republican-backed legislative moves, warning they're power grabs that risk democratic principles.

The former Alabama senator joins the Levine Museum of the New South for a live podcast taping on the Carolina Theatre stage.

Doug Jones said two recent rulings dismissing residency challenges against top Republican candidates highlight what he calls a “rigged system” that “flourishes under one party rule.”

Doug Jones called Alabama's straight-ticket voting system "nothing more than a rigged system to keep powerful people in power," and vowed to eliminate it if elected governor.

“Think about how far in about five years we’ve gone when your U.S. Senator, a son of the South, led a reading of a writing from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he was in jail … to now where a U.S. Senator recently took to the floor of the Senate to sow the seeds of hate against the Muslim community,”

Doug Jones lays out why Tommy Tuberville’s record can’t be defended — and why his run for Alabama governor should alarm voters statewide.

Jones, an attorney who has served as U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, said of the race: "This office is so important to the folks of Alabama. They deserve a governor that is going to fight for them."

Doug Jones kicked off his gubernatorial campaign before roughly 1,000 supporters in Birmingham, declaring that the stakes are too high to treat the race like a game.

Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, who made history as the first Democrat to win statewide office in Alabama since 2008, announced his candidacy for governor in November 2025.