NBC News projects that longtime Alabama Democrat and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones will win the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. He will face Republican Tommy Tuberville in the general election.
Who is Doug Jones?
Doug Jones is an American lawyer and former U.S. Senator from Alabama who is expected to be the winner of the 2026 Democratic primary. alabama Governor.
Jones, best known for prosecuting two Ku Klux Klan members involved in the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, served in the Senate from 2018 to 2021 but lost re-election to Republican Tommy Tuberville.
early life and education
Jones was born on May 4, 1954, in Fairfield, Alabama. His father worked for U.S. Steel and his mother was a homemaker. He earned a degree in political science from the University of Alabama and then a law degree from Samford University Cumberland School of Law.
His public service career began as counsel to former Alabama Sen. Howell Heflin on the Senate Judiciary Committee and later as an assistant U.S. attorney.
Prosecutors who received national attention
Jones rose to prominence as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 1997 to 2001 during the presidential administration. bill clinton.
He is best known for his successful prosecution of two Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church, an attack that killed four black girls. The convictions came nearly four decades after the bombings.
Jones also helped prosecute domestic terrorist Eric Rudolph in connection with the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Park bombing and the 1998 Birmingham abortion clinic bombing.
U.S. Senate career
Jones won a landslide victory over Republican Roy Moore in a 2017 Senate special election. His victory made him the first Democrat from Alabama elected to the U.S. Senate in 25 years.
Jones was sworn in in 2018 and will serve until 2021. During his term, he focused on bipartisan legislation, health care, education and veterans’ issues. He lost his 2020 re-election bid to Republican Tommy Tuberville.
Also read: Today’s election results: Who won Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Idaho?
family and personal life
Doug Jones married Louise New Jones. The couple has three children: Courtney, Carson and Christopher, as well as several grandchildren. They live in Birmingham, Alabama.
2026 Alabama Governor’s Race
Jones launched his campaign for Alabama governor in late 2025. NBC News projects Jones to be the winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary. He will now face Republican Tommy Tuberville in the general election.
