DJ
Doug Jones
Democratic · Governor, Alabama
2026 General Election
Doug Jones is the 2026 Democratic nominee for Governor of Alabama. He served as a U.S. Senator from Alabama from 2018 to 2021, winning a special election over Roy Moore in a historic upset before losing his re-election bid to Tommy Tuberville in 2020. Before his Senate career he was a federal prosecutor who successfully prosecuted two Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham. The 2026 governor's race is a rematch of sorts against Tuberville in a state that heavily favors Republicans.
Views on the Issues
Gov. Jones’s stated positions alongside Democratic and Republican party platforms. Sources cited below each position. MyPolity does not editorialize.
Democratic Platform
Doug Jones
Republican Platform
Economy & Taxes
Democratic Platform
Democrats support progressive taxation, with higher rates on top earners and corporations to fund public investment. The party favors raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions, and expanding worker protections. Democrats generally support government investment in infrastructure, education, and social programs as drivers of broad economic growth.Doug Jones
Jones supports targeted federal and state investment in Alabama's workforce, infrastructure, and rural communities as the path to broad-based economic growth. He has backed trade policies that protect Alabama's manufacturing workers, supports small business development, and has emphasized the economic benefits of expanding Medicaid and healthcare access for Alabama's working families.Republican Platform
Republicans favor lower taxes across income levels, with particular emphasis on cutting corporate and capital gains taxes to stimulate investment and job creation. The party supports deregulation, reduced government spending, and free market solutions over federal programs as the primary engine of prosperity.Healthcare
Democratic Platform
Democrats support expanding access to affordable healthcare, including protecting the Affordable Care Act and moving toward a public option or expanded Medicare coverage. The party broadly favors government negotiation of prescription drug prices and opposes removing protections for pre-existing conditions.Doug Jones
Jones has consistently supported the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion in Alabama, which has not expanded under the ACA and has among the highest rates of uninsured residents in the country. He supports protecting coverage for pre-existing conditions, lowering prescription drug prices, and expanding access to mental health and substance abuse treatment.Republican Platform
Republicans have generally sought to repeal or significantly reform the Affordable Care Act, favoring market-based solutions. The party supports expanding health savings accounts, increasing competition among insurers across state lines, and reducing federal mandates on coverage requirements.Immigration
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, including DACA recipients, and favor comprehensive immigration reform. The party supports increased resources for legal immigration processing and a humanitarian approach to asylum seekers at the border.Doug Jones
Jones supports comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and long-term undocumented residents. He takes a pragmatic approach that includes both border security improvements and legal reforms, rejecting what he views as the false choice between open borders and harsh enforcement-only policies.Republican Platform
Republicans prioritize border security and strict enforcement of existing immigration law. The party broadly supports completing physical border barriers, ending policies they view as incentivizing illegal entry, and reforming legal immigration to favor applicants with marketable skills.Education
Democratic Platform
Democrats favor robust federal investment in public K-12 education and higher education, along with policies to reduce or eliminate student loan debt. The party generally opposes using public funds for private school vouchers and supports universal pre-K and affordable childcare.Doug Jones
Jones supports robust investment in Alabama's public school system and has backed federal education funding increases. He supports raising teacher pay, expanding pre-K access, and ensuring affordable higher education through community colleges and state universities. He has been critical of voucher programs that divert funding from Alabama's public schools.Republican Platform
Republicans support school choice, including voucher programs for private and religious schools, and local control over curriculum decisions. The party generally opposes federal education mandates and broadly supports parental rights in schooling. Many Republicans oppose student loan forgiveness as unfair to borrowers who repaid their loans.Gun Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support stricter gun safety measures, including universal background checks, red flag laws, and restrictions on assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The party frames these regulations as consistent with the Second Amendment and necessary to reduce mass shootings.Doug Jones
Jones supports expanded background checks and targeted gun safety measures while acknowledging the strong gun culture in Alabama. As a former prosecutor he has approached gun policy through a public safety lens, backing measures he argues would reduce gun violence without infringing on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Alabamians.Republican Platform
Republicans strongly defend Second Amendment rights and generally oppose new gun control legislation, arguing that existing laws should be enforced more effectively. The party emphasizes mental health intervention, the right to self-defense, and opposes what they view as infringement on law-abiding gun owners.Climate & Energy
Democratic Platform
Democrats view climate change as an urgent crisis requiring immediate government action. The party supports transitioning to clean energy through federal investment and regulation, reducing carbon emissions across the economy, and meeting international climate commitments. Democrats generally oppose expanding fossil fuel development on public lands.Doug Jones
Jones supports clean energy investment and views Alabama's significant solar and clean manufacturing potential as an economic opportunity. He backs federal climate commitments and supports protecting Alabama's natural landscapes and agricultural sector from the effects of climate change, while advocating for a transition that does not leave Alabama's energy workers behind.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American energy independence through domestic production of oil, gas, and coal alongside renewable development. Many in the party are skeptical of aggressive climate regulations they argue harm economic growth and jobs. Republicans generally prefer market-based energy solutions over government mandates and oppose restrictions that raise energy costs for families.Foreign Policy
Democratic Platform
Democrats generally support a multilateral approach to foreign policy, emphasizing alliances, international institutions, and diplomacy as the first line of engagement. The party broadly supports maintaining NATO commitments, providing aid to democratic allies, and engaging international bodies to address shared challenges.Doug Jones
Jones supports strong U.S. alliances, NATO commitments, and continued backing for Ukraine against Russian aggression. He takes an engagement-based approach to foreign policy and supports continued U.S. leadership in international institutions. Alabama's significant military installations make strong defense spending a priority he has consistently backed.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize American sovereignty, a strong military as a deterrent, and bilateral relationships over multilateral institutions. The party broadly supports robust defense spending and is skeptical of international agreements they view as constraining American action or requiring open-ended foreign commitments.Social Security
Democratic Platform
Democrats oppose cuts to Social Security or Medicare benefits and support expanding both programs. The party generally favors raising the Social Security payroll tax cap on high earners to ensure long-term solvency and opposes any form of privatization.Doug Jones
Jones has been a consistent defender of Social Security and Medicare, opposing any cuts to earned benefits. He supports protecting both programs' long-term solvency and has backed allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices as a way to reduce costs while preserving the program's fiscal foundation.Republican Platform
Republicans support reforming Social Security and Medicare to ensure long-term fiscal solvency, which some in the party argue requires adjusting benefits or eligibility ages. The party opposes tax increases to fund the programs and some members have supported personal investment account options.Criminal Justice
Democratic Platform
Democrats broadly support criminal justice reform, including reducing mandatory minimum sentences, addressing racial disparities in policing and incarceration, and investing in community-based alternatives. The party generally supports police accountability measures and evidence-based approaches to reducing recidivism.Doug Jones
Jones brings a career prosecutor's perspective to criminal justice, having spent decades as a federal attorney. He supports both accountability for violent crime and evidence-based reforms that reduce recidivism and address racial disparities in the system. He is particularly focused on community-based approaches to violence prevention and reentry services for people leaving incarceration.Republican Platform
Republicans emphasize law and order, strong support for law enforcement, and tough penalties for crime. The party generally opposes reducing mandatory minimum sentences for violent offenses and supports prosecutors pursuing strong sentences. Republicans broadly oppose policies they view as undermining police authority or creating leniency for criminals.About these profiles. Party platform positions are drawn from the 2024 Democratic and Republican national platforms. Candidate positions are sourced from official statements, voting records, and campaign websites. MyPolity does not editorialize or endorse any candidate.