Alabama spoke on Tuesday. And for the trucking industry, the full picture is a lot more encouraging than any single headline might suggest.
Alabama’s 2026 General Elections are set. Yesterday’s primary elections for party nominations heading into the crucial 2026 Midterm Elections have established the candidates running for state and local offices. These races will certainly impact business and regulatory issues as the trucking industry faces stiff economic headwinds, legal pressure, and an industry in transition to eliminate fraud and bad actors from its ranks.
Among the races state trucking leaders were watching closely were the state attorney general and lieutenant governor. In the hotly contested AG’s race, Katherine Robertson has clinched the Republican nomination in Alabama’s attorney general race, defeating Jay Mitchell with approximately 55%, according to unofficial primary runoff results with 65 of 67 counties reporting. The “Trucker Endorsed” Mitchell, a former Alabama Supreme Court justice, earned just 45%.
Robertson now moves on to face Democrat Jeff McLaughlin in the general election. McLaughlin, a former state representative, was unopposed in the Democratic primary. If elected, Robertson would be the state’s first-ever woman attorney general. She has worked as the current AG Steve Marshall’s chief counsel for a decade.
Meanwhile, the former chair of the Alabama Republican Party, John Wahl, soundly defeated Wes Allen with nearly 60% of the vote, according to unofficial election night results.
Wahl will now face Democratic state Rep. Phillip Ensler of Montgomery in the general election.
The marquee race was the GOP nomination to fill the seat of U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is stepping down to run for governor. Barry Moore “Trumped” ex-Navy SEAL Jared Hudson, winning the Republican nomination with 56% of the vote, according to unofficial results. While Alabama Trucking doesn’t endorse in federal election, that’s a significant development for the trucking industry. Moore, a CDL holder, has been a consistent voice for deregulation, supply chain integrity, and working-class economic priorities throughout his time in Congress.
Endorsed by President Trump, Moore is the frontrunner in the general election to succeed Sen. Tuberville. Moore will now face Democrat Everett Wess in November, who won 55% of the vote over civil rights advocate Dakarai Larriett in yesterday’s Democratic Runoff.
Other Races
Corey Hill won Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff for Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries, defeating Christina Woerner Mcinnis for the party’s nomination. Hill will face Democratic nominee Ron Sparks, a former agriculture and industries commissioner, in the November election. The PSC Place 2 race was as close as they come — Jim Zeigler held off Chris Beeker 51% to 49%.
Down the Ballot: Three Alabama Trucking Wins
Three ATA-endorsed candidates won their legislative runoffs Tuesday, and they won decisively.
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GiGi Hayes crushed her Democratic runoff challenger in House District 52, pulling 75% of the vote — 2,127 votes to LaTanya Millhouse’s 713. Hayes, a Birmingham attorney, runs in a district with no Republican opponent, which means she is effectively the next state representative from HD 52. Having a new voice in the Alabama House who engaged with ATA’s priorities and earned TrukPAC’s support before she even takes office is exactly the kind of long-game investment that pays dividends for years.
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Pebblin Warren, the longtime Democratic incumbent from Tuskegee, held her House District 82 seat with 61% of the vote, turning back a challenge from university administrator Sidney Brown in a race that covered all of Macon County and part of Lee County. Warren faces Republican Kinsley Hammons in November’s general election, but she enters that race with the wind at her back — and with ATA’s support firmly behind her. Warren has been a reliable partner for trucking interests across the aisle, and her win is a win for the industry.
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Frances Holk-Jones survived a tough challenge in House District 95, winning the Baldwin County Republican runoff 52% to 48% — 3,109 votes to Joe Freeman’s 2,837. That margin sounds thin, but the outcome is not: with no Democratic opponent in the general election, Holk-Jones is headed back to the Alabama House. The Foley Republican has been a consistent ally on issues that matter to South Alabama’s freight and logistics economy, and her return to Montgomery is good news for everyone moving goods along the Gulf Coast corridor.
What’s Next?
The November 3 General Election is the final destination for these races. But the candidates who won yesterday will have a significant advantage heading into the fall — and the winners of the Republican primaries in a state like Alabama will likely hold significant offices for years to come.
There’s also a special primary election coming on August 11 for Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6, and 7, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed Alabama to revert to its 2023 congressional maps.
The Bottom Line
For Alabama’s trucking industry, elections aren’t abstract. The people who win these offices make decisions about roads, taxes, liability laws, regulations, and the legal climate that affects every carrier, every driver, and every family that depends on trucking for a living. Alabama Trucking’s TRUK PAC endorses candidates based on their support for policies that make it easier — not harder — to move freight safely and profitably in this state.
With the General Elections now set, Alabama Trucking TRUK PAC leaders will determine the best candidates to bring about a trucking resurgence in the state. Stay tuned for more political coverage and analysis from AL Trucking News.
