Ivey, Tuberville Pledge Smooth Governor Transition
Outgoing Governor Kay Ivey phoned Governor-elect Tommy Tuberville to discuss transition details after his win over Doug Jones.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections
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Tommy Tuberville defeated Doug Jones in the Alabama governor's race, taking 51.78% of the vote to Jones's 47.87%. Governor Kay Ivey called Tuberville to congratulate him and discuss the transition, and the two released a joint statement from the Governor's Office.
Why it matters
The transition marks a change in leadership for Alabama after Ivey's tenure, with Tuberville set to take office in January. Ivey and Tuberville said they will work closely over the next two and a half months to ensure a smooth handoff.
Tuberville won with 51.78% of the vote to Jones's 47.87%, a margin of about 3.9 points. The stub does not report total vote counts or turnout figures for the race.
The players
Tommy Tuberville
Tuberville is a former United States Senator and college football coach from Auburn who won Alabama's 2026 governor's race.
Kay Ivey
Ivey is Alabama's outgoing governor, who took office in 2017 as the state's 54th governor after succeeding Robert Bentley.
Doug Jones
Jones is a former United States Senator from Alabama who lost the 2026 governor's race to Tuberville.
The details
Ivey cast the last ballot of her tenure as governor on Tuesday morning in Montgomery. She phoned Tuberville to congratulate him, and the Governor's Office released a joint statement from the two.
Timeline
Ivey became Alabama's 54th governor on April 10, 2017.
Ivey won full terms in 2018 and 2022.
Tuberville will be sworn in as Alabama's 55th governor on January 18, 2027.
Political Context
Ivey's 2017 accession followed the resignation of Robert Bentley, and her two full terms in 2018 and 2022 make her the longest-serving Alabama governor other than George Wallace. Tuberville's inauguration on January 18 will be the next step in that sequence of gubernatorial handoffs.
Alabama residents will see a new governor take office in January, and state agencies will operate under Tuberville's direction from that date. Tuberville has named Jordan Doufexis as his Chief of Staff, the figure who will oversee the early administration.
The takeaway
Leadership transitions in Alabama are typically handled through direct communication between outgoing and incoming governors, and this one is following that pattern. Readers tracking the change can watch the January 18 inauguration as the formal close of Ivey's tenure.
What happens next
Tuberville will be sworn in as Alabama's 55th governor on January 18, 2027, completing the handoff from Ivey.
Further reading
For more on how state leadership changes unfold, see our Elections coverage.
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