Alabama Governor 2026: the ads, and who's paying for them
Tommy Tuberville (Republican) and Doug Jones (Democrat) are the candidates for governor of Alabama in the November 3, 2026 general election. Semblen has analyzed 42 ads in this race; 27 used at least one manipulation technique, most often loaded language and name calling.
27 of 41 (66%) flagged · Loaded Language (22), Name Calling (17), Appeal to Prejudice (13)
YouTube
0 of 1 flagged
Reported Meta spend
$85,500–108,283 on all ads, $54,500–68,131 on flagged ads · Meta reports ranges; these are the sums of their ends
Example
“spreading lies” — Loaded Language, paid for by Doug For Alabama
· the flagged ad with the highest reported spend that shows the most common technique
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A small box with these findings and the newest ads, updated as new ads are analyzed. Free for newsrooms, blogs and campaigns alike; it links back here.
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Each side is the campaign plus the groups backing it. How a group is placed is explained below the table.
Side
Ads
With at least one technique
Most common
Tuberville (R)
31
22 of 31 (71%)
Loaded Language (18), Name Calling (13), Appeal to Prejudice (11)
Tuberville's campaign
5
5 of 5
Loaded Language (4), Appeal to Prejudice (3), Black-and-White Fallacy (3)
1 group backing Tuberville
26
17 of 26 (65%)
Loaded Language (14), Name Calling (11), Appeal to Fear (8)
Jones (D)
6
2 of 6
Loaded Language (2), Appeal to Fear (1), False Urgency (1)
All from the campaign; no ads here from groups placed on this side.
Not placed on a side (2 sponsors)
5
3 of 5
Name Calling (3), Appeal to Prejudice (2), Loaded Language (2)
Read this before comparing the sides. Ads that attack an opponent use these techniques far more often than ads that introduce a candidate, whoever runs them, so the side running more attack ads shows a higher share. A technique is about wording, not about whether an ad is true. These are online ads only (Meta and YouTube), not television.
How a group is placed: by its own filings with the Federal Election Commission. A group is with a candidate when it reported spending to support that candidate, or to oppose the other one in the general election. The parties' own committees are with their nominee. Spending against a candidate in a primary places a group nowhere, and neither does our reading of its ads: a group with no such filing is listed as not placed. The sponsor table gives the reason for each.
Decide what counts
Not everyone would call every technique manipulation. Untick the ones you'd call ordinary persuasion and the count updates.
64% of the 42 ads here use at least one of the techniques ticked below (27 ads).
Leaving out the softer ones (loaded language, glittering generalities, slogans, exaggeration, repetition): 64% of ads.
The words doing the work
The words that show up most in phrases our model flagged as loaded language or name calling in this race's ads, by number of ads.
liesin 4 ads· e.g. “Tommy's lies”, “lies about supporting veterans”
governmentin 3 ads· e.g. “make big government bigger”, “expand government control over your health care”
socialistin 3 ads· e.g. “Democrat Socialists”, “socialists”
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Money in this race
Candidates for governor report their fundraising to Alabama's state campaign-finance office, not the FEC. This page doesn't cover those reports yet, so it shows no money figures.
The ads
42 ads, newest first. Video transcripts are shown as the model read them, without caption cues like [music].
Showing the 26 ads paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTY. Show all 42 ads
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-05 to 2026-10-07spend $400–4996,000–6,999 impressions
Doug Jones’s record is more Marxist than moderate.
Name Calling: The label 'Marxist' is used as a derogatory political epithet to discredit Doug Jones rather than engage with his actual policy positions — for example: 'more Marxist than moderate'
Black-and-White Fallacy: The sentence presents only two possible characterizations of Jones's record — Marxist or moderate — ignoring the wide spectrum of political positions that exist between and beyond these two labels — for example: 'more Marxist than moderate'
Name Calling
Black-and-White Fallacy
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-056 variantsspend $0–5941,500–6,994 impressions
Doug Jones voted to weaken the border, got thousands of convicts out of prison early, and would trans Alabama kids in a New York minute.
Look at his record.
Loaded Language: The sentence uses emotionally charged terms designed to trigger fear and disgust rather than convey neutral facts — for example: 'weaken the border', 'convicts', 'trans Alabama kids'
Appeal to Fear: The sentence implies that Jones's policies would endanger communities through released criminals and harm children, creating anxiety to drive a negative reaction — for example: 'got thousands of convicts out of prison early'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The phrase 'in a New York minute' implies extreme eagerness and speed, overstating the claim beyond what evidence supports — for example: 'would trans Alabama kids in a New York minute'
Appeal to Prejudice: The reference to 'Alabama kids' invokes local in-group identity to frame Jones as a threat to the community's children and values — for example: 'trans Alabama kids'
Loaded Language
Appeal to Fear
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
An email when new ads come in from either side or the outside groups: the techniques, the words doing the work, and who paid. And each debate's analysis the morning after. One-click unsubscribe.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-032 variantsspend $100–29825,100–30,998 impressions
Doug Jones “would immediately work to abolish our state’s photo voter ID requirement, repeal our ban on ballot harvesting, and do his darnedest to transform Alabama’s election system from Fort Knox to the Wild, Wild West.”
Loaded Language: The phrase 'ballot harvesting' is a politically charged term used to negatively frame legal ballot collection practices, and 'Wild, Wild West' evokes chaos and lawlessness — for example: 'ballot harvesting' and 'Wild, Wild West'
Appeal to Fear: The metaphor of transforming the election system 'from Fort Knox to the Wild, Wild West' implies catastrophic loss of security and order, designed to frighten voters about the consequences of Jones's policies — for example: 'transform Alabama's election system from Fort Knox to the Wild, Wild West'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: Comparing the current election system to 'Fort Knox' and implying it would become the 'Wild, Wild West' under Jones is an extreme overstatement of both the current security and the projected chaos — for example: 'from Fort Knox to the Wild, Wild West'
Loaded Language
Appeal to Fear
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-032 variantsspend $400–59830,100–35,998 impressions
Lauderdale and Colbert County Republicans are getting ready for a Grand Ole Party! 🇺🇸
Join the Lauderdale County and Colbert County Republican Parties on Monday, October 19, at the Renaissance Marriott Conference Center for a rally with Coach Tommy Tuberville.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with the Grand Ole Party Rally beginning at 7:00 p.m. General admission is free, with VIP tickets and sponsorship opportunities also available.
Get your tickets and find more information here: https://bit.ly/3VxBpbc
We hope to see a great crowd from across North Alabama on October 19!
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-03 to 2026-10-07spend $500–59930,000–34,999 impressions
Auburn, get ready!
Join Coach Tommy Tuberville on the campus of Auburn University for an evening with College Republicans this Tuesday, October 6, from 6–7 p.m.
Auburn University Student Center, Third Floor Ballroom A
255 Heisman Drive
Parking available in the Stadium Deck
We hope to see you there!
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Loaded Language: The words 'dishonest' and 'disrespectful' are emotionally charged labels used to attack Doug Jones's character rather than address any specific argument or policy — for example: 'dishonest and disrespectful'
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'our young girls' invokes in-group identity and protective instincts to frame Doug Jones as a threat to a sympathetic group, exploiting audience loyalty — for example: 'our young girls in sports'
Name Calling: Doug Jones is labeled 'dishonest and disrespectful' as a derogatory characterization intended to discredit him rather than engage with his actual positions — for example: 'Doug Jones is as dishonest and disrespectful'
Loaded Language
Appeal to Prejudice
Name Calling
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Name Calling: The label 'D.C. Doug Jones' is a derogatory nickname designed to associate the politician with Washington insider culture and discredit him rather than address his actual positions — for example: D.C. Doug Jones
Loaded Language: The phrase 'big government bigger' uses emotionally charged language to trigger a negative reaction against government expansion without factual context — for example: make big government bigger
Name Calling
Loaded Language
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Loaded Language: The word 'radical' is an emotionally charged label used to trigger a negative reaction toward Doug Jones rather than convey factual information — for example: 'radical Doug Jones'
Name Calling: The term 'radical' is used as a derogatory label to discredit Doug Jones without addressing any specific policy or argument — for example: 'how radical Doug Jones is'
Appeal to Prejudice: The sentence invokes Alabama's collective identity and memory as a unified in-group that rejects Jones, implying he is an outsider to shared values — for example: 'Alabama hasn't forgotten'
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Appeal to Fear: The rhetorical question implies that a policy or person would release dangerous criminals, creating anxiety about public safety to override rational deliberation — for example: 'more criminals back on Alabama's streets faster'
Loaded Language: The word 'criminals' is used in an emotionally charged way to frame individuals as dangerous threats rather than using neutral policy language — for example: 'criminals back on Alabama's streets'
Black-and-White Fallacy: The rhetorical question frames the issue as a binary: either you oppose the policy or you want more criminals on the streets, leaving no room for nuanced positions — for example: 'Who wants more criminals back on Alabama's streets faster?'
Appeal to Fear
Loaded Language
Black-and-White Fallacy
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-03spend $0–997,000–7,999 impressions
Do you ever wonder how violent illegals burrowed into Alabama communities?
Thank Leftists.
As senator, Doug Jones worked to make it easier for foreign criminals to victimize Americans on our soils.
Loaded Language: The terms 'violent illegals' and 'burrowed' are emotionally charged words designed to trigger fear and disgust rather than convey neutral facts — for example: 'violent illegals burrowed'
Scapegoating: The sentence frames undocumented immigrants as a singular threatening group responsible for infiltrating communities, implying they are the source of community problems — for example: 'violent illegals burrowed into Alabama communities'
Appeal to Fear: The rhetorical question is designed to provoke anxiety about a hidden threat infiltrating local communities, prompting an emotional rather than rational response — for example: 'how violent illegals burrowed into Alabama communities'
Name Calling: The derogatory label 'illegals' is used to dehumanize undocumented immigrants rather than refer to them in neutral or factual terms — for example: 'violent illegals'
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'on our soils' invokes an in-group/out-group dynamic, framing Americans as a protected group being threatened by outsiders — for example: 'on our soils'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The claim that Jones 'worked to make it easier for foreign criminals to victimize Americans' is an extreme overstatement of any actual legislative action, implying deliberate facilitation of crime — for example: 'worked to make it easier for foreign criminals to victimize Americans'
Loaded Language
Scapegoating
Appeal to Fear
Name Calling
Appeal to Prejudice
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'government control' is emotionally charged, framing a policy position in a way designed to trigger negative reactions about government overreach rather than neutrally describing a healthcare expansion proposal — for example: 'expand government control over your health care'
Name Calling: The phrase 'Democrat Socialists' is a derogatory label used to discredit the Democratic Party by associating them with socialism rather than addressing their actual positions — for example: Democrat Socialists
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-01 to 2026-10-06spend $700–79935,000–39,999 impressions
The Etowah County Reagan-Martin Dinner is coming up Monday, October 5, with U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville as the keynote speaker.
Monday, October 5
6:00 p.m.
The Venue at Coosa Landing
VIP and sponsor tables are available! Contact Misty Ledbetter at 256-613-4360 for more information.
Purchase tickets here: https://bit.ly/4hjVDfS
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-10-01spend $600–69930,000–34,999 impressions
Marshall County Republicans, mark your calendars!
The Marshall County Republican Party is hosting Liberty on the Lake with Coach Tommy Tuberville on Thursday, October 15, in Guntersville.
Thursday, October 15
4:30–6:00 p.m.
Marshall County RSVP Building (19272 US-431, Guntersville, AL 35976)
We hope to see you there!
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Name Calling: Derogatory labels 'election denier' and 'race baiter' are used to discredit Stacey Abrams without addressing any specific arguments or actions — for example: "election denier and race baiter".
Loaded Language: The phrase 'divide Alabamians against each other' uses emotionally charged language implying malicious intent to fracture a community — for example: 'divide Alabamians against each other'
Appeal to Prejudice: The framing appeals to in-group identity by implying that Doug Jones is working against 'Alabamians' as a unified group, positioning him as an outsider threat to local solidarity — for example: 'divide Alabamians against each other'
Name Calling
Loaded Language
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Appeal to Fear: The sentence warns parents that their current school choice will be taken away, creating anxiety to drive opposition to Doug Jones — for example: 'rip it away the moment he gets to Montgomery'
False Urgency: The phrase 'for now' implies an imminent threat and time pressure, suggesting school choice is about to disappear if action is not taken — for example: 'have school choice for now'
Loaded Language: The word 'rip' is emotionally charged and violent in connotation, designed to provoke a strong negative reaction rather than neutrally describe a policy change — for example: 'will rip it away'
Appeal to Fear
False Urgency
Loaded Language
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Appeal to Fear: The rhetorical question implies Doug Jones is a threat to children, triggering parental anxiety to override rational evaluation of his qualifications — for example: 'Would you want Doug Jones teaching your son or daughter?'
Appeal to Prejudice: The question exploits in-group identity by framing the issue as a personal threat to 'your' family, positioning the reader as a protective parent against an implied outsider threat — for example: 'your son or daughter'
Appeal to Fear
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Appeal to Fear: The sentence invites the audience to imagine a threatening future scenario where Doug Jones would mistreat Alabamians if given gubernatorial power — for example: 'imagine how he'd treat them as Governor'
Loaded Language: The phrase 'lashes out' is emotionally charged, implying aggressive and hostile behavior to trigger a negative reaction toward Doug Jones — for example: 'lashes out at Alabamians'
Exaggeration/Hyperbole: The sentence extrapolates from an unspecified current behavior to an extreme claim about how Jones would 'treat' all Alabamians who disagree with him as Governor, overstating the implication — for example: 'imagine how he'd treat them as Governor'
Appeal to Fear
Loaded Language
Exaggeration/Hyperbole
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-09-30 to 2026-10-02spend $100–1992,000–2,999 impressions
Doug Jones has vowed to destroy school choice in Alabama.
Full government control of your kids’ education is the very first goal socialists tell us they’re fighting for in 2026.
Loaded Language: The word 'destroy' is emotionally charged and extreme, framing opposition to school choice as an act of destruction rather than a policy disagreement — for example: 'vowed to destroy'
Name Calling: The term 'socialists' is used as a derogatory label to discredit a political group rather than engage with their actual policy positions — for example: socialists
Appeal to Fear: The phrase 'full government control of your kids' education' is designed to trigger parental anxiety about loss of control over children, framing a policy position as a direct threat to families — for example: Full government control of your kids' education
Black-and-White Fallacy: The sentence implies that the only alternative to the status quo is total government control of education, leaving no room for nuanced policy positions — for example: Full government control of your kids' education is the very first goal
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Appeal to Fear
Black-and-White Fallacy
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Loaded Language: The phrase 'radical trans agenda' uses emotionally charged language designed to trigger a negative reaction rather than describe policy positions factually — for example: 'radical trans agenda'
Name Calling: The term 'radical' is used as a derogatory label to discredit Doug Jones's policy positions without engaging with their substance — for example: 'radical trans agenda'
Appeal to Prejudice: The framing of 'parents' rights' versus a 'radical trans agenda' exploits in-group/out-group identity by implying Jones sided against parents and with a threatening out-group — for example: 'ignored parents' rights'
Loaded Language
Name Calling
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Paid for by ALABAMA REPUBLICAN PARTYfrom 2026-09-29spend $800–89950,000–59,999 impressions
Join the Baldwin County Republican Party at the Fellowship and Freedom Fish Fry & Rally on Tuesday, October 13 at the Daphne Civic Center!
The evening kicks off with a Next Generation Meet & Greet from 5:15–5:45 PM, where high school and college students can meet Coach Tommy Tuberville. The rally follows at 6:00 PM with a fish fry, speakers, and community fellowship.
High school and college students eat free with an RSVP.
General tickets are $30. See the graphic for RSVP and ticket information.
no techniques found
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
Name Calling: The word 'socialist' is used as a derogatory label to discredit Doug Jones and his associates rather than addressing their actual policy positions — for example: 'socialist friends'
Appeal to Prejudice: The phrase 'our country and our state' invokes in-group identity to frame Jones and his allies as outsiders threatening the community — for example: 'our country and our state'
Name Calling
Appeal to Prejudice
Looks up the ad's factual claims in fact-checkers, primary sources and wire reporting. Takes up to a minute.
An ad is on this page because its own "Paid for by" line is a campaign in this race; or it ran mostly in AL and names a nominee for governor — unless its sponsor is a campaign for some other office (a U.S. Senate or House campaign included), or it also names AL's Senate nominees, in which case it is on the Senate race's page. Ads from outside groups appear alongside the campaigns' own.
The candidates are the ones certified for the November ballot, from the source linked at the top. Governors are state offices, so there are no FEC filings behind this page: no money figures, and outside groups are placed on a side only when they are a campaign or a party committee.
Campaigns run one text as many separate ads. Identical text from the same sponsor is one card here, marked with its number of variants.
A technique is a specific manipulative move in the wording, found by our model and explained in one line. It is not a claim that the ad is false.
Claims are checked when a reader asks: press "Check this ad's claims" on a card. The check runs once and its result is shown to everyone afterwards. The ten ads with the most money behind them in each race are checked ahead of time.
Claim verdicts say what the cited sources say. A verdict that an ad is wrong or misleading is shown only when it cites an established fact-checker or an institutional record — Congress, a federal agency, a court — and its confidence is not low; a weaker one is not shown at all. Each verdict shows what it rests on and how confident it is. If we got one wrong, press Disagree: a verdict that readers dispute and no one defends comes down.
Video ads come from the campaigns' own YouTube channels; the transcript is analyzed. Meta ads are analyzed on their text; their video and images are not, yet.
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