Former congressman, military veteran make bids for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District

South Alabama voters will send a former congressman or a retired DuPoint worker to Congress next month in the state’s only open U.S. House contest. 

Former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, and Clyde Jones, a military veteran, are making their pitches to voters in the 1st Congressional District. 

The district previously covered a portion of the Wiregrass and Mobile County and all of Baldwin County. It  was redrawn earlier this year during a special session of the Alabama Legislature. The district now covers Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia Counties and a large part of Covington County. The Cook Political Report rates the district as R+17, solidly Republican.

Carl, the Republican nominee who represented the district from 2021 to 2025, said he decided to run again because of his past experience in Congress.

“I like the pace of Washington, I enjoy the challenges of Washington. I think I did a great job, and I think I will continue to do a great job,” Carl said. “I’ll work with the president. I’ll work with leadership in the Senate and in Congress, and I don’t think you’re going to find anybody else down in this system than that.”

Jones, the Democratic nominee, said in an interview Wednesday morning that he “felt like we need a change.”

“We needed representation, someone who wanted to represent everyone-not one particular party, but everyone that’s in congressional district one,” he said.

Carl said he wants to focus on improving the business environment in Mobile and Baldwin Counties and affordability.

“The cost of living is outrageous. We’re all experiencing the pressure from that,” he said. “Diesel fuel and gas prices, you know, are a little different. We’re having to pay more for that, which is hurting all of us.”

Carl did not specify how he would address affordability. His campaign website connects Carl’s support for a balanced budget amendment and support for spending cuts with inflation. A message seeking comment was left with Carl Wednesday.

Jones is also prioritizing affordability, but also wants to focus on accountability and access to healthcare by putting money back into the Affordable Care Act.

“The supplements that were taken away for the ACA (Affordable Care Act) caused premiums to go up. This year alone, 95,000 people have lost healthcare in Alabama because they can’t afford their premium. So, if we can get those back into the budget and get those supplements back out to people to help cover their healthcare costs, it will be something that can be done pretty much right away,” Jones said.

Tax credits for the ACA expired last year, leading to a 23% (95,000) drop in enrollment for the program.

The state’s redistricting efforts have also come up on the campaign trails for both candidates.

“A lot of people in the city of Mobile, they just didn’t understand what happened, or they didn’t know about what happened,” Jones said. “So, I would always have to start my speeches into groups in Mobile with ‘I am not running against Congressman (Shomari) Figures,’ which again adds another level of confusion, but also gives an opportunity to educate people on the actual change.”

Carl said while redistricting has played a role in his campaign, he has shifted to encouraging Republican voters to the polls.

“The key is, how many can you get out? Can you get out more Republicans than you can Democrats? And that’s a fear that we all have,” Carl said. “If they (Republicans) take that same comfort level in this race, we could easily lose. So we’re really trying to motivate our Republicans to get out.”

According to federal campaign finances, Carl has raised $277,500 and spent $298,900 through Oct. 1. Jones has raised $97,500 and spent $105,200 through Oct. 1. 

The general election is Nov. 3.