Doug Jones Town Hall in Daphne: Data Center Moratorium, Medicaid Expansion, CHOOSE Act Phaseout

DAPHNE, Ala. — At a Doug Jones town hall in Baldwin County on Friday, Oct. 2, the Democratic candidate for governor called for a moratorium on data centers and promised to expand Medicaid, fielding audience questions on education, health care, government accountability and other issues a month before the Nov. 3 general election.

The Daphne event, which the campaign had announced earlier in the week, took place the same night President Donald Trump held a rally about 15 miles north in Mobile, where he endorsed Jones’ Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

Jones, a former U.S. senator and former U.S. attorney, told the crowd that one of his main goals is to improve Alabama’s quality of life. He argued that previous state leaders have prioritized recruiting businesses while failing to address education, wages and health care.

The governor’s race

Jones and Tuberville are competing to succeed Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. The race is a rematch of sorts: Tuberville, the former Auburn University football coach, defeated Jones in 2020 when Jones sought reelection to the U.S. Senate.

Jones won that Senate seat in a 2017 special election, becoming the first Democrat in a quarter century to represent Alabama in the Senate. Before that, he served as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, where he was best known for prosecuting former Ku Klux Klan members for the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Doug Jones town hall: ‘A moratorium on data centers. Period.’

Jones identified the rapid development of data centers as an immediate concern, pointing to their potential effects on Alabama’s electricity grid, on water resources and on surrounding communities.

“We need a moratorium on data centers. Period,” Jones said. “We’ve got to put the guardrails in place so that we know where the power is going to be paid for.”

He said that if elected he would seek to issue an executive order temporarily halting hyperscale data center development, although the legal scope of such an order would need to be determined.

Jones also proposed:

• Eliminating tax incentives for data centers
• Requiring data center companies to contribute financially to the communities that host them
• Establishing accountability measures for developments that fail to fulfill their commitments

“I just want transparency so communities can make informed decisions,” Jones said.

Data centers have become a prominent local issue in south Alabama this fall. A large AI data center has been proposed for Calvert, a project has won site plan approval in Prichard, and Foley approved a six-month moratorium on data center applications. The two gubernatorial candidates have staked out different positions on the industry.

Medicaid expansion and rural hospitals

Health care came up repeatedly during the evening, particularly questions about the financial instability of Alabama’s rural hospitals.

“Rural healthcare starts with expanding Medicaid. Period. End discussion,” Jones said.

Alabama remains one of 10 states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Expansion would generally extend Medicaid coverage to low-income adults who earn too much to qualify under the state’s current rules but too little to afford private coverage. Supporters argue it would bring more insured patients, and more federal dollars, to struggling hospitals.

Expanding the program would require cooperation from the Republican-controlled Legislature, a challenge Jones acknowledged during the town hall.

Paying for it

When an audience member asked how he would pay for his proposals, Jones said his administration would seek savings through greater government efficiency and look for funding opportunities without eliminating public sector jobs.

“If 40 other states have found the ability to expand Medicaid in some form or another, Alabama should be able to find a way,” Jones said.

Education: Phasing out the CHOOSE Act

Education drew several questions, including concerns about teacher pay, student literacy and the CHOOSE Act, the state law that provides families with state-funded education savings accounts that can be used for private school tuition and other school-related expenses.

Jones criticized the program for directing public money to private education, but said he would pursue a gradual phaseout rather than immediately cutting off families already in it.

“I want to phase out the CHOOSE Act,” Jones said. “Now some people want it completely eliminated, but I have to be honest about this. There are some kids that have benefited, and folks that have moved schools. I don’t want to yank that away. I think we can phase that out and do that.”

He said redirecting that funding to public schools could help raise teacher salaries and expand existing literacy and numeracy initiatives beyond elementary school. Alabama’s literacy and numeracy laws in recent years have focused heavily on the early grades.

Retired teachers, a lottery and gambling

Jones also said he supports:

• Cost-of-living increases for retired teachers
• A state lottery
• A broader regulated gambling package to generate additional revenue

Alabama is one of five states without a state lottery, and previous legislative attempts to create one have failed. Like Medicaid expansion, a lottery would require action by the Legislature; in Alabama, a lottery would also require a constitutional amendment approved by voters.

Organized labor

Responding to a question about unions, Jones talked about his family’s history in Alabama’s steel and mining industries and said he would work to improve the state’s relationship with organized labor.

“I am a strong proponent of organized labor. They built the middle class, they built Alabama,” Jones said. “We’re going to do all we can to promote them.”

Contrasts with Tuberville and a debate challenge

Much of the town hall also served to draw distinctions between Jones and Tuberville as the election approaches. Jones criticized Tuberville’s campaign advertisements on crime and data centers and renewed his call for the Republican nominee to agree to a public debate.

“Every question I’ve gotten here tonight is best done on the debate stage, so people can see both candidates and what we stand for and how we got there. Because it’s not just talking points; you’ve actually got to critically think about what’s in the best interest of the state,” Jones said.

Same night, two events

While Jones spoke in Daphne, Trump was about 15 miles away at a rally in Mobile, where he endorsed Tuberville. Other Republican speakers at that rally also targeted Jones.

Jones said the timing was coincidental and that the Daphne town hall had been scheduled as part of his campaign’s travel around the state. In recent weeks, his campaign has held events in Brewton, Thomasville and Mobile.

‘A seat by the fire’

Near the end of the discussion, Jones described the approach he wants to bring to state government, referencing “Crowded Table,” a song by the country group The Highwomen.

“I’ve got a vision for this state, and it is not a vision of hate and division, pitting neighbor against neighbor, no matter who you are,” he said. “We’re going to give everybody a seat by the fire. We’re going to give everybody a voice and this state will grow like it’s never grown before.”

Key positions Jones outlined in Daphne

• Data centers: A moratorium, a possible executive order pausing hyperscale development, an end to tax incentives, and required community contributions and accountability measures
• Health care: Medicaid expansion as the starting point for rural health care
• Budget: Savings through government efficiency without eliminating public sector jobs
• Education: A gradual phaseout of the CHOOSE Act, with money redirected to public schools, teacher pay and literacy and numeracy programs beyond elementary school
• Retirees: Cost-of-living increases for retired teachers
• Revenue: A state lottery and a broader regulated gambling package
• Labor: Improving the state’s relationship with unions

What’s next

The general election is Nov. 3. Alabama voters will choose between Jones and Tuberville to become the state’s next governor, succeeding Ivey when her term ends in January. At the Daphne town hall, Jones renewed his call for a debate with Tuberville before voters go to the polls.