MOBILE, Ala. — Days after winning back his seat in Congress, Republican congressman-elect Jerry Carl says his party needs to stop “overselling” what it can deliver if it wants to recover from the Democratic wave that swept the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
In a wide-ranging interview, the Mobile Republican reflected on his victory in Alabama’s 1st Congressional District, his loss in his own home county, the national results that handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, and what he hopes to accomplish when he returns to Capitol Hill.
Carl said they must quit overselling what they can do, as people are tired of unfulfilled promises, which frustrates him as an American and voter; both sides do it, not just Republicans. He thinks voters woke the Republican Party up, and they are now trying to fix what’s broken, as the message sent indicates it’s broken.
A win, but not at home
Carl defeated Democratic challenger Clyde Jones with roughly 137,016 votes, or about 59% of the ballots cast. Jones received 94,925 votes, or 40.89%.
The only county in the district that Carl lost was Mobile County, his home. There, Jones received 65,746 votes, or 51.78%, to Carl’s 61,107.
Carl said the race was closer than he would have liked and that losing his hometown shows there is plenty the GOP could have done better in the run-up to the midterms.
He said his message is that they must figure out what they did, what they’re not doing, and focus on what they can do better.
He said he had expected a larger margin.
Carl said Democratic turnout was strong, but he doesn’t want to diminish their efforts; however, many independent votes contributed to the shortfall. He felt they missed their target by about six points, expecting 65% but getting 59%, mostly in Mobile County, and he’s trying to reach those independent voters as well as Democratic friends.
Carl said he hopes to speak with and better understand the needs of the voters in his home county who did not support him.
A familiar district, redrawn again
Carl previously represented the 1st District before losing his seat in 2024 to Rep. Barry Moore. That race took place in a very different district that excluded Mobile, after a federal three-judge panel ruled that Alabama’s congressional map diluted Black voting power. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that ruling earlier this year, and the redrawn district Carl won this fall closely mirrors the one he had previously represented.
Why Republicans lost ground nationally
The Nov. 3 election saw Democrats retake both the U.S. House and Senate for the second half of President Donald Trump’s second and final term.
Carl said some of the shift should be attributed to his party’s inability to hold down high prices at the grocery store and gas pump, a prolonged conflict with Iran and rising interest rates. He also said some of the blame belongs to oil companies he accused of “gouging” prices in the United States.
He said gas prices affect families’ work, play, and grocery spending, affecting everything. He believes some petroleum companies and countries ran up prices, and he’s felt from the start that they were being gouged. He said the war in Iran has tired everyone, and a war should be quick and decisive with no boots on the ground.
“That is not our job”
Carl also criticized members of his own party for public displays of political retribution and for making promises lawmakers cannot keep, such as vowing to put certain Biden-era officials “in jail.”
Carl said he hopes they wake up, and they must quit overselling; he’s criticized for not being more vocal and aggressive, but he’s realistic. He noted that on TV, judicial committee members talk about jailing people, but they can’t do that; it’s not their job.
Carl, who was endorsed by Trump and attended a Republican rally last month, said the new balance of power in Washington should be treated as an opportunity to build unity rather than continue fighting over individual bills.
He said everyone must come together and focus on improvement, adding that it might take a natural disaster for them to drop arms and start working together.
Working with Shomari Figures
Carl said he specifically plans to work with Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile, who represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, to secure federal investment for the state.
Carl said they must be united, work together, and need each other; when providing for Alabama constituents, they must be one, and he and Shomari discussed this yesterday, acknowledging mutual need, which is a good place and how America was designed.
A possible test on congressional stock trading
Before and after results came in on election night, Trump told some reporters he would be willing to work with Democrats, and told others he would likely veto most Democratic legislation.
Carl said he supports the president’s agenda but believes Democrats could put forward a bill Trump would find difficult to reject: limits on how members of Congress invest their money.
Carl said legislation to limit Congress members’ investments and financial activities will be proposed; if Democrats are smart, they’ll craft a solid package that will gain support and pass both chambers to the president’s desk. He noted 80% of voters want regulations on congressional investments, and if the president misses the chance to sign it, there will be trouble.
Whether members of Congress benefit from stock trading while in office has been a hot-button issue in Washington for years and surfaced again in several congressional races across the country this year.
Carl said he doesn’t think the president will automatically veto everything, a scenario he dislikes. He said they must read the legislation to judge fairness; he knows the president is fair and loves his policies, though the president sometimes says things that shake the world, and while he may be opposite in style, the president is still the president.
Carl Says He Is Used to Pressure
Carl said returning to the House in a Democratic-controlled Congress does not worry him. He compared it with 2021, when he first took office after winning in 2020. At that time, Democrats controlled Congress and President Joe Biden had just taken office following Trump’s first term.
Carl said he’s used to being under fire and facing opposition, giving him a different attitude and focus; 2021 was the worst time to be in office, so he’s seasoned and fine, and doesn’t view this term as anywhere near that difficult.
Committee goals and veterans’ health care
Carl said his experience makes him well positioned to bring more federal dollars to Alabama, and he is seeking committee assignments that can help do that.
Carl said he needs to get on committees like Appropriations, Armed Services, and Natural Resources that will affect daily lives in South Alabama.
He said his other goals include increasing bipartisanship wherever possible and working on issues that affect South Alabama and the rest of the state. Veterans are high on his list.
He said he’s already assembling his team to focus on the veteran community, a longtime priority, and has an idea to restructure veteran healthcare to provide faster service because veterans struggle with timely access.
What’s next
Carl will be sworn in with the new Congress in January. Committee assignments for the incoming term are typically made by party leadership after the new Congress is organized.
For voters in Mobile, Baldwin and the rest of the 1st District, the coming months will show whether Carl’s promised outreach to independents and Democrats, and his partnership with Figures, translate into results for South Alabama.
Update: Orientation Week in Washington and Priorities for the New Term
WASHINGTON — Carl was among the members-elect attending new member orientation for the U.S. House this week, and on its first night he led a Capitol tour for incoming lawmakers seeing the building for the first time. Having served from 2021 to 2025, he stands apart from the freshman class, and he returns to a chamber where Republicans will be in the minority.
The race and the redrawn district
The 1st District now takes in Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties and most of Covington County. Carl’s margin over Clyde Jones was about 18 percentage points, with comfortable wins in the district’s three strongly Republican counties offsetting his loss in Mobile County. He won the nomination in a special primary after state Rep. Rhett Marques, his strongest primary rival, switched to the 2nd District race. Carl succeeds Barry Moore, who is moving to the U.S. Senate, and will serve alongside Alabama’s six other House incumbents, all of whom were reelected.
Reaching independents
Messaging was a recurring theme of the week. Priorities outlined for the incoming term include doing a better job of reaching the roughly 10 to 12 percent of voters who are independents, beginning with affordability and the strain that fuel costs put on working families.
The Iran war
The war with Iran is now in its eighth month and has helped keep gas and diesel prices high. National Republican leaders have attributed the party’s midterm losses to the war. Positions outlined during orientation week call for bringing the conflict to a close and bringing Americans home, with regional powers such as Saudi Arabia taking on a larger role, and oppose sending U.S. ground troops. With Democrats expected to push war powers resolutions once they take control, no commitment has been made on how Carl would vote; the stated plan is to weigh the arguments first.
Committees, veterans and infrastructure
Committee goals for the term include regaining seats on the Appropriations and Natural Resources committees, both of which Carl held in his second term; in his first term he served on Armed Services and Natural Resources. Appropriations, which directs federal spending, is among the most sought-after assignments. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt is one of its subcommittee chairs, and U.S. Rep. Dale Strong joined the panel in the 119th Congress. No Alabama member has served on Natural Resources since Carl left office.
The first item on the agenda for January is veterans’ health care; Mobile has no full-service VA hospital of its own. Infrastructure follows, including the new Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project and work in Baldwin County. Although the bridge project is funded, cost overruns are expected and will need to be covered.
Leadership vote
House Republicans were also set to pick their leaders in closed-door, secret-ballot elections, with the race for minority leader pitting House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana against Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. Carl’s choice in that contest has not been made public.
