Former congressman Jerry Carl is back. He won the Republican nomination for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District in a special-called primary Tuesday night, rolling past three challengers with roughly three-quarters of the vote, according to unofficial returns.
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Carl, who represented the district in the U.S. House from 2021 to 2025, captured 22,488 votes — about 75.74 percent — across Baldwin, Mobile and Escambia counties at the time the returns were compiled. Covington County had not yet reported its results to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office.
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Three challengers, few voters
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Austin Sidwell finished second with 4,962 votes, followed by John Mills with 1,681 and Lucas Burger with 549.
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The raw total told as much of a story as the margin. In Mobile County, only 15,504 voters — 5.02 percent — participated in the election. Baldwin County drew 12,791 voters, about 6.03 percent, and Escambia County 1,372, roughly 4.85 percent. The special-called primary reached the smallest possible audience for a congressional nomination, leaving the party’s banner in the hands of a small fraction of the district’s electorate.
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Low-turnout primaries reward name recognition, and Carl had decades of it: a former Mobile County commissioner who rode a 2020 wave to Washington, served two terms, and lost his seat in the 2024 Republican primary after the district’s lines were redrawn. The reconfigured district sent him to the political sidelines; this primary was his route back.
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The general election ahead
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Carl will face Democratic nominee Clyde Jones, a veteran, in the November general election. The matchup is already taking shape — Jones has invited Carl to debate and publicly criticized him for declining, while Carl has said his campaign will take its \”America First\” and \”Alabama Values\” message directly to voters.
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The geometry of the race favors the Republican: the 1st District, which runs from Mobile and Baldwin counties up through Escambia, Covington and Washington counties, has leaned solidly Republican in recent cycles. Carl’s task is to reintroduce himself to a district whose lines and politics have shifted since he left office; Jones’ task is to reach the 95 percent of voters who sat out the primary and have yet to hear from either candidate.
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For now, the Republican side is settled. The November ballot in the 1st District will read Carl versus Jones — a rematch of an era, decided by whoever turns out the voters a summer primary ignored.
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Related coverage from South AL News
- Jones Labels Carl 'Cowardly' After Debate Invitation Is Declined in 1st District Race
- Constitution, Veterans Drive John Mills' Long-Shot Bid in Alabama's 1st Congressional District
- Jerry Carl Wins Alabama's 1st District GOP Primary, Faces Clyde Jones in November
- Jones Challenges Carl to Debate as AL-1 General Election Takes Shape
