Former Sen. Doug Jones launches Democratic bid for Alabama governor

Jones won a 2017 special Senate election against a Republican candidate who faced allegations of sexual misconduct before losing to Sen. Tommy Tuberville in 2020.

Former Sen. Doug Jones announced Monday that he has filed paperwork to run for governor of Alabama, setting the stage for a potential rematch with Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville.

Jones announced his candidacy in a video on social media, saying he would officially kick off his campaign after the Thanksgiving holiday.

"In the meantime, what I know and what we have heard all along is Alabama wants their next governor to be someone who lives here, who works here, who listens to the people of this state, who understands the people of this state," Jones said in the video.

Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, cannot run again because of term limits.

Jones also made a thinly veiled reference to Tuberville, the top Republican candidate in the race, saying Alabamians are looking for a governor who "treats this state with grace and dignity and not just like a rest stop on the way to the Florida beach."