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Election rematch The last Democrat to win a major statewide election in Alabama teased that he might be going after another one, reports AL.com’s Joseph D. Bryant. And if former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones does throw his hat into the ring as a gubernatorial candidate, he may end up facing the man who unseated him five years ago: current U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Jones and Congresswoman Terri Sewell appeared at a town hall over the weekend in Birmingham. When he was asked whether he’d run for governor, he just said: “I appreciate the question. Stay tuned.” Which typically would mean “I plan on announcing it later.” We’ll see. Jones, having won that Senate seat in deeply red Alabama, would likely bring optimism, national support and lots of money to the race, especially with national Democrats feeling some momentum after some of last week’s elections. At the same time, it’s worth noting that Tuberville cleared 60% of the vote when the two squared off in 2020. And the 2018 bid that Jones won was a special election under some pretty irregular circumstances after a couple of high-profile scandals upended politics in the state. Filibuster buster The U.S. Senate voted 60-40 last night to move forward on a deal that would reopen the federal government, reports The Associated Press. Sunday’s vote breaks the Democrats’ filibuster, and the Senate now will have to give the spending measure final passage. Eight Democrats joined nearly all GOP senators in moving forward without the extension on Obamacare subsidies that Democrats wanted. Republicans agreed to debate and vote on that issue separately. Of course, the Democrats will be arguing for those subsidies without the leverage of a shutdown. Individual Democrats in the Senate could hold up final vote for a few days. After passage, the measure will go to the House of Representatives. Some Democrats over in the House have expressed their unhappiness with the Senate. Democratic Congresswoman Terri Sewell, who represents Alabama 7, posted on X: “This so-called ‘deal’ is nothing more than empty promises. I am a HELL NO on any bill that raises health care costs for millions of Americans.” Coastal Church of the Highland Church of the Highlands held a land dedication service Sunday for a Daphne location that will open next year, reports AL.com’s Margaret Kates. Highlands is the largest church in Alabama, by congregation size, with tens of thousands gathering at more than two dozen campuses across Alabama and parts of Georgia to worship and watch a sermon that’s live-streamed from the Grants Mill Campus. The Daphne location stretches the church’s footprint down to Coastal Alabama. Church of the Highland bought 27 acres off Hwy 181 for around $4.6 million last year. A local congregation of several hundred is meeting at the Daphne Civic Center while the new facility is being built. Covered overpasses If you’re driving through downtown Birmingham, you might notice there are some interstate overpass bridges that look like they’re partly wrapped in canvas. It might be saving you from a little sand spray or paint splatter. AL.com’s Joseph D. Bryant reports that The Alabama Department of Transportation is having some of the steel girders sandblasted and painted. The work is being done on the four bridges that connect the I-59/20 bridges with Red Mountain Expressway. The work began over the summer and should be finished by February. Alabama News Quiz answers/results This athletic event is expected to be in Birmingham in 2029. The Senior Games (CORRECT) 65% The World Games 33% The Office Olympics 1% The Winter Olympics 1% Young conservatives packed this venue on Wednesday for a Turning Point USA rally that was supposed to include its slain leader, Charlie Kirk. Neville Arena in Auburn (CORRECT) 95% The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville 2% The Cramton Bowl in Montgomery 2% SAW’s Soul Kitchen in Birmingham 1% Auburn University fired head football coach Hugh Freeze after a weekend loss to Kentucky. Who was the last Auburn coach to leave the job without having been fired or at least under some kind of pressure to step down? Shug Jordan (CORRECT) 40% Pat Dye 28% Tommy Tuberville 26% Gus Malzahn 7% The City of Fairhope has been awaiting the potential moving of a farmhouse that was used to film a famous scene in this motion picture. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CORRECT) 77% E.T. 12% American Graffiti 9% BASEketball 2% Singer Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay passed away on Nov. 2. She’s most famous for her work with this music act. The Grateful Dead (CORRECT) 72% Martha and the Vandellas 14% The Coral Reefer Band 10% Lynyrd Skynyrd 4% More Alabama News Madison City Schools rezoning: 1,700 students likely moving schools Prison reform advocate: Churches have Biblical duty to watch documentary Across Alabama, some candidates of color faced threats in 2025 Proposed car tag lets Alabama drivers show Mardi Gras spirit Born on This Date In 1937, actor Albert Hall of Brighton. In 1971, actor Walton Goggins of Birmingham. The podcast
