Doug Jones to Tommy Tuberville: Let’s Just Debate

From the Jones campaign

Guntersville, AL — Doug Jones brought his statewide town hall series to Marshall County Saturday, taking unscreened questions directly from voters. Among them was an independent voter who said she has always voted Republican in Alabama and asked Jones whether he had formally challenged Tommy Tuberville to debate. 

Jones said he has repeatedly challenged Tuberville publicly and that his campaign has accepted invitations from several organizations interested in hosting debates.

“I would love to see a series of debates, if the heat would break, on the back of a flatbed truck in about five different places in this state,” Jones said. “Just get up there one-on-one. We don’t need a moderator. We don’t need anything. We just get up there and talk about issues and go back and forth with each other.”

“I don’t think he will ever debate, but I’m ready,” Jones added.

Jones then looked directly into the camera and issued Tuberville another challenge, this time on data centers.

“Tommy Tuberville says that he has been studying data centers for two years and that these things are gold mines,” Jones said. “If you’ve been studying them and you think you know about them, let’s just debate on data centers, Tommy. Come on, stand up, come to the next town hall I have, and let’s just debate data centers, and then we’ll go from there.”

Saturday marked Jones’ eighth statewide town hall. Voters in Marshall County pressed Jones on issues ranging from Medicaid expansion and women’s reproductive health to education, immigration, Social Security and the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

Jones has made the town halls a centerpiece of his campaign, arguing that candidates for governor should have to show up, answer voters’ questions and earn their votes. Tuberville has not held public town halls and has yet to agree to a debate with Jones. 

Watch the full Town Hall livestream on YouTube or below: