In his first full week out of public office, after serving for two terms in Congress, former U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl announced on Monday that he will not run for Mayor of Mobile in 2025. In September, longtime Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced he will not run for reelection for the first time in over ten years.

“Tina and I are humbled by so many folks asking us to run for Mayor of Mobile. After 90 days of prayer and seeking the Lord’s vision for our future, we don’t feel led to run for this office,” Carl wrote.

“Mayor Stimpson has the City on the right path, and we all need to be careful to elect a person with a similar vision. Thank you to everyone who has supported us and considered me as a potential candidate. I look forward to continuing a life of public service to our state and our country.”

RELATED: Who might run for Mayor of Mobile?

Two candidates have formally filed to run for mayor on the August 2025 ballot, including Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson and small business owner Beau Fleming.

Carl, who represented Alabama’s 1st Congressional District since 2020, formerly served as a Mobile County Commissioner after defeating incumbent Mike Dean in 2012. Carl was speculated as a candidate for the Mobile mayoral shakeup in 2025 as federal redistricting pitted him against U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) for the 1st District.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the racial demographic breakdown in Mobile has changed dramatically. In 2000, 51.3% of the city was white, and the black population accounted for around 46.6%. According to the 2020 Census, those numbers have more than flipped, with 53.1% of the population black and 40.4% of it white.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270