Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) confirmed Tuesday that he will be running for Governor of Alabama in 2026 after weeks of speculation.
Tuberville, an outspoken conservative senator and top ally of President Donald Trump launched a campaign website that touts his “conservative Alabama values.” Not long after that, the senator formally announced his gubernatorial campaign while speaking with Fox News’ Will Cain.
“As you know, I coached and it was a great time. We made some great friends. It’s been a lot of fun,” Tuberville, who had a highly successful college football coaching career at Auburn University before entering politics, told Cain.
“So a few years ago, I decided to give back to this great country and fight. President Trump was a guy that really was behind me in doing the Senate race. He’s been behind me ever since and today I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama.”
Tuberville further told Fox News that he feels he can better serve his state as governor after a highly successful term in the U.S. Senate. “I’m doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama,” he said. “I’m a football coach. I’m a leader. I’m a builder. I’m a recruiter, and we’re going to grow Alabama.”
“We’re going to bring manufacturing to this state. We’re going to stop this illegal immigration. We’re going to make education better again, and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure our kids… stay in this state and work,” Tuberville added.
The announcement follows weeks of speculation surrounding Tuberville’s political future. Last week, Fox News reported that Tuberville told donors at recent private meetings that he would be launching a gubernatorial campaign.
An unnamed source familiar with the situation told the outlet that an endorsement from President Trump would be a “done deal” should Tuberville announce his campaign.
Tuberville is widely seen as the clear frontrunner to succeed current Governor Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. Alabama Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run for the position, announced last week that he would not be running.
Tuberville was first elected in 2020 after beating out former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a tightly-contested GOP primary. He went on to defeat Democrat incumbent Doug Jones in November, who managed to win a special election that was marred by numerous Republican setbacks.
