Morgan Murphy, a longtime Trump ally and White House senior advisor is considering a run for the soon-to-be open U.S. Senate seat in Alabama.
Incumbent Senator Tommy Tuberville confirmed Tuesday that he will be running for governor in order to replace current Governor Kay Ivey, who is term-limited. Tuberville is widely considered the favorite in the gubernatorial race, with one Trump Administration source describing an endorsement from the president as a “done deal.”
Candidates are already lining up to fill the seat, which carries a strong Republican lean ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In 2022, Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) defeated Democrat challenger Will Boyd by more than 36 percentage points.
Morgan Murphy, who currently serves as a White House and State Department senior adviser to Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, has emerged as one of the candidates interested in running for the seat, according to a report from the Daily Caller.
Murphy, who previously worked as a national security advisor to Tuberville, gained national attention when he crafted the senator’s stance against taxpayer-funded abortion. He currently works as a White House staffer, and he also served in the first Trump Administration as the press secretary to former Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.
“I say this having worked closely with him when he was one of my principal advisers when I was Acting Secretary of Defense during the first Trump Administration,” Miller told the Daily Caller. “I’ve seen his mettle and calm, deliberate decision making skills under fearsome and unrelenting stress. Alabama and the Nation will be much better off with him in the United States Senate.”
Prior to his time in politics, Murphy served in the War on Terror and is currently a reserve captain in the U.S. Navy.
In addition to Murphy, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are reportedly considering their own respective bids. “I am honored to be in the conversation as Alabamians begin to look at who they want to represent them in the United States Senate,” Moore told the Daily Caller when asked about his interest in running.
“My family and I are praying and asking the Lord to guide us in this decision. As we seek His guidance, we’re listening to the people of Alabama and considering how we can best continue to serve this great state,” he added.
Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl is also considering a run, one person familiar with the situation told Semafor. Pearl is the chairman of the US Israel Education Association and was on Capitol Hill earlier in May, the outlet reported.
