Tuberville Launches Campaign for Alabama Governor, Setting Up High-Stakes Senate Race
AUBURN, Ala. — U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville officially launched his campaign for governor of Alabama on Tuesday, ending months of speculation and immediately becoming the frontrunner in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Kay Ivey.
The announcement came during a live appearance on Fox News’ The Will Cain Show, where Tuberville declared, “Today I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama.” Later the same day, Tuberville’s campaign website went live, laying out his platform to “protect common sense” and defend “shared conservative values” in Montgomery.
https://www.coachforgovernor.com/
A former college football coach turned senator, Tuberville, 70, is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and has made clear that his campaign will align with Trump’s “America First” agenda. Although Trump has not yet endorsed Tuberville’s gubernatorial bid, the senator emphasized their continued alliance, saying, “Like President Trump, I’ll continue to protect common sense and stand up for our shared conservative values.”
With Tuberville entering the race, the Republican field has largely cleared. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, both once considered potential contenders, have announced they will not run. Pate joked that “only Nick Saban could beat Tuberville,” highlighting the senator’s near-celebrity status in the state, stemming from his decade as head coach of Auburn University’s football team.
Tuberville’s decision not to seek a second Senate term also sets up a high-profile battle for his seat in the 2026 midterm elections.
While Tuberville’s political career began only a few years ago, his rise has been swift. He won the 2020 Republican Senate nomination after securing Trump’s endorsement and decisively defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the GOP runoff. He then unseated incumbent Democrat Doug Jones in the general election, returning the seat to Republican control.
Tuberville’s campaign platform promises a crackdown on illegal immigration, a push for expanded manufacturing jobs in Alabama, and resistance to what he calls “woke ideology.” His campaign website states he will “back the blue,” work with Trump to “deport illegal alien criminals,” and ensure that “Alabamians do not have to worry about illegal aliens taking their jobs, stealing their benefits, and breaking the law.”
If elected, Tuberville would succeed Gov. Ivey in January 2027, concluding her nearly decade-long tenure. The Alabama Republican primary is scheduled for May 19, 2026, and, as of now, Tuberville faces no declared GOP challengers. Political observers say that any Republican who does enter the race will face an uphill battle against the high-profile senator.
From the gridiron to Capitol Hill and now aiming for the governor’s mansion, Tuberville continues to build on his political brand as a Trump-aligned outsider turned conservative mainstay in deep-red Alabama.
