U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces 2026 bid for Alabama governor
CAMPAIGN 2026: Action 8 News was in Auburn this afternoon where U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced that he’s running for governor.
Tuberville, a Republican, made the announcement at Byron’s Smokehouse restaurant, the same place where he announced his bid for U.S. Senate in the 2020 elections.
His announcement was carried live on Fox News Channel.
In making the announcement, Tuberville said that he still has 18 months to go in Washington to finish his term in the U.S. Senate, saying he still has work to do in passing President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
On Fox News Channel, Tuberville listed bringing manufacturing jobs back, cracking down on illegal immigration, improving education and making sure Alabama graduates stay in Alabama after they finish school as some of his priorities.
Tuberville also took time to speak with Action 8 News at his announcement event. He told us:
“I want to do what’s best for the state. I looked at the state we’re in, looked at what President Trump’s going to do to send back power and money back to the state from the federal government. I’m a builder and I’m a recruiter and we’re going to recruit people to come come here for manufacturing. We’re going to put people back to work. We’re going to educate kids and we want to build the state better than what it is today.”
Tuberville, who wants to be referred to as “Coach,” was the head football coach at Auburn from 1999-2008. He also coached at Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati before retiring in 2016. His campaign website is even titled “coachforgovernor.com.”
Action 8 Political Analyst Steve Flowers says it will be tough for any other candidate to mount a challenge to Tuberville. Two potential candidates, Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Attorney General Steve Marshall, both decided against making a run. Neither of them can stay in their current office due to term limits.
Gov. Kay Ivey can also not run again due to term limits. She has served since 2017, when then-Gov. Robert Bentley resigned and she moved up from being lieutenant governor.
During his time in the Senate, Tuberville has aligned himself closely with Trump. Action 8 Political Analyst Steve Flowers says that will make it hard for anyone to challenge Tuberville in the governor’s race.
In 2023, he maintained a months-long blockade on military promotions over his opposition to a Pentagon policy that provided travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal.
Some have raised questions over his Alabama residency. The Alabama Constitution requires that governors must have been “resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election.”
Property tax records show he owns a $270,000 home in Auburn, where he claims a homestead exemption, and a $4 million beach home in Walton County, Florida.
Tuberville told the crowd at his announcement that regarding Alabama, “It’s home.”
(Copyright 2025 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
