Latest news with #AlabamaGovernor
Fox News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump ally announces record-shattering fundraising haul in bid for Alabama governor
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is showcasing his fundraising prowess as he launches his bid for Alabama governor. Tuberville's gubernatorial campaign on Thursday announced that it raked in $2,064,723 in fundraising during the first 24 hours after the senator declared his candidacy, "far surpassing its initial goal and shattering the previous Alabama record." The senator, a strong supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, is considered the frontrunner in the 2026 race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey in the Republican-dominated state. "There are two universal truths in the Yellowhammer state right now: Alabamians love President Trump and they want Coach Tuberville to be their next governor," Jackie Curtiss Cox, fundraiser for Tuberville's campaign, said. "I've never seen momentum like this in my more than 10 years in Alabama politics." And Cox spotlighted that "these were not from PAC donations — every dollar came from small business owners, entrepreneurs, workers, and retirees." This week's announcement from Tuberville, a former longtime college football coach who spent 10 years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama, ended months of speculation about his ambitions to run for governor in his home state. Tuberville, launched a campaign website that touts his "conservative Alabama values." And in his first interview after launching his campaign, Tuberville said on Fox News' "The Will Cain Show" that "I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama. I'm a football coach. I'm a leader. I'm a builder. I'm a recruiter, and we're going to grow Alabama." A source familiar told Fox News a couple of weeks ago that an endorsement from Trump would be a "done deal" if Tuberville decided to run for governor. And Tuberville, in his Fox News interview, said Trump was "fully supportive" of his gubernatorial run. He is also backed by the politically influential and deep-pocketed Club for Growth, a fiscal conservative group that takes sides in GOP primaries. Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run to succeed Ivey, last week announced that he would not seek the office. Tuberville was first elected to the Senate in 2020, running as an outsider who was closely aligned with Trump. In the Republican primary, he topped former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a longtime senator from Alabama, before resigning in 2017 to serve as Trump's attorney general. Tuberville went on to defeat incumbent Sen. Doug Jones, who was the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama in decades. Tuberville's move to run for governor sets up an open Senate seat in Alabama in next year's midterm elections.
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Republican senator Tommy Tuberville launches run for Alabama governor
Republican US senator Tommy Tuberville has officially entered the race for governor of Alabama, revealing a campaign website on Tuesday to launch his candidacy. If the campaign is successful, Tuberville could become Alabama's governor-elect by the end of 2026. He aims to succeed Republican governor Kay Ivey, who is finishing her second term and is barred from running again due to term limits. His announcement was the next anticipated step following Tuberville's transition from college football coach to politician. In 2016, he was coaching at the University of Cincinnati, having earlier led Auburn University's football team. By 2020, he had made his political debut, winning a US Senate seat representing Alabama. Tuberville built upon his reputation from the football world to enter politics, often referring to himself as 'Coach'. His celebrity status in Alabama gave him a strong base of support, which he further bolstered by aligning himself closely with Donald Trump. The US president previously endorsed Tuberville over former US attorney general Jeff Sessions in the 2020 Republican primary. Sessions, once a senator from Alabama, had fallen out of favor with Trump, who appointed and later dismissed him as attorney general. Tuberville went on to defeat Democratic incumbent Doug Jones in the general election. Jones had briefly flipped the seat in a 2017 special election after Republicans nominated Roy Moore, whose campaign was derailed by allegations of sexual misconduct. Since entering the Senate, Tuberville has cultivated strong ties with conservative organizations such as the Club for Growth, which recently endorsed his campaign. He has also drawn national attention for his months-long blockade of military promotions in protest of the Pentagon's abortion-related policies under Joe Biden. Tuberville, known for his strongly conservative beliefs, says that he believes that 'men are men and women are women' and that 'allowing men to compete in women's sports is wrong' on his new campaign website. He also mentions 'poisonous ideologies' such as 'Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which teach our kids to hate each other'. He adds that 'zero taxpayer dollars should go towards abortions' in his view. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The senator also faces scrutiny over allegations that he was not a full-time Alabama resident, charges he has denied. Tuberville is now the second sitting US senator to announce a gubernatorial campaign this year.
CNN
27-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces bid for Alabama governor
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced Tuesday he is running for governor of Alabama in 2026, as the former college football coach and staunch President Donald Trump ally eyes a new role outside Washington after a single term in office. 'A few years ago I decided to give back to this great country and fight,' Tuberville told Fox News on Tuesday. '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.' He continued, 'Now, I've still got 18 months to go with President Trump to make America great again, we got a lot of work to do. Monday we'll go back and pass the big beautiful bill for President Trump, but I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama.' Tuberville publicly wrestled with the decision and said last month that he'd 'just look and see, you know what best fits Alabama – can I go back there and get more done there on a different level?' The senator faced apparent objections from the president's team, telling CNN that people close to Trump had urged him to stay in the Senate and forgo a gubernatorial bid because 'I'm on his team.' Trump, though, hadn't weighed in directly, and Tuberville said Tuesday that the president was 'fully supportive' of his bid. 'We got a lot of work to do nationally, I'm looking forward to that with President Trump, he's got us on the right track. But meantime, I'll be running, every weekend, doing the things I need to do to make sure that I can get over the threshold and win this governor's race, come back to Alabama, and work with President Trump, and not stop - because he's fully supportive of this. To keep making America great again and put Alabama first,' he said. Tuberville, who received Trump's endorsement in his 2020 Senate primary runoff against former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, enters the race as a clear frontrunner to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey, having transformed his public profile from former football coach at Auburn University to fierce defender of Trump in the Senate. The Club For Growth, an influential conservative organization, endorsed his bid ahead of his announcement. During his time in the Senate, Tuberville drew scrutiny for his hold on military promotions under the Biden administration, part of a protest over the administration's policies on reproductive rights. And amid recent criticism of Trump's acceptance of a gift luxury jet from the Qatari government, Tuberville remarked, 'Free is good. You know, we don't have a lot of money right now to buy things like that.' While Tuberville's exit will remove a key backer of Trump in the Senate, Republicans are heavily favored to retain the seat in deep-red Alabama next year. The opening is likely to set off a competitive primary among ambitious state Republicans, with Attorney General Steve Marshall having expressed interest in the event of a Tuberville gubernatorial bid. 'There's an interest there,' Marshall said during an interview this month on Alabama Public Television, 'but we'll wait and see what Coach Tuberville does, and then be prepared to answer that question fully as the dominoes fall.' Other potential Republican contenders for Tuberville's seat include Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who briefly entertained a bid in 2020, and a roster of US representatives who would have to be tempted to relinquish safe House seats. And it was only six years ago that the state had a Democratic senator: Doug Jones. Asked by CNN last month about whether he might try to run for the seat, which he won in a 2017 upset special election but then lost to Tuberville, Jones left the door wide open. 'I am going to stay in the fight. I am not done trying to help serve the people of this country and the people of Alabama,' Jones said. 'Where that takes me I cannot say right now. There's a lot to think about. There's a lot to pull into. It's still early on every front.' Jones, who lost his reelection bid to Tuberville by 20 points in 2020, said for a Democrat to be competitive in the state, 'clearly it's an uphill battle.' He argued that the response to Trump moves might make next year different for a Democrat hoping to win 'If you'd asked me that six months ago, I would have probably said 'Absolutely not,'' he said. 'With everything that's going on with this administration, with how it's affecting farmers, with how it's affecting health care, with how it's affecting government workers – I think there's a lot of changes. I've said all along, sooner or later, some of this is going to start catching up to Republicans in Alabama.'
CNN
27-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces bid for Alabama governor
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced Tuesday he is running for governor of Alabama in 2026, as the former college football coach and staunch President Donald Trump ally eyes a new role outside Washington after a single term in office. 'A few years ago I decided to give back to this great country and fight,' Tuberville told Fox News on Tuesday. '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.' He continued, 'Now, I've still got 18 months to go with President Trump to make America great again, we got a lot of work to do. Monday we'll go back and pass the big beautiful bill for President Trump, but I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama.' Tuberville publicly wrestled with the decision and said last month that he'd 'just look and see, you know what best fits Alabama – can I go back there and get more done there on a different level?' The senator faced apparent objections from the president's team, telling CNN that people close to Trump had urged him to stay in the Senate and forgo a gubernatorial bid because 'I'm on his team.' Trump, though, hadn't weighed in directly, and Tuberville said Tuesday that the president was 'fully supportive' of his bid. 'We got a lot of work to do nationally, I'm looking forward to that with President Trump, he's got us on the right track. But meantime, I'll be running, every weekend, doing the things I need to do to make sure that I can get over the threshold and win this governor's race, come back to Alabama, and work with President Trump, and not stop - because he's fully supportive of this. To keep making America great again and put Alabama first,' he said. Tuberville, who received Trump's endorsement in his 2020 Senate primary runoff against former US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, enters the race as a clear frontrunner to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey, having transformed his public profile from former football coach at Auburn University to fierce defender of Trump in the Senate. The Club For Growth, an influential conservative organization, endorsed his bid ahead of his announcement. During his time in the Senate, Tuberville drew scrutiny for his hold on military promotions under the Biden administration, part of a protest over the administration's policies on reproductive rights. And amid recent criticism of Trump's acceptance of a gift luxury jet from the Qatari government, Tuberville remarked, 'Free is good. You know, we don't have a lot of money right now to buy things like that.' While Tuberville's exit will remove a key backer of Trump in the Senate, Republicans are heavily favored to retain the seat in deep-red Alabama next year. The opening is likely to set off a competitive primary among ambitious state Republicans, with Attorney General Steve Marshall having expressed interest in the event of a Tuberville gubernatorial bid. 'There's an interest there,' Marshall said during an interview this month on Alabama Public Television, 'but we'll wait and see what Coach Tuberville does, and then be prepared to answer that question fully as the dominoes fall.' Other potential Republican contenders for Tuberville's seat include Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, who briefly entertained a bid in 2020, and a roster of US representatives who would have to be tempted to relinquish safe House seats. And it was only six years ago that the state had a Democratic senator: Doug Jones. Asked by CNN last month about whether he might try to run for the seat, which he won in a 2017 upset special election but then lost to Tuberville, Jones left the door wide open. 'I am going to stay in the fight. I am not done trying to help serve the people of this country and the people of Alabama,' Jones said. 'Where that takes me I cannot say right now. There's a lot to think about. There's a lot to pull into. It's still early on every front.' Jones, who lost his reelection bid to Tuberville by 20 points in 2020, said for a Democrat to be competitive in the state, 'clearly it's an uphill battle.' He argued that the response to Trump moves might make next year different for a Democrat hoping to win 'If you'd asked me that six months ago, I would have probably said 'Absolutely not,'' he said. 'With everything that's going on with this administration, with how it's affecting farmers, with how it's affecting health care, with how it's affecting government workers – I think there's a lot of changes. I've said all along, sooner or later, some of this is going to start catching up to Republicans in Alabama.'
Fox News
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Trump ally Tuberville announces run for Alabama governor
Print Close By Paul Steinhauser Published May 27, 2025 Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday announced his 2026 run for Alabama governor. Tuberville, a top Senate supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, launched a campaign website that touts his "conservative Alabama values." And the senator made his first appearance after announcing his candidacy on Fox News' The Will Cain Show." The move by the former longtime college football coach – who spent ten years as head coach at Auburn University in Alabama – ended weeks of speculation about his ambitions to run for governor in his homestate. WHY TOMMY TUBERVILLE IS TAKING AIM AT MAINE'S GOVERNOR Just a week ago, Fox News confirmed that Tuberville told donors at recent private meetings that he would be launching a gubernatorial campaign. And a source familiar told Fox News a couple of weeks ago that an endorsement from Trump would be a "done deal" if Tuberville decided to run for governor. Tuberville, who was elected to the Senate in 2020, is running to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Kay Ivey. And his move sets up an open Senate seat in Alabama in the 2026 midterm elections. Print Close URL
