As early as last Thanksgiving, there were smoke signals coming out of Washington that our popular Senior Senator, Tommy Tuberville, was going to forgo an easy re-election jaunt to a second, six-year term in the United States Senate, to run for Governor of Alabama in 2026. The coveted Governor’s office was going to be open because Governor Kay Ivey could not run for another term. Kay will have served as Governor longer than anyone in state history, other than George Wallace, when her decade long tenure ends in January of 2027.
The rumors became more rampant around Christmas and New Years, and those closest to him would confirm that Coach was adamantly going to run for governor. Some doubted that Coach would leave the Senate when Trump became President in January, because the tide had turned in Washington and Tuberville was finally on the right team. Instead of being in the minority party in the Senate and having a Democrat in the White House, Trump won the presidency overwhelmingly, and his coattails swept the Republicans into the majority in the U.S. Senate.
Therefore, Tuberville began his fifth year in the Senate in the majority party, and with his buddy, Trump, in the White House. In addition, Tuberville is considered Trump’s closest and most loyal ally in the Senate. Tuberville is in the catbird’s seat in Washington. Instead of being on the back bench in the minority party with an incoherent, liberal Democrat as president, he is best friends with the President and the most conservative Senator in America, amid an ultra-conservative coup in Washington.
It appears apparent to everyone who knows anything about Alabama politics that Tommy Tuberville will waltz into the Governor’s office in a cakewalk. He will be the next Governor of Alabama unless some unforeseen occurrence happens. He will get token opposition, but he will beat them like a rented mule. No serious candidate wants to get that humiliating shellacking.
Just the prospect of his running ran the three most prospective, possibly halfway viable gubernatorial candidates out of the race. The presumptive heir to the throne, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, who has spent the last seven years running full-time for Governor, ran for the hills rather than being trounced by Tuberville. Attorney General Steve Marshall bailed out early. He knew he could not compete with Ainsworth or Tuberville and announced early in January that he was not going to be in the Governor’s race but hinted that he might run for Tuberville’s Senate Seat if Coach pulled the trigger for Governor. Rick Pate, who has been an outstanding Agriculture Commissioner, would really like to just stay in that job, but is term limited. When folks asked him if he wanted to run for Governor, his reply was that “I might look at it, but not if Senator Tommy Tuberville runs. Nobody is going to beat him, plus I like him and think he would make a good Governor.”
Coach has as clear a path to winning the Governor’s office as I have ever seen with less than 10 months till election day. Our election day is May 19, 2026, which is the Republican Primary day next year. Winning the Republican Primary in Alabama is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie.
Senator Coach Tommy Tuberville is unquestionably the most conservative, prominent political figure in our state, and that is the most important ingredient in capturing the Republican election with our very conservative electorate.
Tuberville and Trump are inextricably linked together. In fact, they are so tied together personally and philosophically, that their names are synonymous. They are referred to as the Trump/Tuberville team.
Trump has coattails never before seen in Alabama or in other conservative Republican states for that matter. He is truly a unique political figure. Trump will unquestionably endorse Tuberville, especially knowing he is going to win.
Tuberville has the perfect storm to storm to victory as Governor next May. He can sit back and serve in the Senate and garner free publicity, ally with Trump, and continue to instill a conservative label on his persona. He can come home and campaign on the weekend, which he enjoys doing. He has unlimited campaign funds. He set the record for fundraising with a $3 million take in the first three days. He will be at $5 million by summer’s end.
If you are a betting person, I would bet on Coach Tommy Tuberville swapping his political title from Senator to Governor.
See you next week.
