The race to be Alabama’s new lieutenant governor has a newcomer—in every sense of the word.
Former Alabama and NFL quarterback AJ McCarron announced on Thursday that he was entering the race. Polling has shown McCarron to be a strong candidate despite no history of political service and no public record of political commentary.
“My roots run deep in Alabama. and with my football career behind me, (wife) Katherine and I are raising our boys here, instilling in them our deep Christian faith and teaching them the fundamental morals that make this state so special,” McCarron said in a video announcing his candidacy. “But today, Alabama’s conservative and cultural values are under attack from every direction.”
How those values are under attack is unclear. But McCarron, like talk show host Paul Finebaum, who also has shown an interest in running for office in Alabama, attributed his desire to run now to the assassination of rightwing commentator Charlie Kirk.
McCarron also, not surprisingly, leaned on his former football career, mentioning his former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and using highlights from his playing days in the video. He also said he’d serve as “Coach (Tommy) Tuberville’s quarterback” should the former Auburn coach and current U.S. senator become the state’s next governor.
McCarron enters a crowded field in the race for lieutenant governor. Current Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen has been leading a field that includes current Commissioner of Agriculture Rick Pate.
In a statement to Yellowhammer News, Allen noted McCarron’s lack of experience and made reference to the fact that McCarron registered to vote for the first time on Monday, just three days prior to his announcement. That means McCarron never voted for Donald Trump, whom he claimed he endorsed in 2016.
“This race is about more than talk,” Allen said in the statement. “It’s about real action. An endorsement of President Trump is only valuable if you follow it up with the real action of voting for him, which I have done. I don’t just talk about standing up for conservative values. I have a solid record and voter record to support a strong, proven record of getting things done through hard work and common sense decision making.”
