Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s announcement on Tuesday that he will run for governor in 2026 instead of seeking a second term in the Senate creates a wide-open opportunity for Republicans.
And even though the former Auburn football coach has been telegraphing his gubernatorial play for some time now, not a lot of candidates have been huddled at the line of scrimmage to run just yet — so it may take some time for the full field of play to come into view.
In a state which President Donald Trump carried by 30 points, winning the Republican primary will be tantamount to winning the general election — and any candidate out of the more than half a dozen mulling a run would become the immediate favorite for March’s primary if they win the president’s coveted endorsement. If no candidate gets 50%— which is highly probable — the top two candidates would advance to an April runoff.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is the most visible top contender so far, with GOP sources in the state telling us he’s certain to run
What is The Cook Political Report?
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the US House of Representatives, US Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends.
Subscribe Today
Our subscribers have first access to individual race pages for each House, Senate and Governors race, which will include race ratings (each race is rated on a seven-point scale) and a narrative analysis pertaining to that race.