Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) won’t be getting involved in the race for his Alabama Senate seat, beyond giving President Donald Trump advice if he asks for it.
Tuberville, who opted to run for governor next year instead of staying in the Senate, said he would not endorse in the primary as Republicans begin to announce their candidacies.
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“In the primary, I’ll stay out of it,” Tuberville told the Washington Examiner in a brief interview.
Attorney General Steve Marshall became the first statewide official to launch his campaign on Thursday, as first reported by the Washington Examiner. Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who lost his 2022 bid for Jefferson County sheriff, announced his candidacy a day earlier.
A who’s who of current and former officials has also expressed interest, teeing up the prospect of a crowded primary.
Tuberville predicted that Trump would also stay neutral, as he did for most of Tuberville’s 2020 Senate race. Tuberville earned a late endorsement in his runoff against Jeff Sessions, the ex-attorney general who lost favor with Trump for recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
“I think he will [stay neutral] for a while,” Tuberville said, judging that he could intervene if one candidate is performing “much, much better” than the others.
“But I’m not gonna put words in his mouth,” he added.
Trump has taken a similarly cautious approach in other 2026 primaries, endorsing both Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Karrin Taylor Robson in Arizona’s GOP primary for governor.
Tuberville is the prohibitive favorite in his governor’s race and has yet to draw a major competitor. Last week, he touted a $2 million fundraising haul in the first 24 hours of his campaign.
Tuberville suggested he could advise Trump next year on the merits of each Senate candidate, noting that the filing deadline to enter isn’t until January 2026.
Other possible contenders include ex-congressman Mo Brooks, former Secretary of State John Merrill, and Kent Davis, the former Veterans Affairs commissioner.
“I’ll visit with him as we get closer next year, after the first year,” Tuberville said.
He has publicly urged Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, who is also reportedly mulling a run, to stay out of the race, citing the difference in compensation. Tuberville himself was a football coach at Auburn before entering politics.
ALABAMA AG STEVE MARSHALL LAUNCHES RUN FOR TUBERVILLE SENATE SEAT
Should Trump decide to get involved, his endorsement could swing the primary in ruby-red Alabama. The president won a second term in November by 30 points against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Whoever Trump gets behind will win it,” said Tuberville.