Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican whose Senate seat is up in the 2026 election, announced Tuesday that he’s seeking the state’s governor’s mansion after one term in the Senate.

“Today I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said in an interview with Fox News’ Will Cain. “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.”

Tuberville also launched the website coachforgovernor.com. 

Tuberville, 70, was elected to the Senate in 2020. The former Auburn University football coach, who had never held public office before coming to the Senate, is a strong ally of President Trump, and has served as a staunch defender of Mr. Trump in the upper chamber. 

In his 2020 Senate race, Tuberville defeated Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, flipping the seat back for Republicans after Jones had become the first Democrat elected to the Senate in Alabama in 25 years. In the primary, Mr. Trump endorsed Tuberville over former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had previously held the seat for two decades and who had left the Senate to serve in the first Trump administration. 

During the Biden administration, Tuberville in 2023 delayed the promotions of hundreds of military officers in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy. After 10 months of blocking the Senate from approving the nominations en masse, Tuberville dropped the bulk of his holds without a change to the policy, amid pressure from his GOP colleagues to change course.  

The Alabama Republican’s announcement Tuesday comes as other senators are pursuing gubernatorial bids or have expressed interest in leaving Washington to lead their home states in recent months. Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet of Colorado announced he’s running for governor in April, and GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee has said she’s considering a bid for governor, as well. Former Sen. Mike Braun opted to leave the Senate, too, after winning his 2024 bid for Indiana governor. The developments defy what’s been a more traditional progression from the governor’s mansion to the Senate. Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia, John Hickenlooper of Colorado and Rick Scott of Florida were all governors, and former Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was also governor before he served in the Senate.

The 2026 Alabama governor’s race will decide who will succeed term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican.