Auburn, Alabama - Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville on Tuesday announced his bid to become the next governor of Alabama.

"Today, I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama," the football coach-turned-politician said from a gathering at Byron's Smokehouse in Auburn and broadcast live over Fox News' The Will Cain Show.

"I've still got 18 months to go with President Trump to make America great again. We've got a lot of work to do. Monday we'll go back and pass the 'big, beautiful bill' for President Trump, but I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama," he added.

Tuberville (70) went on to promise a return of manufacturing to Alabama, an end to what he called "illegal immigration," and improvements in education.

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"My record over the last four years in Washington has proven that I'm not afraid to say it like it is. I believe, as Alabamians do, that men are men and women are women. Allowing men to compete in women's sports is wrong," Tuberville states on his campaign website.

"Poisonous ideologies like Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which teach our kids to hate each other, should have no place in our government or our schools. And zero taxpayer dollars should go towards abortions," the issues page reads.

Alabama's current governor, Republican Kay Ivey (80), is ineligible to run for reelection with her second full term set to end in 2027.

Tuberville was the head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008 before entering politics, winning the 2020 Senate race with Trump's backing.

In Washington, Tuberville is known for being a staunch Trump backer who in 2023 led a months-long block on approval of military appointments over his anti-abortion stance.

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The far-right lawmaker is also known for pushing anti-trans legislation and for suggesting that white nationalists are Americans and their racism is just a matter of opinion.

Tuberville's announcement has also ramped up speculation about who might fill his open Senate seat.

Alabama's Republican gubernatorial primary is scheduled for May 19, 2026. So far, no other GOP candidates have entered the race.