Could Alabama have a former Auburn coach as its governor and a former Alabama quarterback as its lieutenant governor in 2027?
Ex-Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron announced Thursday that he would be running for lieutenant governor as a Republican. McCarron is the seventh person to announce his or her candidacy for the position.
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In his announcement video, McCarron cited the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a reason why he wanted to run for political office for the first time.
McCarron played at Alabama from 2010 through 2013 and was the team’s starter for three seasons. He finished second in the Heisman voting to Florida State’s Jameis Winston in 2013 and won the Maxwell Award that season.
Alabama won the national title in McCarron’s first two years as a starter. He threw for 77 TDs and 15 interceptions during his career and amassed over 9,000 yards passing. He’s still Alabama’s career leader in passing yards and also holds the team record for most consecutive passes without an interception at 291.
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He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals and appeared in 19 games across seven seasons in the NFL. McCarron started three games for the Bengals in 2015 before making his next start in 2019 with the Houston Texans.
McCarron played his final season in the NFL in 2023 after spending the 2022 season in the XFL.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) is eschewing a run for another term in Congress and is instead running to replace Gov. Kay Ivey (R) in 2026. Tuberville coached Auburn from 1999 through 2008 until he was fired after a 5-7 season. Less than two years after his last season coaching college football at Cincinnati, Tuberville announced his intention to run for U.S. Senate.
Alabama’s primary elections ahead of the Nov. 3 general election are May 19, 2026, with the primary runoff scheduled for June 16 if necessary. With Tuberville leaving the Senate, longtime sports commentator Paul Finebaum has publicly mused about running to replace Tuberville, though Finebaum hasn’t officially said if he’s running.
