(CN) - Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville announced Tuesday that he will not seek a second term in the Senate and will instead campaign for governor of Alabama in 2026, according to an interview on Fox News Tuesday afternoon. 

"I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama," he told host Will Cain. Tuberville promised to bring more manufacturing jobs, stop illegal immigration and make education in the state "better again." 

Tuberville further said he would continue to work in the Senate over the next 18 months, including attempting to pass President Donald Trump's budget package next week.

Separately Tuesday, Tuberville published a campaign website and updated his social media pages to reflect his candidacy for Alabama's governor. 

The former Auburn football coach, who in his first term clashed with Senate leadership over his blockade of military promotions and hardline conservative stances, had privately signaled his intention to shift focus to state politics. He would likely be a leading candidate in a contest to succeed term-limited Governor Kay Ivey, who at 80 is also the oldest serving governor in the country.

Since his election in 2020, Tuberville has drawn national attention for his staunch conservative stances and headline-grabbing tactics as a political newcomer. A loyal Trump ally, Tuberville has consistently opposed Democratic initiatives, voting against major bills like the bipartisan infrastructure package and the Inflation Reduction Act. He has focused on issues such as border security, military readiness and opposition to so-called "woke" policies in education and the armed forces.

However, his tenure has also been defined by controversy. For nearly a year, Tuberville blocked hundreds of military promotions in protest of a Pentagon abortion access policy, drawing bipartisan criticism for jeopardizing national security. Defense officials warned the holds damaged military readiness, while Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, publicly rebuked the strategy.

A review published in May 2025 by the Government Accountability Office found while Tuberville's holds did have negative effects on individual military families, they did not affect overall military readiness. 

Tuberville has also faced scrutiny over his grasp of policy, including confusing remarks about white nationalism and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Despite the backlash, he remains popular among Alabama's GOP base, framing himself as an anti-establishment, pro-business fighter.

Tuberville entered the U.S. Senate in 2021 after defeating Democratic incumbent Doug Jones with a decisive 60.1% of the vote, securing a seat that had been blue since Jones's 2017 special election upset. Jones, a former U.S. attorney renowned for prosecuting Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the 1963 Birmingham church bombing, won that race against Republican nominee Roy Moore - a controversial former judge who denied multiple claims of sexual misconduct with teenage girls in the 1970s. 

Though Tuberville has a long history in Alabama - where he votes, holds office and owns an Auburn home - his Florida property in Santa Rosa Beach has occasionally been cited as his true residency. Alabama law requires gubernatorial candidates to be state residents for at least seven years, a threshold Tuberville likely clears thanks to his voter registration and Senate tenure. 

Tuberville addressed his residency at the top of his remarks Tuesday on Fox News by saying he moved to Auburn "over 25 years ago." 

Source: Courthouse News Service