The announcement last week by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., that he will seek the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama sparked what is shaping up to be a hard-fought and very uncertain Republican primary to succeed him.
Only one thing is certain: The winner of the Republican primary on May 19 will go on to be U.S. senator in a state that has elected only one Democrat to the Senate in the past three decades (Doug Jones, who narrowly won a special election in 2017 over GOP nominee Roy Moore and was unseated by Tuberville in 2020).
At this point, three Republicans have declared for nomination: Steve Marshall, state attorney general since 2017; former U.S. Navy Seal Jared Hudson, who lost a bid for sheriff of Jefferson County in 2022; and Jeremy Spratling, CEO of the Corporate Facilities Management firm in Birmingham.
All are considered solid supporters of President Donald Trump, a must to win a Republican primary in Alabama for just about anything these days.
"If you want to get elected in Alabama, just get President Trump's endorsement," said Perry Hooper Jr., chairman of the president's campaign in the state in 2016 and one of the first Alabamians to support Trump.
Whether Trump, who is not shy about blessing candidates in contested primaries, gets involved in Alabama's Senate contest next year is uncertain.
Several other candidates have been mentioned for the race, including Rep. Barry Moore (another strong Trump supporter) and former Rep. Mo Brooks, who placed second in the 2022 Senate primary won by present Sen. Katie Britt. Trump initially endorsed Brooks, but rescinded his endorsement to back Britt after the congressman began to question the 45th president's claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Another GOP possibility is Morgan Murphy, former national security adviser to Tuberville and now a top aide to Gen. Keith Kellogg (Trump's envoy to Ukraine). Navy veteran Murphy is considered the prospective contender closest to the outgoing senator.
Who gets in the Senate primary in Alabama and who will have momentum is uncertain. But the contest to succeed Tuberville, former head football coach at Auburn, is sure to be exciting and widely watched.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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