On Saturday, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville announced that he would seek the GOP nod to challenge Alabama Sen. Doug Jones. Tuberville, whose campaign is being aided by none other than former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, joins Rep. Bradley Byrne in the primary, while several other local politicians are also considering getting into the race.
Tuberville should have plenty of name recognition from his tenure leading the Auburn Tigers in this football-obsessed state, but it may not exactly be the type of name recognition that wins him votes. It’s pretty accepted that in the Yellowhammer State, University of Alabama fans far outnumber fans of Tuberville’s old Auburn Tigers. The rivalry between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers is a very serious matter, and it’s very possible that plenty of Bama supporters won’t back someone so identified with their hated foes.
It also doesn’t help that Tuberville defeated Bama six years in a row and enjoyed trolling them every chance he got. And while Tuberville’s reign was mostly a success for Auburn, he resigned in 2008 after a bad season, including a 36-0 loss to Alabama, so not all Tigers fans may want him back either.
There’s also the question of Tuberville’s ties to Alabama. Tuberville was born and raised in Arkansas and after he left Auburn, he went on to coach at Texas Tech and Cincinnati. He did keep his state home near Lake Martin during his time working at other schools, but it wasn’t entirely by choice. In 2015, Realtor.com reported that Tuberville lowered his asking price for his residence four times between 2009 and 2013, before taking it off the market. However, Tuberville tried selling it again in June of 2015.
Still, the Tuberville family still has ties to the state, with his son debuting as an Auburn player in late 2015. The elder Tuberville also mulled a run for governor in the 2018 cycle, when GOP incumbent Robert Bentley was to be termed-out. Tuberville formed an exploratory committee in early 2017 and loaned it $100,000, but his plans changed after Bentley resigned from a scandal and Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey ascended to the governorship. Tuberville spoke well of Ivey, herself an Auburn alum, and decided not to run against her.
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