EXCLUSIVE — Attorney General Steve Marshall will run for Senate in Alabama, becoming the first statewide official to launch a campaign for Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-AL) seat.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Marshall praised Tuberville, who announced a run for governor on Tuesday, as a “strong voice for Alabama” during his time in the Senate while emphasizing his own background as a prosecutor.
“We’re very blessed in having a leader like Sen. Tuberville to be in the role that he was in,” Marshall said.
“Right now, the nation needs strong conservative leadership, somebody that’s going to be able to advance President Trump’s agenda,” he added. “And the work that I’ve done as attorney general, I think, makes it abundantly clear that I’m willing to fight the right battles and to be effective in doing it, and look forward to being able to take that to the Senate.”
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Noting the lawsuits he initiated with other red states, Marshall highlighted the policies he opposed under former President Joe Biden, including what he called the “radical gender ideology” of the last administration and its controversial decision to “parole” over a million immigrants into the country.
Marshall returned to that theme as he acknowledged he could face a crowded field next May, when Alabama holds its primary election. Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who lost his 2022 bid for Jefferson County sheriff, became the first candidate to launch his campaign on Wednesday, while a who’s who of current and former officials have expressed interest.
“Look, some people talk tough. We’ve had an opportunity to get tough stuff done,” Marshall said, adding, “I relish the opportunity to be able to contrast that with others that may be in the race.”
Looming over the primary is the prospect of a coveted endorsement from President Donald Trump. Marshall featured the president heavily in a campaign video announcing his candidacy, interspersing clips of Trump mentioning or praising him over the years.
In the interview, Marshall noted he was among the first Republicans to visit the Manhattan courtroom where Trump was tried and convicted of falsifying business records, joining Tuberville and then-Sen. JD Vance in what became a pilgrimage for allies alleging he was a victim of “lawfare.”
With Trump’s return to the White House, Marshall has further signaled his alignment on immigration, making a trip to the border last week with 10 other attorneys general.
“We’ll absolutely seek his endorsement, but I think one thing that is clear is that we have been one of the strongest supporters of the president on the issues that he has championed,” Marshall said.
Tuberville’s political brand is similarly tied to the president, and on substance, Marshall said he and the departing senator share the same values. But Marshall, who spent 16 years as a district attorney before he became attorney general in 2017, hopes to blaze his own trail in the Senate, taking a particular interest in the investigative powers of Congress.
“Not only have I been somebody that’s testified in front of Congress, one of the things I’d like to be able to do is be on the other side — to be able to use the tools that are available in that setting,” Marshall said, echoing the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee who want to see an investigation opened into Biden’s use of an autopen.
“The American people need to know what was going on when Joe Biden was president, who really was running the government,” he said.
Marshall, who is term-limited as attorney general, ruled out a run for governor in December but kept his options open for Senate, telling the Washington Examiner that he informed Tuberville of his interest ahead of time should he decide against a second term.
His outreach in Washington also included conversations with Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), Alabama’s other senator, and Senate colleagues who at one time served as attorney general in their home states.
“They enjoy the role and the position and see this as a natural transition to being able to serve,” Marshall said.
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In ruby-red Alabama, the eventual winner of the primary is virtually guaranteed to win in the general election. Among the Republicans expressing interest are ex-congressman Mo Brooks, former Secretary of State John Merrill, and Kent Davis, the former Veterans Affairs commissioner. Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is also reportedly mulling a run.
Marshall compared his announcement to being at the starting line of a marathon race.
“It’s a little bit of a long haul for us,” he said. “It’s about a year from the primary, which gives me an awful lot of time to be able to see and share what we’re doing — and candidly, to be able to learn a little more about what the people of Alabama expect and want of me in the role of senator, as opposed to what they’ve seen from me as their attorney general.”