Former University of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron announced Wednesday he is running for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, launching a campaign focused on conservative values, faith, and political outsider leadership.
In a campaign video released online, McCarron reflects on lessons from his football career — from winning back-to-back national championships under Coach Nick Saban to playing in the NFL — and ties those experiences to his desire to lead in public office.
“Coach Saban taught me the principles of being a leader,” McCarron says in the announcement. “Together we won back-to-back national championships. Playing in the NFL reinforced the importance of achieving goals bigger than ourselves.”
McCarron, who lives in Alabama with his wife Katherine and their two sons, says he is motivated by what he describes as increasing threats to the state’s “conservative and cultural values.” He references the recent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying it inspired him to “get off the sidelines and get into the game.”
Framing himself as a political newcomer, McCarron criticizes “Montgomery insiders and career politicians,” calling for new leadership rooted in faith and traditional values.
The insiders have had their chance,” he says. “It’s time for outsider candidates like me to lead the battle.
McCarron also points to his early support of Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential race, saying he admired Trump’s outsider approach. He vows to work closely with Governor Tommy Tuberville, another former football coach, promising to be “the quarterback who helps pass his conservative outsider agenda.”
Concluding his message, McCarron describes his run as a calling:
Alabama is my home. It’s made me who I am, and I feel led from above to give back to the state that has given me so much.Comment with Bubbles
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
His campaign slogan, “AJ for LG,” serves as a nod both to his football background and his lieutenant governor bid.
