With U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) expected to officially announce a run for governor sometime this month, speculation has mounted about Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth's response, whether it be a run for Senate or governor.
Ainsworth, who was viewed as the favorite to replace the term-limited Gov. Kay Ivey before Tuberville entered the fray, said Thursday on Mobile FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show” that he didn't have "that much of an interest" in running for Tuberville's seat. He added that he would only have an interest in running for governor, noting that he has "been the underdog before."
"I really don't have that much of an interest in running for the Senate," Ainsworth told host Jeff Poor. "I think the only thing that I would consider running for is governor."
"Obviously, there's some big names out there, but, hey, I've been the underdog before, and if that happens again, that would be a lot of fun," he continued. "And that's always kind of where I thought I could help the state the best is as governor, but we'll see what happens."
Ainsworth added, "I can tell you: I really have just never had a desire to serve in the Senate. My heart's in Alabama, and certainly, I've got a lot of respect and am thankful for the people that serve in D.C., but for me, you know, the only office I would consider running for is governor. And I've got to figure out if that's what I want to do, and then look at, OK, if that is what I want to do, is there a path to victory and what that looks like and can we make a difference and can we help people and can we make the state a better place. And if that's the case, then we'll try to make our case to the people of Alabama."
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