May. 29, 2025

If you plan on running for Senate, get in line. Today we'll run down what we know so far about the field.

Thanks for reading,

Ike

Looking for the podcast? Click here or check other options below.

With U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville running for governor in next year's election, several potential candidates for Tuberville's current job are considering their options, reports AL.com's Mike Cason.

We've already mentioned here that a Democrat -- former President Trump supporter Kyle Sweetser -- has announced he would run. And now a Republican -- former Navy SEAL and former Jefferson County sheriff candidate Jared Hudson -- says he's in as well.

And there are bigger names mulling their candidacy.

State Attorney General Steve Marshall said this spring on Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal that he might run for Senate, depending on what Tuberville did. Look for an announcement from him one way or the other soon.

Former Congressman Mo Brooks, who lost to Katie Britt in a runoff for Alabama's other Senate seat, said he'll consider running if he doesn't believe another conservative candidate is up for the job.

Former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill also said he's weighing whether to run. So did retired Navy Admiral and former Alabama VA Commissioner Kent Davis, and current Congressman Barry Moore told 1819 News that he's thinking about it.

Sources are also pointing to a possible run by Morgan Murphy, a former Tuberville staffer who now works in the White House.

Former Congressional candidate Caroleene Dobson said in April she's mulling a political future and indicated that could involve Washington.

And for those Auburn sports fans who'd like coaches from the Plains to hold onto that seat, the news outlet Semafor has cited an unnamed source saying current Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl may run.

Pearl hasn't been afraid to sound off on politics, particularly issues regarding Israel, and he’s chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association.

That's one unnamed source against nearly six million cold, hard reasons for Pearl to stay put at Auburn.

As the fields for senator and governor start to take shape, one statewide officeholder has jumped into next year's race for Lieutenant governor.

Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate, a Republican, says he's in. He said he'd been considering running for governor but that nobody could beat Tuberville unless Nick Saban ran.

We may be getting our occasional dose of Saharan dust over the next week, reports AL.com's Heather Gann.

During the late spring and summer, masses of dry, dusty air form over the Sahara Desert in Africa, then begin to ride the winds westward across the Atlantic.

There are benefits: The drier air can inhibit thunderstorms and tropical storms, and it can lead to more brilliant sunsets depending on the amount of dust aloft where you live.

The bad news is that it can reduce air quality enough to affect people with respiratory issues.

The TSA is warning people to watch how they're charging their phones at the airport, reports AL.com's Leada Gore.

"Juice jacking" -- which is not a Pre-K class crime -- involves cyber criminals installing malware onto public USB charging ports. Then they access devices that are being charged and export personal data and passwords.

The TSA recommends using your own power brick, an AC power outlet or a charging-only cable.

6.1%

That's the rather surprising unemployment rate among college graduates who majored in computer science, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

In 1972, actress Laverne Cox of Mobile.

If you miss that feeling of sitting down with in-depth, local reporting, consider subscribing to the Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, or Mobile Press-Register.

By subscribing, you’ll get a new daily digital edition in an email link, or you can use an app to download the new edition every day on your smartphone or tablet. You also get exclusive access to stories written for our subscribers.

“Down in Alabama” listeners get your first month free by going to al.com/digitalsubscription/exclusive and enter the promo code DIAPOD.

You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places:

We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have.

If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.)