Former University of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron to run for lieutenant governor

Former University of Alabama quarter A.J. McCarron said Thursday he will seek the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Alabama.

McCarron, a first-time political candidate, used culture war language and invoked the September killing of far-right activist Charlie Kirk in a video posted to YouTube announcing his candidacy.

“The Montgomery insiders and career politicians have had their chance,” McCarron said in the video. “It’s time for political newcomers and outsider candidates like me to lead the battle.”

McCarron joins a Republican field that includes Secretary of State Wes Allen; Patrick Bishop, a deputy with the Cullman County Sheriff’s Department; Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Rick Pate; former gubernatorial candidate Dean Odle and businesswoman Nicole Wadsworth. Current Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is term-limited.

As of Thursday, Allen had over $612,000 on hand for the campaign; Pate had nearly $491,000 and Wadsworth had almost $175,000.

The lieutenant governor presides over the Alabama Senate. The office used to have power comparable to the Speaker of the Alabama House, with the lieutenant governor assigning senators to committees and controlling the flow of legislation. But after a weeks-long standoff in 1999 between then-Lt. Gov. Steve Windom, a Republican, and the Democratic-controlled Senate, the powers of the lieutenant governor were transferred to the Senate President Pro Tem.

The lieutenant governor retains some appointment powers and is second-in-line to the governor’s office.

McCarron played for the University of Alabama from 2009 to 2013. He won two national championships during his time with the Crimson Tide. In the 2013 Iron Bowl, he threw a 99-yard pass to receiver Amari Cooper. Auburn won the game on Chris Davis’ “Kick Six” return.

McCarron later played nine years in the NFL, and also spent time in the XFL. He lives in Mobile with his family and works in real estate and as a college football analyst.