WASHINGTON — Morgan Murphy, a former Trump administration official and national security adviser to Sen. Tommy Tuberville, announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate Monday.
He’s running to replace his former boss, Tuberville, the GOP frontrunner in the race to be Alabama’s next governor.
Murphy, a Navy Reserve captain who most recently served as chief of public diplomacy for the Special Presidential Envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, kicked off his campaign Monday night at Vulcan Park in Birmingham.
“I feel called to run for Tommy Tuberville’s seat to continue Coach and Trump’s legacies,” Murphy, 53, said in a statement. “Neither were politicians when they first went to Washington, which is what we need more of in this country—regular citizens who could do something else but choose instead to serve.”
A heated primary is taking shape to succeed Tuberville in 2026 and represent Alabama in the Senate alongside Katie Britt. Murphy joins three other Alabama Republicans vying for the open seat, including Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, U.S. Rep. Barry Moore and former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson. All of the Republican candidates are highlighting their close ties to President Donald Trump, who has not made an endorsement in the race.
After working in the first Trump administration as press secretary for the Department of Defense near the end of Trump’s term, Murphy worked for Tuberville beginning when he entered the Senate in 2021.
“You better believe President Trump and Coach Tuberville both demand excellence on every level,” Murphy said. “I’m proud to have worked for both men and will make it my mission to continue their fight in the U.S. Senate for years to come.”
In 2023, Murphy resigned as a Tuberville adviser after a Washington Post report suggested he played a key role in Tuberville’s move to block senior military nominations to protest the Department of Defense’s new policy to cover travel costs for service members who went out of state for abortions. At the time of the resignation, POLITICO reported that the Washington Post story profiling Murphy “irked Tuberville,” but Murphy told the outlet that Tuberville was the ultimate decider for instituting the blockade. The months-long hold stalled more than 400 military nominations.
Murphy’s campaign website features several issues, including protecting free speech, combating crime, America First national defense, and protecting women’s sports. He also calls for the IRS to be abolished and for an audit of every federal agency to cut “wasteful programs.”
Three first Trump administration officials, including acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller, Sean Spicer, former press secretary, and K.T. McFarland, a deputy national security adviser, endorsed Murphy, according to statements on his website.
Murphy also released a campaign video Monday in which he depicted his service as a Navy Reserve captain, praised Trump and spotlighted his connections to Tuberville’s defense priorities.
“Alabama, in this election, let’s bring out the battle-tested big guns of leadership and experience to get the job done,” Murphy said in the video.
A recent poll of the Senate race, conducted before Murphy launched his campaign, showed Marshall in the lead with 37% of the GOP primary vote, followed by 16% for Moore and 7% for Hudson. A full 40% of voters remain undecided.
Before working for the second Trump administration, Murphy served as a senior fellow at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. His career started in journalism. Murphy was an executive editor of Southern Living and served as a food critic for the magazine.
A native of Alabama, Murphy graduated from Birmingham-Southern and earned an MBA at Oxford. He has one son.
The Republican primary is May 19, 2026.