E-Paper
Is Paul Finebaum inspired by Charlie Kirk’s murder? ESPN host reveals reasons to quitting TV and run for US Senate
ESPN's Paul Finebaum is contemplating a Senate run in Alabama following the tragic death of Charlie Kirk.
Paul Finebaum, who is renowned for his daily call-in program and his coverage of college athletics on ESPN and the SEC Network, is thinking about running for the US Senate in Alabama.
In an exclusive interview with Clay Travis of Outkick, Finebaum, a former Birmingham sports writer and columnist, said that the Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk's killing caused him to reevaluate his objectives.
Kirk lost his life at 31 after being shot at a speaking event at Utah Valley University.
Is Paul Finebaum inspired by Charlie Kirk’s murder?
Finebaum mentioned that he found it difficult to wrap up his show that after learning of Kirk's murder.
“I spent four hours numb talking about things that didn’t matter to me. And it kept building throughout that weekend,” Finebaum, 70, told Travis. “I felt very empty doing what I was doing that day.”
“… One or two people in Washington had reached out to me about whether I would be interested in politics, something I never thought about before. Something I didn’t really think possible. I gave some thought to it as the [after Kirk’s murder] weekend unfolded and got a little bit more interested.”
Tommy Tuberville is vacating the Senate position, and Finebaum stated that he is contemplating about running as a Republican. Tuberville is vying for the position of governor.
Finebaum told Travis that he is aware that he will have to decide quickly on a potential job move.
Finebaum speaks about Donald Trump
Finebaum stated that he voted for Donald Trump in 2024 presidential election and that he would run for office if the president asked him to.
When Travis asked if he would say yes in case the President asked him to run, Finebaum said: “Impossible to tell him no. There’s no way I could. I would tell him yes.”
After graduating from the University of Tennessee, Finebaum hosted his renowned sports talk program on WERC and then WJOX. He also wrote sports columns for the old Birmingham Post-Herald for almost 30 years.
Senate run from Alabama: Who all have announced their candidacy?
U.S. Representative Barry Moore of Enterprise, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, and Jared Hudson, a former Navy Seal who ran for Jefferson County sheriff in 2022 and was the first Republican to declare his intention to run for Tuberville's seat, are among the candidates who have already declared their intention to run for the seat.
Bruce Pearl, the basketball coach at Auburn who declared his retirement last week, talked about running for the Senate but ultimately decided against it.
