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Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, who announced last week he was running for lieutenant governor, had never registered to vote until a few days before becoming a candidate last week. McCarron’s campaign confirmed to Alabama Daily News that he had not registered before in Alabama or in the other states where he lived during his NFL career. McCarron, 35, told Alabama Daily News, in response to a question about not registering previously, that he was the “ultimate outsider candidate.” McCarron will be running in the Republican primary against Secretary of State Wes Allen, Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate, Opelika Pastor Dean Odle, and commercial realtor Nicole Wadsworth. Allen said the fact that McCarron has never voted is a factor that voters should consider. “You would not put a player in the game at quarterback who has never thrown a pass, so why on earth would you vote for a candidate who’s never cast a vote?” Allen said. McCarron, in a video announcing his campaign, said he was inspired by the work of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “His example convinced me to get off the sidelines and get into the game and stand tall for our conservative beliefs,” McCarron said. McCarron, from Mobile, was Alabama’s starting quarterback for three seasons and led the Crimson Tide to national championships in 2011 and 2012. He played seven seasons in the NFL with Cincinnati, Oakland, and Houston. McCarron said he is a longtime supporter of President Trump and endorsed Trump in 2016, when McCarron was playing for Cincinnati and Trump was making his first run for office. Allen, on the other hand, noted that he voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. “This is a race and a campaign about more than just talk,” Allen said. “This is about real action. In my career, my conservative credentials is all about real action. I’ve taken action, and I’ve got the record to prove it.” Jess Brown, a retired political science professor from Athens State University and longtime observer of Alabama elections, said he did not expect McCarron’s record of non-voting to be a big factor. Brown noted that questions about whether Tommy Tuberville meets the residency requirements to run for governor do not appear to have hurt Tuberville’s campaign. “While his non-voting is an indicator of civic disengagement during his early adult years and perhaps a lack of genuine interest in the spectrum of issues faced by a (lieutenant governor), my guess is that his non-voting might matter very little to the typical voter,” Brown wrote in an email. “Remember, Tuberville’s meager connection to the state during his life apparently had no traction with voters. I would expect non-voting to be in the same category. “And, I would imagine that a high percentage of Alabamians were largely non-voters when they were in their 20s.”
