Ex-Auburn HC Tommy Tuberville Wins Alabama Republican U.S. Senate Primary

Former Auburn football head coach Tommy Tuberville is one step closer to becoming Alabama's next senator after winning Tuesday's GOP primary runoff election.

The Associated Press announced the victory Tuesday evening.

In the runoff with former Alabama Senator and United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Tuberville, a first-time politician, won 61.2 percent of the vote with 94.0 percent of precincts reporting, per NPR.

Sessions was trying to win back his former seat after serving nearly two years in the Trump Administration.

Tuberville, who earned an endorsement from President Donald Trump, will now face Democratic incumbent Sen. Doug Jones in the general election on November 3.

Should Tuberville defeat Jones in the general, he'll become the latest athletic figure to make the move to Capitol Hill, joining the likes of former Tennessee Titans linebacker Colin Allred, former Stanford tight end Cory Booker and former Indianapolis Colts receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

Hall of Fame coach Tom Osborne, who won three national championships with Nebraska in the 1990s, served as one of the state's representatives in congress from 2001 to 2007.

As of July 13, FiveThirtyEight gives Tuberville a 10-point lead over Jones in the general election.