It’s no secret that Nick Saban is one of the most popular people in the state of Alabama after he established himself as likely the greatest and most accomplished head coach in college football history during his time with the Alabama Crimson Tide. But it seems like Saban’s popularity is so high that he could win a political election in the very conservative state of Alabama even as a Democrat.
According to a poll obtained by Alex Kirshner of Slate.com, Nick Saban would match up and potentially beat Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville in a campaign for senate.
“Over two weeks in late January, pollsters from the market research firm YouGov surveyed 532 registered voters in Alabama and found Saban narrowly leading Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, himself a former college football coach at Auburn, in a hypothetical matchup for Senate in 2026,” Kirshner wrote for Slate.
“The polling group, which shared its data with Slate, found Saban leading with 42 percent of the vote to 39 percent. The poll’s margin of error is plus or minus 4.9 percent, meaning it’s best to think of Saban and Tuberville as tied, the pollster said.”
Obviously, this pretty shocking poll led to a lot of reactions on social media.
We're already getting trash polls from elections two years from now https://t.co/OnKjLTuXcJ
— Sarah Sanders Nationalist 🇺🇲 (@SHSstanMI) February 20, 2024
When you see a public figure with 80% favorability, it's BECAUSE they aren't political.
If Nick Saban went on TV and said, "I'm a Democrat," his favorability would fall by 30 points instantaneously. https://t.co/DdwFs43wtC
— Stephen Thorson 🦡 🧀 (@StephenThorson) February 20, 2024
I am telling you that if Dems run this man, they will have the best shot they’ve ever had of picking up Alabama against a non-Roy Moore candidate. https://t.co/thDNA3y8qE
— Akash Shetye Tweets Ls (@Akashandhisls) February 20, 2024
Never happening and it won't. Saban has a good life and running for office would ruin it. https://t.co/SD8lTuFkjP
— Danny Horton (@DannyHortonMO) February 20, 2024
https://twitter.com/Whit_theWhit/status/1759732723105583255?s=20
Alabama politics is about how good the football coach is. https://t.co/Rz9K6NmEzE
— Csirkepaprikás Fan Account (@UnhWut) February 19, 2024
Saban has never expressed any interest in politics and is currently set to join ESPN’s College GameDay as an analyst. But this is certainly some interesting news nonetheless.
