Paul Finebaum weighs Alabama Senate bid after Kirk killing

Paul Finebaum, the longtime college sports broadcaster, said he is weighing a run for the U.S. Senate from Alabama as a Republican, a decision he said was prompted in part by the September assassination of activist Charlie Kirk. Finebaum, 70, told an interviewer that the killing unsettled him and that conversations with people in Washington have led him to seriously consider entering the race for the seat likely to be vacated by Senator Tommy Tuberville, who is pursuing a gubernatorial bid.

Finebaum said the shock of Kirk’s death left him "numb" and rethinking his priorities. "I spent four hours numb talking about things that didn't matter to me," he said. He also acknowledged that a personal request from former President Donald Trump would effectively determine his choice, saying, "Impossible to tell him no. There's no way I could. I would say yes." Prosecutors have charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson in the killing and said they will seek the death penalty; the shooting occurred during an event at Utah Valley University on September 10.

A longtime Alabama resident who moved back to the state earlier this year after living in Charlotte, North Carolina, Finebaum has hosted daily...