The former staffer behind Tommy Tuberville’s strategy of holding up hundreds of military promotions may be considering running for his old boss’ soon-to-be-open U.S. Senate seat.

Morgan Murphy, a reserve Navy captain and former national security adviser to Tuberville who now works in the White House, is “lining things up at the moment” for a potential run, a source familiar with Murphy’s thinking told AL.com.

Tuberville’s announcement Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to a second Senate term and instead launch a run for governor of Alabama in 2026 creates a rare open seat.

Speculation has followed Attorney General Steve Marshall, ex-Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, former Sen. Doug Jones and Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl about potential runs.

Jared Hudson, a former Navy SEAL who ran for sheriff of Jefferson County in 2022, is the first Republican candidate in the race.

Murphy did not return calls.

But he was also mentioned among possible candidates by The Daily Caller on Wednesday.

While working for Tuberville, Murphy, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, served as senior adviser for national security, foreign affairs, and intelligence matters.

He was credited with influencing Tuberville’s decision to hold up hundreds of military nominations in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.

The strategy enraged Democrats, including then-President Joe Biden, who accused Tuberville of harming military readiness while upending military families’ lives.

The attention led to a profile of Murphy in the Washington Post, which suggested the aide embellished parts of his life story.

About a week after the profile was published, Murphy stepped down from his role with Tuberville’s office, claiming the piece “overstated” his role in the holds and that his boss was bothered by its characterizations.

Murphy went on to work as a senior fellow at the Center for American Security for the America First Policy Institute, a think tank promoting Donald Trump’s policies.

He also held a role in the first Trump administration, serving as press secretary for then-Secretary of Defense Chris Miller.

“I say this having worked closely with him when he was one of my principal advisers when I was Acting Secretary of Defense during the first Trump Administration,” Miller told the Daily Caller, which first reported about Murphy’s possible entry into the Senate race.

“I’ve seen his mettle and calm, deliberate decision making skills under fearsome and unrelenting stress. Alabama and the Nation will be much better off with him in the United States Senate.”

The source familiar with Murphy’s thinking told AL.com that Murphy’s ties to Defense Department and the MAGA movement will be an asset should he run for the Senate.

“Don’t underestimate how many connections Morgan has to the Trump world,” they said.