{"id":2492842,"date":"2025-09-30T12:04:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kirk-murder-opens-more-eyes-as-famed-sportscaster-considers-ditching-espn-running-for-gop-senate-seat\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T12:06:03","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T16:06:03","slug":"kirk-murder-opens-more-eyes-as-famed-sportscaster-considers-ditching-espn-running-for-gop-senate-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kirk-murder-opens-more-eyes-as-famed-sportscaster-considers-ditching-espn-running-for-gop-senate-seat\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirk Murder Opens More Eyes as Famed Sportscaster Considers Ditching ESPN, Running for GOP Senate Seat"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fkirk-murder-opens-more-eyes-as-famed-sportscaster-considers-ditching-espn-running-for-gop-senate-seat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2492842&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses how the assassination of Charlie Kirk has deeply affected many Americans, including previously politically neutral figures. Notably, Paul Finebaum, a respected <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/despite-insistence-by-democrat-politicians-and-medical-elites-empirical-evidence-does-not-conclusively-show-that-masks-reduce-the-spread-of-covid\/\" title=\"Despite Insistence by Democrat Politicians and Medical Elites, Empirical Evidence DOES NOT Conclusively Show that Masks Reduce the Spread of COVID\">college football<\/a> commentator and radio host known primarily for his work on ESPN Radio, revealed in an interview that Kirk&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >murder profoundly impacted<\/a> him and has led him to seriously consider running as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Alabama. This Senate seat is opening up as the current senator, Tommy Tuberville, plans to run for governor. Finebaum, who is recognized as a leading voice in Southern college football media, admitted his political interest has grown significantly in the weeks following Kirk&#8217;s death. He also publicly identified himself for the first time as a supporter and voter of former President Donald Trump. The article emphasizes that the violent reaction to Kirk&#8217;s assassination, and the subsequent responses from some Democrats, have been eye-opening for Finebaum and others, motivating them to become actively involved in politics.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Even the most politically engaged Americans have had their eyes opened wider by the assassination of Charlie Kirk.<\/p>\n<p>The same holds true, apparently, for some prominent voices who have hitherto kept their political sympathies largely to themselves.<\/p>\n<p>In an interview with Clay Travis of Outkick, a clip of which Travis posted Monday to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-new-acting-attorney-general-jeff-rosen-recently-wrote-an-essay-on-foreign-influence-in-us-elections-this-tells-us-a-little-about-his-knowledge-of-whats-going-on-today\/\" title=\"The New Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen Recently Wrote an Essay on Foreign Influence in US Elections \u2013 This Tells Us A Little About His Knowledge of What\u2019s Going On Today\">social media platform<\/a> X, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/developing-attorney-sidney-powell-weve-got-pictures-of-check-stubs-paid-to-people-to-ballot-harvest-audio\/\" title=\"DEVELOPING: Attorney Sidney Powell: We&#039;ve Got Pictures of Check Stubs Paid to People to Ballot Harvest (Audio)\">legendary radio host<\/a> and college football commentator Paul Finebaum revealed that he has thought very seriously about running as a Republican for an open U.S. Senate seat from Alabama, particularly since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/alleged-pro-assassination-trans-activist-forgot-pay-website-bill-kirk-fan-bought-made-delightful-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kirk&rsquo;s<\/a> murder a few weeks ago at Utah Valley University.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Finebaum says given the amount of time he spends on college campuses, the Charlie Kirk assassination profoundly impacted him and he didn&rsquo;t feel he could stay silent any longer,&rdquo; Travis wrote on X.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Finebaum says given the amount of time he spends on college campuses, the Charlie Kirk assassination profoundly impacted him and he didn&rsquo;t feel he could stay silent any longer.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/1972692833023783071?\">September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secsports.com\/championships\/the-paul-finebaum-show2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Southeastern Conference<\/a>, arguably the preeminent conference in college football, has rightly characterized the 70-year-old Finebaum as &ldquo;the leading voice on college football in the South.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, <a href=\"https:\/\/espnpressroom.com\/us\/bios\/paul-finebaum\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Finebaum<\/a> boasts national name recognition thanks to &ldquo;The Paul Finebaum Show,&rdquo; a four-hour weekday program on ESPN Radio, which the host has called home since August 2013.<\/p>\n<p>In May, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pro-trump-senator-leave-seat-open-pursues-new-political-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">announced<\/a> that he would not run for reelection in 2026. Instead, the former Auburn University head football coach will seek the state&rsquo;s governorship.<\/p>\n<p>When Travis mentioned the open Senate seat, Finebaum admitted strong interest.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am thinking about it constantly,&rdquo; the radio host said. &ldquo;And that&rsquo;s difficult to do, Clay, as you&rsquo;re talking about college football 20 hours a week, debating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/stephen-smith-goes-off-people-celebrating-charlie-kirks-death-shame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Stephen A. Smith<\/a>, as you well know.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Moments later, Finebaum added that his strong interest in a Senate campaign developed only recently.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been going on for a couple of days,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;if not weeks, and it&rsquo;s just hard to chisel it down to make an educated decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On X, Travis described the hitherto politically opaque Finebaum as &ldquo;seriously considering entering the Alabama senate race.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;For the first time he publicly says he is a @realDonaldTrump supporter and voter,&rdquo; Travis added.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Senator <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/finebaum?\">@finebaum<\/a>? Paul Finebaum is seriously considering entering the Alabama senate race. For the first time he publicly says he is a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realDonaldTrump?\">@realDonaldTrump<\/a> supporter and voter. We sat down for a long form chat this weekend in Athens. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/5TAzdykU13\">pic.twitter.com\/5TAzdykU13<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ClayTravis\/status\/1972684262173184445?\">September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Of course, Finebaum&rsquo;s reference to &ldquo;days, if not weeks&rdquo; made it clear that the Kirk assassination helped shape his thinking.<\/p>\n<p>And how could it not? After all, sane Americans watched thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/listen-demonic-laugh-spills-dem-congressional-candidate-revels-charlie-kirks-murder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">demon-possessed<\/a> Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/half-us-voters-support-firing-leftists-celebrating-murder-charlie-kirk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">publicly celebrate<\/a> the murder.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, prominent Democrats who did not openly celebrate the assassination provided cover for it by shamelessly lying about Kirk&rsquo;s legacy. That list of Democrats included former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/veteran-journalist-calls-obamas-charlie-kirk-comments-nothing-short-stunning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Barack Obama<\/a>, Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-smears-charlie-kirk-supporters-house-floor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez<\/a> of New York, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-scott-jennings-rains-fire-watching-kimmels-lying-self-centered-unfunny-return-air\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jimmy Kimmel<\/a>, a Democrat propagandist masquerading as a late-night comedian.<\/p>\n<p>In short, as someone who already regarded far too many modern Democrats as evil&rsquo;s willing agents &mdash; or at best its hapless dupes &mdash; the amount of demonic energy they channeled in their reaction to Kirk&rsquo;s murder was hard to believe.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, we should welcome those like Finebaum who have had their eyes opened and decided to get involved.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Even politically active Americans have been deeply affected by Charlie Kirk&#8217;s assassination. This impact extends to some well-known figures who previously kept their political views private. In a recent interview with Clay Travis of Outkick, shared on social media platform X, veteran radio host and college football analyst Paul Finebaum disclosed that he is seriously considering running as a Republican for Alabama&#8217;s open U.S. Senate seat, especially following Kirk&#8217;s murder at Utah Valley University a few weeks ago. Finebaum explained that spending so much time on college campuses made Kirk&#8217;s death profoundly affect him, compelling him to speak out and consider entering politics<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2492843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Paul_F.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5851,62220,63162,5894,12780],"class_list":["post-2492842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-espn","tag-gop-senate","tag-kirk-murder","tag-politics","tag-sportscaster"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Paul_F.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2492842"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2492846,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2492842\/revisions\/2492846"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2492843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2492842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2492842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2492842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}