Jimmy Buffett has entered the Mobile bridge naming debate after a Republican state senator suggested the Gulf Coast icon deserves the honor over President Donald Trump.
State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Josephine), who represents much of Baldwin County, told ALdotcom that he would prefer to see the massive new I-10 crossing named for Buffett, adding another option to a debate that sprang up this week.
The suggestion comes after U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise), Alabama’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, proposed naming the new crossing the “Gateway to the Gulf of America, the Donald J. Trump Bridge.”
“The new Mobile River Bridge will be a game changer for Mobile, Alabama, and the entire Gulf Coast,” Moore said. “The Gateway to the Gulf of America, the Donald J. Trump Bridge would be a fitting name for a project that reflects Alabama’s growth and our role in America’s future.”
Elliott’s preference for Buffett does not come from a Trump critic. Earlier this year, the Baldwin County Republican described himself as a “proud MAGA supporter of President Donald Trump.” He also carried legislation in the Alabama Senate recognizing the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
Buffett, however, has a considerably stronger connection to Mobile Bay.
The late singer grew up in Mobile, attended what is now McGill-Toolen Catholic High School and began performing locally before launching the career that made him synonymous with Gulf Coast culture.
And Elliott is not the first Alabamian to float the idea.
Former State Auditor Jim Zeigler argued in a 2023 Yellowhammer News guest column that the project should be christened the “Jimmy Buffett Bayway,” pointing to Buffett’s lifelong connections to both Mobile and Baldwin counties.
Mobile is already preparing another major tribute to Buffett. A 7½-foot statue and a 6,000-square-foot immersive exhibit celebrating his life and career are set to open on the city’s waterfront in September.
The $3.2 billion Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project is scheduled to begin construction this fall, meaning Alabama still has several years to settle the important question: MAGA or Margaritaville?
Sawyer Knowles is a state and political reporter for Yellowhammer News. You may contact him at [email protected].
