HOOVER, Ala. (AP) – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, who has been accused of residing in Florida instead of Alabama, is now facing similar allegations as he runs for governor. The Alabama Republican Party is set to hold a closed-door hearing to assess whether Tuberville meets the state’s seven-year residency requirement for the governorship, a challenge initiated by former primary opponent Ken McFeeters.
McFeeters claims Tuberville does not actually live in Alabama, stating, "Does he live in Alabama? No, he doesn’t live here." Tuberville, who previously won the Republican primary against McFeeters and has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, dismissed the challenge as "a joke," asserting that he fulfills the necessary requirements to serve.
Tuberville’s campaign manager, Jordan Doufexis, expressed confidence in resolving the residency issue, stating, "We’re happy to put the residency issue to bed. It’s time to provide the facts and move on." Nonetheless, property records reveal that Tuberville and his wife own a $5.6 million beach home in Florida. Despite this, Tuberville’s campaign insists that their primary residence is a home in Auburn, Alabama, valued at approximately $291,780, purchased in 2017 by Tuberville’s wife and son.
The Auburn property became jointly owned when Tuberville’s name was added to the deed, following the removal of his son’s name. Recent records indicate both homes have been moved into a revocable trust. To bolster his claim, Tuberville submitted heavily redacted Alabama income tax returns from 2018 to 2024, which list an Auburn address and suggest the family moved to Alabama in August 2018. However, voting records show that Tuberville participated in elections in Florida in November 2018 and registered to vote in Alabama on March 28, 2019, just days before launching his campaign for Senate.
McFeeters also highlighted Tuberville's frequent travel to the Florida Panhandle, arguing that such records support the notion that Tuberville resides in Florida. Tuberville previously served as the head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 until 2008, later coaching at Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati before transitioning to a role at ESPN. In a promotional video for ESPN in 2017, he is quoted as discussing his move to Florida after retiring from coaching.
The language surrounding the Alabama Constitution’s residency requirement adds complexity to the situation. It states that candidates for governor and lieutenant governor "shall have been citizens of the United States ten years and resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election." This ambiguity may complicate any potential legal challenges regarding Tuberville's residency status.
The upcoming hearing by party officials is not intended to be public, and Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen is expected to announce the decision after the proceedings. In last month’s primary, Tuberville dominated with 85% of the vote, while McFeeters received only 9%. Despite this destruction at the polls, McFeeters does not anticipate the hearing to yield serious considerations regarding the residency question but believes that the issue will persist if Tuberville remains on the ballot.
This is not the first time Tuberville has faced scrutiny regarding his residency. During his Senate campaign in 2020 against Jeff Sessions, Tuberville was portrayed in advertisements as a "Florida Man." Nevertheless, Tuberville triumphed in that contest, capturing 61% of the votes compared to Sessions’ 39%. Currently, Tuberville and Sessions are on track for a rematch in the upcoming gubernatorial race in November.
