Dothan, Ala. — Former Auburn University football coach and current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville officially announced his bid for governor of Alabama on Tuesday, signaling a major shift in his political trajectory. Tuberville, who has served in the Senate since 2021, made the announcement during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show,” coinciding with a rally held at Byron’s Smokehouse in Auburn and the launch of his campaign website.
Tuberville’s campaign platform focuses heavily on conservative cultural issues, underscoring his opposition to transgender athletes competing in women’s sports and rejecting critical race theory (CRT) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in schools and government. He also pledged to eliminate taxpayer funding for abortions, aligning his policies with those of former President Donald Trump.
“My record over the last four years in Washington has proven that I’m not afraid to say it like it is,” Tuberville said on his campaign website. “Like President Trump, I’ll continue to protect common sense and stand up for our shared conservative values in Montgomery.”
Before entering politics, Tuberville was best known for his tenure as head coach of the Auburn Tigers football team from 1999 to 2008. During that time, he led the team to an 85-40 record, including six consecutive victories over Alabama and a Southeastern Conference championship in 2004.
Since his election to the Senate, Tuberville has been a vocal supporter of Trump, defending the former president’s policies and actions, including efforts to prevent transgender individuals from serving in the military and contesting the 2020 presidential election results. Tuberville’s most high-profile action in the Senate was placing a hold on hundreds of senior military promotions for nearly a year, citing objections to the Defense Department’s policy on reimbursing travel costs for pregnant service members seeking abortions.
Legislatively, Tuberville’s record is limited. Of the 271 bills he has sponsored, only one — the Supporting Families of the Fallen Act — has been enacted into law. He has co-sponsored 539 bills, seven of which have become law, many of them bipartisan efforts recognizing military veterans or addressing institutional issues.
As Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is barred from seeking a third term, Tuberville faces little competition within the Republican Party, especially after Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth announced he would not run. This positions Tuberville as the likely frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
However, Tuberville’s campaign is shadowed by questions surrounding his residency eligibility. Alabama law requires candidates to have lived in the state for at least seven years. Investigations by multiple media outlets, including The Washington Post and AL.com, have highlighted campaign finance and property records suggesting Tuberville may maintain a residence in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Tuberville has insisted he and his family have held a homestead exemption in Alabama since 2018, and the family owns a home on Cherry Street in Auburn, registered under his wife’s name.
“There’s not any problem with that,” Tuberville told Alabama Daily News in April regarding his residency status.
As Tuberville’s campaign gains momentum, voters and political observers will be watching closely to see how these residency concerns and his legislative record impact his bid to become Alabama’s next governor.
