McFeeters Challenges Senator Tuberville’s Residency
As first reported in Tuscaloosa Thread Monday, the residency of Alabama U.S. Senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tommy Tuberville has been officially challenged. One of Tuberville's challengers, Hoover businessman Ken McFeeters sent a press release to state media informing them that he filed the complaint earlier today.
“Public reporting and available records raise serious and unresolved questions as to whether Senator Tuberville has been a continuous resident citizen of Alabama for the seven years immediately preceding the upcoming election,” McFeeters challenge states. “Senator Tuberville has represented that his legal residence is his son’s home in Auburn, Alabama. However, extensive travel records disclosed through his Senate expense reports and his political action committee filings appear to show repeated and sustained travel to and from Florida, with minimal evidence of regular travel to or from Auburn.”
Article V, Section 117 of the Alabama Constitution, requires a candidate for either Governor or Lt. Governor to be a resident of Alabama for “at least seven years before the date of their election.”
McFeeters claims Senator Tuberville sold his last personally owned property in Auburn in 2023 and within the last year added his name to the deed of the home owned by his son in Auburn.
The Associated Press has previously reported that Tuberville switched his voter registration from Florida to Alabama in 2019, and that both he and his wife last voted in Florida in 2018.
In a written statement from Tuberville campaign spokesperson Mallory Jaspers, McFeeters action was discounted. “What a ridiculous PR stunt from a desperate candidate," jasper wrote. "Senator Tuberville has proudly represented Alabama in the United States Senate for the past six years. This made-up narrative didn’t work when he was running for Senate in 2019, and it certainly isn’t going to work now.”
Residency requirements for the senator are different from the seven years gubernatorial requirement. Alabama law only requires a senate candidate to live in the state just one day. The U.S. Constitution requires in-state residency but does not establish a minimum length of time.
According to Republican rules, the challenge process window opened on Monday and will remain open until noon this Friday. At that point a challenge committee will receive and review all the forms and supporting documentation that have been submitted for any and all challenges. They will then reach a decision as to if a hearing is required.
If Tuberville remains in the race and wins his party's nomination, it is likely he will face more challenges from Democrats before the November General Election.
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