Republican Challenges Tuberville's Alabama Residency

Opponent says Tuberville appears to live in Florida, not Alabama

Jan. 28, 2026 at 2:47am

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A Republican opponent of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is challenging his eligibility to run for governor of Alabama, accusing the football coach-turned-politician of not meeting the legal requirement to have lived in the state for seven years. Ken McFeeters, who is also running for the Republican nomination for governor, filed the challenge with the Alabama Republican Party, arguing that Tuberville appears to live in a multimillion-dollar beach home in Florida instead of a smaller home he has listed as his residence in Auburn, Alabama.

Why it matters

The residency requirement for Alabama's governor and lieutenant governor is an important legal standard that aims to ensure candidates have deep ties to the state. Tuberville's opponents argue that his primary residence in Florida undermines his claim to have been a true Alabama resident for the required seven-year period.

The details

Property tax records show Tuberville has a home in Auburn, Alabama valued at around $290,000, on which he claims a homestead exemption. However, he also owns a beach home in Florida valued at an estimated $5.5 million. McFeeters argues the available records suggest the Auburn home may have been used as an 'address of convenience' rather than Tuberville's true domicile, and that his frequent travel to the Florida Panhandle indicates he resides there. Tuberville has dismissed the challenge as a 'ridiculous PR stunt' and maintains the Auburn home is his primary residence.

  • Tuberville voted in Florida in 2018.
  • Tuberville registered to vote in Alabama on March 28, 2019, about two weeks before announcing his run for Senate.

The players

Ken McFeeters

A Republican opponent of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville who is also running for the Republican nomination for governor of Alabama.

Tommy Tuberville

U.S. Senator from Alabama and Republican candidate for governor, who is being challenged on his residency requirements.

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What they’re saying

“It's belittling to the average person in Alabama for him to think we believe that he's being sincere when he says he lives at his son's $300,000 house when he's got a $6 million beach house. Where would you live?”

— Ken McFeeters, Republican candidate for Alabama governor

“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.”

— Mallory Jaspers, Spokeswoman for Sen. Tommy Tuberville

What’s next

The Alabama Republican Party's 21-member steering committee will decide if there is enough evidence for the residency challenge to proceed to a hearing where both sides can present evidence.

The takeaway

This challenge highlights the importance of residency requirements for elected officials and the need for candidates to demonstrate deep ties to the state they seek to represent. The outcome could have significant implications for the Alabama governor's race.