Latest news with #AlabamaGovernorRace
Associated Press
6 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Former congressional candidate enters Alabama governor race
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Former congressional candidate Ken McFeeters announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama next year, casting himself as a political outsider and accusing his opponent U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of being a 'part of the establishment.' Tuberville announced his highly anticipated candidacy for governor a week earlier. Tuberville is expected to be a strong candidate in the race to replace Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who cannot run again because of term limits. McFeeters is the second Republican candidate to enter the race. He ran for congress in 2024, winning 6% of the vote in the Republican primary, according to McFeeters runs an insurance agency just outside of Birmingham that he founded in 1981 and was the president of the mid-Alabama Republican Club, he said in his announcement. He said he plans to hire military personnel for Alabama schools, take steps to protect family farms, and prioritize independent production of medicine and energy. McFeeters immediately tried to distance himself from Tuberville, a famed football coach of Auburn University who became a U.S. senator in 2020 after casting himself as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump. 'Alabama deserves better than a puppet of the globalists,' McFeeters said. 'We need a governor who will fight for the people, not for the money.'
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
US Sen. Tommy Tuberville announces 2026 bid for Alabama governor
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who entered politics after a successful career as a head football coach at Auburn and three other major college programs, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama next year. His announcement on the Will Cain Show on Fox News followed weeks of speculation, and associates saying Tuberville planned to enter the race. 'I'm doing this to help this country and the great state of Alabama,' Tuberville said. The former coach is expected to be a formidable entry in the governor's race. Two-term Republican Gov. Kay Ivey cannot run again because of term limits. Tuberville harnessed fame from his college coaching days to win election to the U.S. Senate in 2020, casting himself as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump. 'God sent us Donald Trump,' Tuberville said during his campaign. Bill Armistead, the former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, said Tuberville's presence will make other would-be candidates 'think twice' about jumping in the gubernatorial race. 'I would be very surprised if Senator Tuberville is not elected governor of the state of Alabama,' Armistead said. Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who had been expected to run for governor, announced last week that he would not seek the office. In the 2020 Republican primary, Tuberville defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the Senate seat for two decades before resigning to become Trump's attorney general in 2017. Months later, Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones, who had been the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in decades. During his time in the Senate, Tuberville has continued to align himself closely with Trump. In 2023, he maintained a monthslong blockade on military promotions over his opposition to a Pentagon policy that provided travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who seek abortions but are based in states where they are now illegal. Tuberville, a native of Arkansas, was the head football coach at Auburn from 1999 to 2008, where he led the team to eight consecutive bowl appearances and one Southeastern Conference championship. He also served as head coach at Mississippi, Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati, retiring in 2016. He is sometimes referred to as 'Coach' instead of 'senator' by those that work with him. Club for Growth PAC last week preemptively week endorsed Tuberville in the governor's race 'should he announce his candidacy.' Tuberville faced questions about his residency in the 2020 Senate race, where his political opponents referred to him as a 'Florida man' or a 'tourist in Alabama' as they questioned if he lived in the state. The Alabama Constitution requires that governors must have been 'resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election.' Property tax records show he owns a $270,000 home in Auburn, where he claims a homestead exemption, and a $4 million beach home in Walton County, Florida. Voting records show that Tuberville switched his voter registration from Florida to Alabama in 2019. He and his wife last voted in Florida on Nov. 6, 2018.
