Tuberville Formally Enters Alabama Governor’s Race

Tommy Tuberville officially filed paperwork Monday to run for Alabama governor at the Alabama Republican Party headquarters in Hoover.

Tuberville, a Republican and former Auburn University football coach, told supporters he believes State leadership is the best path forward for Alabama’s future.

“I want to make the lives of the people of this state better,” Tuberville said. “If I thought that staying in the U.S. Senate would be best for Alabama, I would’ve stayed. But I think the best thing for Alabama is for me to come back.”

In remarks at the filing event, Tuberville said his campaign will focus on growing Alabama’s economy by attracting new manufacturers and strengthening the workforce. He pointed to improvements in education and infrastructure as part of that strategy.

He also stressed plans to tackle inefficiency within State government.

“You have a lot of different agencies here, we want to make them all better,” Tuberville said. “We also want to make sure that we save the taxpayers’ money, that we use it wisely and we give it back to them.”

Tuberville acknowledged that politics was not originally his plan but said he now feels prepared to shift from the national stage back to state leadership.

“It’s time to come home, put together a staff and worry about the state of Alabama and the people here,” he said.

Questions have been raised about whether Tuberville meets the State’s residency requirement, which calls for seven years of residency. Tuberville said the Republican Party of Alabama confirms he does meet the requirement.

Tuberville will face Republican Ken McFeeters, as well as any other Republicans who qualify before Jan. 23, in the May 19 primary.

Democratic candidates already running include former U.S. Senator Doug Jones, Dr. Will Boyd, JaMel Brown and Chad “Chig” Martin.