Why I’m voting for Coach Tommy Tuberville

Guest Opinion by Perry Hooper Jr.

Tommy Tuberville has already shown Alabama something far more important than another campaign promise: what he does when standing his ground carries a real political price. When Washington applied the pressure, when the national media attacked him, when Democrats demanded that he surrender, and when members of his own party eventually challenged him, Coach did not search for the politically convenient exit. He stood where he said he would stand.

That record is central to understanding the case Coach Tuberville is now making for governor. He entered the United States Senate with a life and career already established outside politics. Like President Donald Trump, he did not need elective office to give him a name or a livelihood. Long before Washington, Coach Tuberville had spent decades making decisions in a profession where results were public, criticism was immediate, and eventually the scoreboard settled the argument.

In 2023, that approach was tested on the floor of the United States Senate. Coach challenged the Biden administration’s Pentagon policy providing travel reimbursement and administrative leave connected with abortion services. He argued that a policy of that consequence should come through Congress, warned that he would hold senior military nominations if the Pentagon proceeded, and then followed through.

Then Washington came after him.

For months, the pressure was relentless. Yet Tuberville maintained that Congress should vote on the underlying policy and that Senate leadership remained free to bring individual military nominees to the floor. His refusal to grant unanimous consent meant the Senate had to devote substantially more floor time to processing nominations individually rather than moving large groups at once.

That distinction mattered. Coach’s position did not eliminate the Senate’s ability to vote. It made senators spend more time on the floor, take the votes, and use the Senate’s regular procedures.

Early in the confrontation, Tuberville said he was prepared to remain in the fight “till hell freezes over.” His current campaign now lists that episode among the examples it uses to describe his record of standing alone on issues he considered matters of principle.

That same campaign has now put forward what it calls Coach’s Alabama First Agenda. The agenda identifies nine broad priorities: conservative Alabama values, job creation, border and immigration enforcement, education, Second Amendment rights, abortion policy, agriculture, defense, and veterans. On economic policy, Tuberville says he wants lower taxes, less government waste, fewer regulatory barriers, and additional manufacturing investment. On education, he emphasizes school choice and parental control. He also places particular emphasis on Alabama agriculture, the defense and aerospace sectors, and services for veterans.

The useful way to look at that agenda is as a game plan.

Every coach starts with the roster he has, and Alabama already has considerable strengths: automobile manufacturing, aerospace and defense, agriculture and forestry, the Port of Mobile, major universities and research institutions, military installations, advanced manufacturing, natural resources, and a workforce with deep experience in building things.

The question for any administration is what it does with those assets.

A coach studies films. In government, that means identifying which programs are producing results and which are not.

A coach builds the staff. In Montgomery, which means putting capable people in charge of state agencies, giving them clear responsibilities, and measuring their performance.

A coach recruits. For Alabama, that means competing for manufacturing, aerospace, defense, technology, energy, and other investment rather than assuming businesses will come here simply because the state has enjoyed past success.

A coach develops the roster. That translates into workforce training, skilled trades, career education, community colleges, universities, and employers working together so that Alabamians are prepared for the jobs the state is trying to attract.

A coach protects the home field. For state government, that means public safety, infrastructure, agriculture, military communities, and the basic services families and businesses depend upon.

And a coach understands that resources are limited. Government cannot treat taxpayer money as an unlimited recruiting budget. Spending has to be examined, waste has to be identified, and programs have to justify themselves by what they actually accomplish.

Most importantly, a coach keeps score.

The relevant scoreboard for the Alabama First Agenda would not be campaign speeches, press conferences, or ribbon cuttings. It would be measurable outcomes: whether students are learning, whether workers are being trained, whether businesses are investing, whether Alabama industries are growing, whether infrastructure is improving, whether veterans are receiving effective services, whether state government is controlling waste, and whether Alabama is gaining ground against the states competing with it.

Coach’s campaign has also begun applying that Alabama-first framework to emerging economic issues. On data centers, for example, his campaign says Alabama should welcome major investment while requiring companies to pay the costs they create, protect local power and water resources, and operate under clear rules that protect taxpayers and communities. The campaign summarizes that approach simply: “Alabama comes first.”

That phrase captures the larger test of the agenda.

Alabama has talent. Alabama has resources. Alabama has industries other states would love to have. The governing question is whether those advantages are developed, protected, and turned into better opportunities for the people who live here.

Football does not reward a team for having a beautiful playbook sitting on a shelf. Eventually the ball is kicked off and the plan has to work on the field.

Government should be judged the same way.

Set the game plan. Build the team. Develop the talent. Protect the home field. Execute. Keep score.

Then look at the scoreboard.

Perry O. Hooper Jr. is a longtime Alabama Republican figure, former Alabama Legislator and Montgomery businessman. He served as Co-Chair of “Alabama Trump Victory” in 2016, and served as an at-large delegate to the Republican National Convention. He is a noted civic leader in Montgomery with deep family roots in Alabama’s legal and political history.

Opinions do not reflect the views and opinions of ALPolitics.com. ALPolitics.com makes no claims nor assumes any responsibility for the information and opinions expressed above.