Montgomery, AL (BuzzReport)- A Republican candidate for Alabama governor has formally challenged the eligibility of U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville to appear on the GOP primary ballot, arguing that the frontrunner does not meet the state’s constitutional residency requirements for the office.
Ken McFeeters, a Republican candidate in the race, filed a notice of challenge Tuesday with leadership of the Alabama Republican Party (ALGOP), citing Article V, Section 117 of the Alabama Constitution. That provision requires candidates for governor or lieutenant governor to have been residents of Alabama for “at least seven years next before the date of their election.”
In a letter to the state party, McFeeters contends that publicly available records raise “serious and unresolved questions” about whether Tuberville has maintained continuous residency in Alabama for the required seven-year period.
The challenge points to Tuberville’s U.S. Senate expense reports and political action committee filings, which McFeeters says “appear to show repeated and sustained travel to and from Florida, with minimal evidence of regular travel to or from Auburn,” where Tuberville has previously said he resides.
Questions surrounding Tuberville’s residency are not new. Similar criticisms surfaced during his 2020 run for the U.S. Senate, when political opponents labeled him a “Florida man” or a “tourist in Alabama.” Tuberville went on to win that election, according to previous reporting by the Associated Press.
Residency requirements differ significantly between state and federal office. While candidates for the U.S. Senate must be residents of the state they represent at the time of election, Alabama’s constitution sets a much higher threshold for the governorship.
Tuberville officially entered the governor’s race last May, quickly emerging as the Republican frontrunner. He currently holds a multi-million-dollar campaign war chest and enjoys strong name recognition statewide.
In his letter, McFeeters warned party officials that failing to resolve the residency issue before the primary election could expose the ALGOP to “a substantial risk of post-primary litigation” should Tuberville secure the nomination.
McFeeters further argued that if Tuberville were to win the nomination and later be ruled ineligible by a court, state law would prevent the party from substituting another candidate. That scenario, he wrote, would leave Republicans with only a write-in option and significantly increase the risk of losing the governorship.
Republicans currently control all statewide constitutional offices in Alabama and maintain supermajorities in the state legislature. As a result, the GOP primary winner is often considered the favorite to win the general election.
Some Alabama voters have also raised concerns publicly about Tuberville’s residency. “I just don’t see how someone owns a $4 million beach home and doesn’t live in it,” said Jamie Sawyer, an Alabama resident.
It remains unclear how the Alabama Republican Party will respond to the challenge or whether the issue will ultimately be decided in court. McFeeters’ filing signals what could be the beginning of multiple legal challenges surrounding Tuberville’s eligibility as the race for governor moves forward.