Republican · Alabama governor · 2026
Tommy Tuberville
Alabama knew Tommy Tuberville as Coach long before it knew him as Senator.
Biography
Tommy Tuberville met his wife, Suzanne, at the 1989 Sugar Bowl; they married in 1991 and have two sons.1 Football was already his livelihood, but he had also played on Southern Arkansas University's golf team while studying there.2 He grew up in Camden, Arkansas, the youngest of three children.1
His coaching career began at Hermitage High School in Arkansas and eventually took him to head coaching jobs at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech and Cincinnati.2 At Auburn, his 2004 team won all 13 games, the Southeastern Conference championship and the Sugar Bowl.2 He retired from coaching after the 2016 season and later worked as an ESPN analyst.1
Tuberville entered the Senate in 2021.3 His Supporting Families of the Fallen Act became law in 2022, increasing maximum military and veterans group life insurance coverage from $400,000 to $500,000.4 He chairs the Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel and the Education and American Family Subcommittee, with responsibilities involving military personnel, education and workforce policy.5
His governor's campaign promises lower taxes, more manufacturing jobs, expanded school choice and cooperation with President Donald Trump on immigration enforcement.6 He supports the state's CHOOSE Act education tax credits and opposes a moratorium on data centers.3 He faces Democrat Doug Jones in a rematch of their 2020 Senate contest, this time for the governorship Kay Ivey must leave because of term limits.78
Record and controversies
Residency challenge dismissed on jurisdiction
Challengers argued that Tuberville did not satisfy Alabama's seven year residency requirement for governor; the Republican Party's executive committee rejected that challenge after a June hearing.9 On October 9, the Alabama Supreme Court affirmed dismissal of a subsequent court action because the trial court lacked jurisdiction over the challenge to a party nominee.9 The justices expressly said that whether he met the residency requirement was not the question before them, so their ruling is not a judicial finding on his actual residency.9
Blind trust reporting
In January 2026, AL.com reported that Tuberville had described his investments as held in a blind trust, but Senate ethics records contained no qualified trust filing.10 The concern is potential conflicts and the accuracy of his description, rather than a proven insider trading offense.10 The report also notes that senators are not required to create qualified blind trusts.10
Military promotion holds
In 2023, Tuberville held up hundreds of military promotions in protest of the Pentagon's policy reimbursing travel for abortion care.11 He lifted most holds in early December and the remainder later that month, without obtaining a change to the policy at that time.11 He defended the action as standing up for taxpayers against a policy he opposed.11 The holds were an official policy tactic, not a personal misconduct allegation.