Tuesday, during an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Alabama Republican Party chairman John Wahl addressed some of the speculation about U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Auburn) potential gubernatorial run in 2026.
Questions have been raised by some about as to whether or not Alabama's senior U.S. Senator would meet the residency requirements to the state's chief executive.
According to Wahl, given that Tuberville will have served six years as U.S. Senator and having been in the state for more than a year prior to being sworn in as Senator in 2021, he was skeptical of doubts.
“Yeah, well, I mean, look, first, I think everybody in political circles in the state of Alabama is thinking about this right now," he explained. "So, you know, it's definitely, so then it's on my radar. Look, the bottom line is, of course, state law matters, right? Like that will be the decider of, you know, in this situation, whether Tommy Tuberville has the residency requirements. That being said, look, he has been serving the people of Alabama in the U.S. Senate for six, it will be six years by the time this election comes up. And he was in state for well over a year before that campaigning for the position. And so, I don't see how there's any basis right now for a challenge on residency. Of course, the specifics have to be looked at."
Wahl continued, "You know, this is something that the party has a process of someone to do a ballot challenge. What I don't want to see is the party put in a position where they're, you know, trying to be used as a tool on any side. Like, we're the referees. This is the primary. This is where the people are our Republican voters, the people of Alabama will vote and decide. And as much as possible, all the Republican Party should do is be a referee in that process and try to help make sure that our voters have access to information, make sure they have qualified good candidates that they can choose from in our primary process. And that's the goal of the party here. And I think it's going to be, it's going to be interesting to see what happens, but I think the big question is, does Tuberville actually pull the trigger and run for governor, more than the whether he's qualified or not?”
Jeff Poor is the editor-in-chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
