Despite saying he has not made up his mind, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) says he is unfazed by the bevy of recent attacks from Alabama media as rumors swirl over the senator's gubernatorial bid.
Tuberville has floated the possibility of setting aside his Senate seat to pursue a spot as Alabama's next governor as current Gov. Kay Ivey approaches the end of her term. What started as a pervasive rumor led to Tuberville acknowledging that he and his wife were praying over the decision and would announce in the coming weeks.
Tuberville's decision to float a gubernatorial bid threw a wrench in the process, with many expecting Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth to be the presumptive shoo-in for the state's next governor.
In recent weeks, however, the state's media have revived several old tropes about Tuberville's residency and, more recently, his stock trades.
RELATED: Report: Tax records show homestead exemption for Tuberville's Auburn home since 2018
Although Tuberville has been the subject of often-veiled accusations since his first bid for Senate, the renewed onslaught of media speculation can almost certainly be attributed to his recent interest in statewide office.
On Thursday, Tuberville told reporters that he is unconcerned with the old speculation and has yet to make a final decision.
"Of course, you're not going to satisfy, and I didn't when I ran for Senate, of satisfying a lot of the media because you know they're against a conservative Christian in the state of Alabama," Tuberville said. "They believe in a socialist country. They believe in this country going a different direction, like a lot of the colleagues up here that we have on the left. You know, they believe in the same thing. We're not changing our country."
"I haven't decided whether to do this yet or not, but again, this is not new," he added. "This was even back during when I ran for the Senate back four [or] five years ago. And if I decide to run for the Senate again, it won't stop, and if I decide to run for governor, it's not going to stop. You're not going to please these people. When you deal with a group of people that can't tell you the difference between a man and a woman, they got problems. I don't have problems. So I'm looking forward to doing whatever we need to do to make Alabama better, and not working with this media, I promise you."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning
