Campaign staff quits Nicole Wadsworth campaign for Lieutenant Governor **** UPDATED

******UPDATED June 13,2025 ****** On June 13, the Dr. Nicole Jones Wadsworth campaign asked that we update this story with a statement from her campaign released to us on June 13.

"Recent statements made by a former campaign staffer mischaracterized aspects of Nicole's background. In an effort to protect her, the staffer spoke without confirming key biographical details and shared inaccurate information. That individual has since departed the campaign, and his comments do not reflect the standards of accuracy and professionalism to which we hold ourselves.

Nicole is committed to having an open and transparent conversation with the people of Alabama because voters deserve honesty and accountability. This campaign is grounded in Nicole's lifelong commitment to service, her belief in protecting our freedoms, and her promise to always put people over politics. That's the mission — and that's where her focus remains."

The original article is below:

June 12, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL – The Dr. Nicole Jones Wadsworth (R) campaign for Lieutenant Governor was dealt yet another blow when the entire campaign staff quit amid a controversy about a campaign resume that had some inaccuracies in it.

On Tuesday, Wadsworth's campaign manager – Hunter Weathers of Tuscaloosa – released a statement to the media following a media firestorm alleging that Dr. Wadsworth may have committed academic fraud.

"We would like to issue a brief clarification regarding Dr. Nicole Wadsworth's academic background," wrote Weathers. "In an earlier communication, our campaign made a mistype, specifically the institution that conferred her Ph.D. It was mentioned that she completed her Ph.D. at the University of Alabama; however, she has her undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She began graduate level coursework at the University of Alabama, then transferred to the Florida Institute of Technology - Huntsville campus and earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Acquisition and Contract Management. She completed her Ph.D. at North Central Theological Seminary, with research focused on how economic theory can be applied to understand the role of nonprofits, including faith-based organizations."

This clarification that Dr. Wadsworth's doctorate came from an unaccredited online institution rather than the University of Alabama rocked the Wadsworth campaign barely three weeks after it was launched.

Sources say that more damaging allegations may be coming as powerful forces in the state appear to be unloading to their allies in the mainstream media.

https://www.al.com/politics/2025/06/political-candidate-who-wanted-to-be-called-doctor-admits-she-has-no-phd-from-university-of-alabama.html

With more revelations reportedly to come, on Thursday Weathers and his staff quit the campaign.

"This has been a difficult and deeply personal decision, but I have officially stepped away from my role as campaign manager - along with the entire campaign staff," Weathers said in a statement. "From the beginning, I accepted this role with a sense of duty and optimism, rooted in the belief that we could bring something honest and impactful to the people of Alabama. Unfortunately, persistent misinformation and ongoing internal miscommunications made it increasingly difficult to uphold those values in a way I felt comfortable with. Leadership requires trust and clarity, and without those, it became impossible to move forward in good faith."

"Before stepping away, I made it a priority to relay additional information that became known to the campaign so that the most accurate information available was known before the staffs departure," Weathers concluded. "I worked diligently to correct the record and to ensure the public received the most accurate and complete information that I had at the time. The truth matters, and I owed it to the people of Alabama - and to myself - to make sure that truth was known. This experience has not been without hardship. It tested my patience, my values, and my resilience. But I remain proud of the effort I gave and the work I tried to do with integrity. Though I'm stepping away from this campaign, I am not stepping away from my belief in principled leadership. I still believe in public service done the right way - rooted in truth, focused on solutions, and guided by the people it's meant to serve. I continue to hold hope for a better, more accountable future for our state. I sincerely wish the campaign the best as it moves forward."

Assuming that Dr. Wadsworth stays in the race, she faces a crowded field.

Opelika Pastor Dean Odle, U.S. Army Major (ret.) Patrick Bishop, Secretary of State Wes Allen (R), Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate, and George Childress are all announced candidates for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor.

The Republican primary is on May 19, 2025.