Press will be barred from Tuberville ballot challenge

June 9, 2026 – HOOVER, Ala. – The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee will meet in the law offices of Balch & Bingham to hear Ken McFeeters' challenge of Senator Tommy Tuberville's (R-Alabama) fitness to be the GOP nominee for Governor of Alabama.

Tuberville owns a multi-million-dollar home in Santa Rosa Florida. He owns a much more modest home in Auburn. Former Republican Party candidate for Governor Ken McFeeters is challenging Tuberville's qualifications to run for Governor of Alabama, arguing that he does not meet the seven-year residency requirement required in Alabama's Constitution.

The Alabama Republican Party last week agreed to hear McFeeters' challenge of Tuberville's residency.

Tuberville recently won the Alabama Republican Party Primary with an 85% of the vote over McFeeters (9.56%) and 'Alabama' Will Santivasci (5%) despite the ongoing controversy about his residency.

Tuberville's landslide victory has not deterred McFeeters who has maintained from the beginning that Tuberville does not live in Alabama thus cannot actually be the governor.

The Alabama Gazette spoke with McFeeters on Wednesday.

McFeeters said that the ALGOP has placed, "A gag order" on the hearing. "I can't share anything" about what is said during the hearing on Sunday or about the hearing officer – Alabama Republican Party Chairman Representative Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle).

"I have contested it," McFeeters said. "They told me to shut up."

McFeeters office in Bessemer was vandalized by a mask wearing madman with a sledge hammer. McFeeters had previously reported to police (and the press) that nothing was stolen in the break in. McFeeters now knows that was not correct. The burglar took a Smith and Wesson 9 mm handgun that had been left in a drawer.

McFeeters said that he expects the Tuberville defense team to focus on, "What is the definition of residency."

McFeeters said that Tuberville legal team is seeking the narrowest possible definition of residency so that Tuberville will qualify and will still be allowed to remain on the ballot

"Are you planning on leaving?" being a central plank to their defense.

Tuberville is represented in these proceedings by Birmingham area attorney Bert Jordan who is a partner at Wallace, Jordan, Ratliff, and Brandt in Mountain Brook.

McFeeters said that an associate of his hassecond recently went by Tuberville's house in Auburn.

"The back gate is falling off the hinges; the yard is full of weeds. This is not the primary home of a multi-millionaire," said McFeeters.

The Alabama Gazette spoke with the Alabama Republican Party for comment.

"We are not going to have press in the room," stated Alabama Republican Party Chief of Staff Shannon Whitt. "There are not going to be any recording devices in the room."

Whitt did say that Chairman Stadthagen would release a statement at the conclusion of Sunday's hearing and a press conoference would be held at Republican headquarters in Hoover on that same day where Stadthagen would address the media's questions about the Steering Committee decides.

If the Steering Committee did remove Tuberville from the ballot they could appoint McFeeters (as the second-place finisher) as the nominee. The 21-member Steering Committee could appoint a third party to the ballot – speculation centers around Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth (R) who has endorsed Tuberville. They could also appoint the winner of the June 16th GOP primary for Lieutenant Governor – Wes Allen or John Wahl. For that matter, the Steering Committee could appoint any Alabama Republican good standing with the party. Another option would be to punt the decision to the 440 members State Executive Committee and hold a gubernatorial nominating convention and let that person be the nominee.

While a lot of speculation is taking place, the Alabama Gazette's sources maintain the Senator Tuberville is the nominee, will be the nominee, and nothing said in those offices on Sunday will sway Stadthagen and the Steering Committee from that conclusion as removing Tuberville from the ballot would result in an angry backlash from Republican primary voters and the State Executive Committee alike.

Tuberville will face former Senator Doug Jones (D) in the November 3 general election, is what we are being told from our inside sources – even from those who have their own doubts about Tuberville's residency.

State Executive Committee member Perry O. Hooper Jr. told the Gazette, "i am confident that the Steering Committee will do the right thing and vote to keep Senator Tuberville on the ballot. We need him as our next Governor."

It is likely that Jones will file his own lawsuit once the GOP ballot is certified with Tuberville as the GOP's gubernatorial nominee. This lawsuit will likely be filed in Montgomery where Democrats hold sway in the courts. There is also unconfirmed reports that two citizens are preparing to file their own lawsuit independent of Jones challenging Tuberville's residency.

The suit would likely be filed against Secretary of State Wes Allen asking him to remove Tuberville from the ballot.

Any outcome in circuit court that is unfavorable to Tuberville and the ALGOP would then almost certainly be appealed where it would be politically difficult for an all-Republican Court of Civil Appeals and an all-Republican Supreme Court to rule against Tuberville.

Another possibility is that to save time Allen's attorneys would request that the Alabama Supreme Court rule on this case taking it out of circuit court and the potentially weeks spent there so that the ballots can be printed in a timely fashion.

An AL Supreme Court ruling unfavorable to Jones would mean that Jones' legal team would likely appeal this to a federal court. The question then becomes one of jurisdiction – would the federal court accept the case?

To comment or to ask a question email: brandonmreporter@gmail.com