A lawsuit challenging U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville's eligibility to run for governor of Alabama has been dismissed by a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge.
Judge Brooke Reid dismissed the case on Thursday, citing jurisdictional grounds. She stated that she did not have the authority to determine the eligibility of a party's nominee prior to the general election. Reid, a Democrat, noted that there is no direct legal precedent addressing such a dispute, though she had considered the matter carefully.
Tuberville, who has represented Alabama in the U.S. Senate since 2021, is the Republican nominee for governor. The lawsuit contended that Tuberville does not meet the Alabama Constitution's seven-year residency requirement for the governorship.
Attorneys for Tuberville praised the decision. Jordan Doufexis, chairman of Tuberville's campaign, characterized the residency allegation as a "bogus lawsuit" instigated by allies of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones, whom Tuberville is set to face in a rematch of their 2020 Senate race.
Barry Ragsdale, an attorney representing the two voters who filed the lawsuit, stated his intention to appeal the ruling. "Everyone who has viewed the credible evidence knows that Tuberville really lives in a $5 million gated mansion on the beach in Florida and not in that tiny house behind a strip mall in Auburn," Ragsdale said. He expressed confidence that presenting evidence in court would establish Tuberville's ineligibility.
Property records indicate Tuberville and his wife own a Florida beach home valued at $5.6 million. His campaign asserts that Tuberville resides in Auburn at a 1,551-square-foot property appraised at approximately $291,780. The Auburn home was initially purchased by his wife and son; the senator's name was added to the property deed in 2024, while his son's name was removed.
Tuberville previously served as head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008 before coaching stints at Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati. After retiring from coaching, he worked for ESPN, and a 2017 promotional video for the network mentioned his move to Florida after coaching. Tuberville has since stated he has returned to Alabama.
In June, the Alabama Republican Party rejected a similar challenge to Tuberville's eligibility, citing his property, tax, and voting records. Records show Tuberville last voted in Florida in November 2018 before registering to vote in Alabama on March 28, 2019, approximately two weeks before announcing his candidacy for the Senate.