Republican candidate for Alabama governor Ken McFeeters on Tuesday, Feb. 17, gave notice of his formal appeal of the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee’s decision not to review his challenge to fellow Republican candidate Tommy Tuberville’s Alabama resident status.
Below is McFeeters’ announcement, in full.
Please let this letter/email serve as my formal appeal of the decision by the Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee to refuse to review my candidate challenge regarding Tommy Tuberville and whether he meets the clear requirements laid out in Article V, Section 117 of the Alabama Constitution — that a governor must be a resident citizen of Alabama for at least seven years.
Let’s be clear about what happened.
The official Alabama Republican Party Candidate Challenge Form — which I have attached — clearly states that supporting documents are OPTIONAL. Not recommended. Not required. OPTIONAL.
Yet Steering Committee member Riley McArdle publicly stated on a podcast that the Committee refused to review the challenge because there was “no evidence attached.”” The Party’s legal response says basically the same thing.
So, which is it?
If evidence is optional on the form, why was my challenge dismissed for not including optional material?
The supporting documents were intentionally held back for a hearing — exactly how legal and party processes are designed to work. Instead, the Committee used the lack of optional material as an excuse to shut the door before the case could even be heard.
Now let’s talk about what that optional evidence actually shows.
The United States Senate reimburses senators for flights to and from their home residence. In 2021, Tuberville submitted nine flights, listed as going “home”, and ALL nine were flights to Florida. Not Alabama.
A Carfax report on his personal truck shows that in 2024 ALL recorded services (4) were done in Destin, Florida. Then, suddenly and suspiciously, after announcing his run for governor in 2025, his vehicle starts getting serviced in Auburn, Alabama (3 services).
Meanwhile, the service history on my truck shows consistent service around Birmingham — where I actually live.
And that’s just scratching the surface.
Here’s the bigger issue: the vast majority of regular Alabama voters don’t believe he meets the seven-year residency requirement. Not just opponents. Not just political insiders. Regular folks. Even most of his strongest supporters will tell you straight up — they don’t believe he actually lives full time in Alabama.
What they’ll say is: “Yeah, he’s got a place in Auburn to get around the rules but, come on — we all know where he really lives.”
With all of this, the only thing offered to prove his residence is Tuberville’s driver’s license.
If Republicans allow this to slide, what message are we sending?
That our Constitution applies to working people — but not to millionaires?
That party insiders get to pick winners — and the rules get bent to make it happen?
The ALGOP is allowing Tuberville to flaunt the fact that our laws and Constitution do not apply to him, and it’s not a good look!
There is a simple solution: transparency.
If Tuberville wants to end this controversy today, he can voluntarily release:
• Credit card spending records showing where he actually lives day-to-day
• Utility records showing real residential usage
• Tax returns showing Alabama income tax payments
• Complete flight logs showing where he regularly returns “home”
If he meets the requirement, this all goes away overnight.
But if he doesn’t — the people of Alabama deserve to know before they cast their votes.
I understand the Party doesn’t have subpoena power. Nobody expects you to. But you absolutely have the ability — and I would argue the duty — to ask for transparency when a huge portion of the Republican base is questioning whether a candidate is following the Constitution.
A simple request from the Party right now could end this entire controversy.
Alabama voters are fiercely independent. We believe in self-government. We believe in fairness. We believe in home cookin’. And we don’t take kindly to the idea of party insiders anointing a governor — especially one who does not meet the constitutional requirements to even run.
This will come out eventually. The only question is whether the Party wants to do the right thing now — or be forced into it later through courts and public pressure.
Republicans are supposed to be the party that defends the Constitution — not explains why it doesn’t apply.
Republicans are supposed to be the good guys!
If the ALGOP refuses to act, it will become blatantly obvious and will confirm what far too many people in Alabama already believe, that the ALGOP is involved in this charade, heavily involved in primaries, and is in on the “anointing” of our next governor.
Respectfully,
Ken McFeeters
P.S. If Tuberville releases the above information and it proves he has truly lived in a garden home in Auburn, Alabama, for the last seven years, I will drop all legal action. I will withdraw from the race. I will endorse him. I will contribute $1,000 to his campaign. And, I will vote for him.
______________________________________________________________________
Look at the list below. These are all from his Senate expense account. Each time you see a flight TO a Gulf Coast airport, it’s a violation of law, unless his home is on the Gulf Coast.
April 2021
April 15, 2021
DTUB20210137
- Posted: 04/23/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $483.20
- Route: Washington DC → Panama City, FL
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
April 18, 2021
DTUB20210138
- Posted: 04/26/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $305.40
- Route: Fort Walton Beach, FL → Washington DC
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
April 22, 2021
DTUB20210144
- Posted: 04/28/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $747.20
- Route: Washington DC → Destin, FL
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
April 25, 2021
DTUB20210145
- Posted: 04/28/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $483.20
- Route: Panama City, FL → Washington DC
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
April 29, 2021
DTUB20210185
- Posted: 05/06/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $305.40
- Route: Washington DC → Destin, FL
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
May 2021
May 8, 2021
DTUB20210230
- Posted: 05/18/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $161.40
- Route: Fort Walton Beach, FL → Washington DC
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
May 20–23, 2021
DTUB20210233
- Posted: 05/27/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $322.80
- Route: Washington DC ↔ Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Description: Round-trip airfare for Sen. Tuberville
May 28, 2021
DTUB20210249
- Posted: 06/08/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $161.40
- Route: Washington DC → Fort Walton Beach, FL
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
June 2021
June 10, 2021
DTUB20210288
- Posted: 06/22/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $373.20
- Route: Washington DC → Panama City, FL
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
June 21, 2021
DTUB20210303
- Posted: 06/29/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $152.40
- Route: Atlanta, GA → Washington DC
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
June 24, 2021
DTUB20210305
- Posted: 07/01/2021
- Category: SENATORS TRANSPORTATION
- Amount: $152.40
- Route: Washington DC → Atlanta, GA
- Description: Airfare for Sen. Tuberville
Incidental Charges Involving the Senator
March 25 – April 11, 2021
DTUB20210115
- Posted: 04/20/2021
- Category: STAFF INCIDENTALS (Senator travel)
- Amount: $95.57
- Related Travel: DC → Houston → McAllen → Pensacola → Huntsville → Birmingham → Return
May 28 – June 6, 2021
DTUB20210265
- Posted: 06/17/2021
- Category: STAFF INCIDENTALS (Senator travel)
- Amount: $12.48
- Related Travel: DC → Fort Walton Beach → Panama City → Montgomery → Dothan → Return
August 11 – August 30, 2021
Document: DTUB20210458
Posted: 10/12/2021
- Transportation: $55.83
- Route: Washington, DC → Auburn, AL → Atlanta, GA → Return
September 7 – September 12, 2021
Document: DTUB20210459
Posted: 10/13/2021
- Transportation: $481.63
- Route: Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA → Auburn, AL → Fort Walton Beach, FL → Return
September 30, 2021
Document: DTUB20210505
Posted: 10/18/2021
- Transportation: $291.20
- Route: Washington, DC → Panama City, FL
October 3, 2021
Document: DTUB20220004
Posted: 10/19/2021
- Transportation: $152.40
- Route: Atlanta, GA → Washington, DC
October 8, 2021
Document: DTUB20220009
Posted: 10/21/2021
- Transportation: $254.40
- Route: Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA
October 8 – October 18, 2021
Document: DTUB20220019
Posted: 11/02/2021
- Transportation: $554.69
- Per Diem: $262.00
- Incidentals: $66.49
- Route:
Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA → Auburn, AL → Birmingham, AL →
Destin, FL → Mobile, AL → Fort Walton Beach Airport, FL →
Pensacola, FL → Return
October 28 – November 1, 2021
Document: DTUB20220039
Posted: 11/19/2021
- Transportation: $268.40
- Route: Washington, DC → Auburn, AL → Panama City, FL → Return
November 28, 2021
Document: DTUB20220072
Posted: 12/10/2021
- Transportation: $254.40
- Route: Atlanta, GA → Washington, DC
December 10 – December 13, 2021
Document: DTUB20220102
Posted: 01/03/2022
- Transportation: $312.00
- Route: Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA → Auburn, AL → Atlanta, GA → Return
December 18, 2021 – January 2, 2022
Document: DTUB20220114
Posted: 01/10/2022
- Transportation: $152.40
- Route: Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA → Auburn, AL → Atlanta, GA → Return
January 2, 2022
Document: DTUB20220117
Posted: 01/13/2022
- Transportation: $152.40
- Route: Atlanta, GA → Washington, DC
January 5, 2022
Document: DTUB20220124
Posted: 01/18/2022
- Transportation: $152.60
- Route: Washington, DC → Atlanta, GA
January 20, 2022
Document: DTUB20220134
Posted: 02/07/2022
- Transportation: $256.60
- Route: Washington, DC → Birmingham, AL
January 31, 2022
Document: DTUB20220135
Posted: 02/07/2022
- Transportation: $187.60
- Route: Mobile, AL → Pensacola, FL → Washington, DC
February 20 – February 27, 2022
Document: DTUB20220199
Posted: 03/15/2022
- Transportation: $366.60
- Per Diem: $169.00
- Incidentals: $27.35
- Route:
Washington, DC → Huntsville, AL → Auburn, AL →
Montgomery, AL → Atmore, AL → Return
