Court Rejects Challenge to Tuberville's Governor Candidacy

WHO:

ABC News - U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville is the Republican nominee for governor of Alabama.

ABC News - Montgomery County Circuit Judge Brooke Reid dismissed the lawsuit.

ABC News - Joe Espy is an attorney representing Tuberville.

ABC News - Jordan Doufexis is the chairman of Tuberville’s campaign.

ABC News - Barry Ragsdale is an attorney representing the two voters who filed the lawsuit.

Alternet - Brooke Lynn Dorgan and Justin Jude Le Blanc are "Realtors" who sued Tuberville on behalf of the state of Alabama.

WHAT:

ABC News - A judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging Tuberville does not meet the residency requirement to run for governor.

ABC News - The lawsuit argued that Tuberville does not meet the Alabama Constitution’s seven-year residency requirement.

ABC News - The judge dismissed the case on jurisdiction grounds, stating she did not have the authority to decide the eligibility of a party’s nominee prior to the general election.

ABC News - Tuberville's campaign described the residency allegation as a “bogus lawsuit.”

ABC News - Barry Ragsdale plans to appeal the decision.

Alternet - The case is likely to go to the Alabama Supreme Court.

WHERE:

ABC News - The lawsuit was dismissed in Montgomery, Alabama.

ABC News - Tuberville's beach home is located in Florida, valued at $5.6 million.

ABC News - Tuberville's residence in Auburn, Alabama, is a 1,551-square-foot property appraised at about $291,780.

WHEN:

ABC News - Tuberville last voted in Florida in November 2018.

ABC News - Tuberville registered to vote in Alabama on March 28, 2019.

ABC News - Tuberville served as head football coach at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008.

WHY:

ABC News - The lawsuit claimed Tuberville is ineligible due to alleged residency in Florida.

ABC News - Tuberville's campaign stated the lawsuit was pushed by allies of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones.

HOW:

ABC News - The judge ruled based on jurisdiction, stating there is no legal precedent directly addressing the dispute.

ABC News - Tuberville's name was added to the Auburn property in 2024 after initially being purchased by his wife and son.

(UPDATED July 9, 2026 19:27 UTC)

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville has officially become the Republican nominee for governor of Alabama after a judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed he does not meet the state's seven-year residency requirement. The judge ruled on jurisdictional grounds, asserting she lacked the authority to determine a nominee's eligibility before the general election, while Tuberville's campaign called the lawsuit a "bogus lawsuit." Attorney Barry Ragsdale, representing the two voters who filed the suit, plans to appeal the decision, and the case is expected to go to the Alabama Supreme Court.