Tommy Tuberville

Sen. Tommy Tuberville went under oath this month and testified about where he lives and how often he travels between Alabama, Florida and Washington, D.C.

He spoke during a closed-door hearing before the Alabama Republican Party, held in Birmingham earlier this month after Ken McFeeters challenged his nomination to be governor.

A review of the transcript reveals key details about the timeline of his move to Alabama, in Tuberville’s own words.

The outcome was never really in doubt: After 40 minutes of deliberation, the party dismissed the challenge and allowed Tuberville to stay on the ticket.

As far as the GOP is concerned, the residency question is settled, though a separate lawsuit is pending. In November, it will be put to the only people who truly matter in an election contest: the voters.

AL.com obtained a transcript of the hearing. Here are key takeaways:

1. When did Tuberville move back to Alabama?

Tuberville coached at Auburn University from 1999 to 2008 (including a winning record against Nick Saban, he noted). Then he went to Texas Tech and Cincinnati.

His family bought their current house in Auburn in 2017, according to testimony. Tuberville’s son and wife put their names on the deed; Tuberville said he couldn’t be there to sign that day.

Tuberville said it became his primary residency at the end of 2018. He put his name on the deed in 2024.

He also owns homes in the Florida panhandle and in D.C.

Tuberville’s lawyers referenced multiple documents that say he treated his Auburn house as his home beginning in 2018 and 2019, including his Alabama voter registration, his driver’s license and his income tax statements.

They said he didn’t need to prove he only stayed at his Auburn house -- but that it had served as his home in all the ways that matter.

“The truth is, as he testified to, his home is basically here. His family is here. His grandbaby is here in Birmingham. He is connected here,” his lawyer, Bert Jordan, said.

2. When did Tuberville vote in Alabama and Florida?

Tuberville voted by mail in Florida in 2018, as he began the process of moving to his Auburn house. He registered to vote in Alabama in 2019.

McFeeters’ lawyer, Jerry Roberson, brought up the 2018 vote and Tuberville’s position on the federal SAVE America Act, which would tighten voting requirements.

He asked Tuberville if he improperly voted in a state where he was not actually a resident.

“You don’t want people to vote where they are not a resident, do you?” Roberson asked.

“Exactly,” Tuberville said.

“That’s -- but you may have, right?”

“I don’t think so,” Tuberville said.

Roberson didn’t press the point further.

3. How often does Tuberville go back to Florida?

Tuberville testified that he is in Washington, D.C. from Monday to Thursday most weeks.

He said he spends about two weekends a month in Auburn. He keeps a car there.

He said he spends about one weekend a month at his Florida home. He does not keep a car there, and uses a car service. He uses a post office box and Walmart delivery for groceries.

4. What are Tuberville’s finances?

Tuberville made a few brief comments about holdings in Alabama and his family’s finances.

In his testimony, he sketched his transition from working as a coach to ESPN commentator to U.S. Senator. ESPN, he noted, “don’t pay anything.”

He sold a 200-acre holding, Tiger Farms, in 2023, for $1.1 million. The undeveloped land was used for game; Tuberville said he took kids hunting.

“I didn’t make any money. I lost money, if that’s considered money,” he said in the hearing.

Tuberville gave the committee copies of his redacted tax returns from 2018 to 2025.

Senators make $174,000. Tuberville also has state retirement from his time at Auburn and has disclosed some income from his stock holdings.

Tuberville’s wife, Suzanne, got a real estate license in Florida, but Tuberville said she didn’t sell a house.

5. Tuberville’s plans as governor

Tuberville made several offhand statements about what he might do if elected as governor.

His lawyers have pointed to his decision to begin paying state income tax in Alabama in 2018 as part of his effort to establish residency.

On page 21 of the transcript, McFeeters’ lawyer, Roberson, asks Tuberville about Florida’s lack of a state income tax.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Roberson asks.

“It’s a great thing,” Tuberville responds. “Trying to get it done here.”