Tommy Tuberville | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| United States Senator fromAlabama | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Katie Britt | |
| Preceded by | Doug Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thomas Hawley Tuberville (1954-09-18)September 18, 1954 (age 71) Camden, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Southern Arkansas University (BS) |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
| Coaching career | |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1975 | Southern State |
| Position | Safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1976–1977 | Hermitage HS (AR) (assistant) |
| 1978–1979 | Hermitage HS (AR) |
| 1980–1984 | Arkansas State (DB/NG/LB) |
| 1986–1992 | Miami (FL) (assistant) |
| 1993 | Miami (FL) (DC) |
| 1994 | Texas A&M (DC/LB) |
| 1995–1998 | Ole Miss |
| 1999–2008 | Auburn |
| 2010–2012 | Texas Tech |
| 2013–2016 | Cincinnati |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 159–99 (college) 9–10 (high school) |
| Bowls | 7–6 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Tuberville honors Alabama military service members killed in action beforeMemorial Day. Recorded May 17, 2023 | |
Thomas Hawley Tuberville (/ˈtʌbərvɪl/;[1]TUH-bərv-il; born September 18, 1954) is an American politician and retired college football coach who is theseniorUnited States senator fromAlabama, a seat he has held since 2021. He is a member of theRepublican Party. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football coach atAuburn University from 1999 to 2008. He was also the head football coach at theUniversity of Mississippi from 1995 to 1998,Texas Tech University from 2010 to 2012, and theUniversity of Cincinnati from 2013 to 2016.
Tuberville won five national coach-of-the-year awards (AP,AFCA,Sporting News,Walter Camp, andBear Bryant) afterAuburn's 13–0 season in 2004, in which Auburn won theSoutheastern Conference title and theSugar Bowl, but was left out of theBCS National Championship Game. He earned his 100th career win in 2007. Tuberville is the onlyAuburn football coach to beatin-state rivalAlabama six consecutive times. In 2015, he was the president of theAmerican Football Coaches Association. He worked forESPN as acolor analyst for itscollege football coverage during 2017.[2]
In his first political campaign, Tuberville ran in the2020 Senate election in Alabama, winning the Republican primary and defeatingDemocratic incumbentDoug Jones.[3][4][5] Establishing himself as an ally of PresidentDonald Trump, he was among a group of Republican senators who voted toobject to the certification of the2020 presidential election.[6][7][8] In 2023, in protest of aDefense Department policy reimbursing travel for service members seeking abortions, Tuberville blocked all promotions of senior officers in the U.S. military for 10 months, delaying over 450 promotions.[9][10][11] Tuberville initially ran for reelection to a second term, but on May 27, 2025, he said he would instead run forgovernor of Alabama in2026.[12]
Tuberville was born and raised inCamden, Arkansas, one of three children of Olive Nell (née Chambliss) and Charles R. Tuberville Jr.[13] He graduated fromHarmony Grove High School in Camden in 1972.[14] He attended Southern State College (nowSouthern Arkansas University), where he lettered in football as a safety for the Muleriders[14] and played two years on the golf team. He received a B.S. inphysical education from SSC in 1976.[15] In 2008, he was inducted into the Southern Arkansas University Sports Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.[16]
Tuberville first coached atHermitage High School inHermitage, Arkansas.[14] He was an assistant coach atArkansas State University.[14] He then went through the ranks at theUniversity of Miami, beginning asgraduate assistant and ending asdefensive coordinator in 1993, winning the national championship three times during his tenure there (1986–1994).[17][18] In 1994, Tuberville replacedBob Davie as defensive coordinator underR. C. Slocum atTexas A&M University. TheAggies went 10–0–1 that season.[19]
Tuberville got his first collegiate head coaching job in 1994 at theUniversity of Mississippi ("Ole Miss"). Despite taking over aRebels team under severeNCAA scholarship sanctions, he was named theSEC Coach of the Year in 1997 by theAP.
At Ole Miss, Tuberville became involved in the movement to ban Confederate flags from the football stadium by requesting that the students quit waving them during the home football games.[20] He said, "We can't recruit against the Confederate flag."[21] Ole Miss's chancellor,Robert Khayat, ultimately placed a ban on sticks at football games, which effectively banned spectators from waving flags.[22]
During his tenure, Tuberville was known as the "Riverboat Gambler" for his aggressive play-calling, especially on fourth down. His teams went 1–3 againstArkansas and 2–2 against in-state arch-rivalMississippi State in the annual Egg Bowl game. After the 1998 regular season ended, Tuberville said, "They'll have to carry me out of here in a pine box", in reference to not leaving to coach at another school. Less than a week later, it was announced that he was departing for Auburn.[23]
Tuberville left Ole Miss after the 1998 season to take the head coaching job atAuburn University in Alabama. At Auburn, he guided theTigers to the top of the SEC standings, leading them to an SEC championship and the Western Division title in 2004. Under his direction, the Tigers made eight consecutive bowl appearances, including five New Year's Day bowl berths.
During the 1999 off-season, wide receiver Clifton Robinson was charged with statutory rape of a 15-year-old girl. Tuberville suspended Robinson from the team from March to August, when Robinson pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service. Tuberville subsequently punished Robinson by suspending him for the season opener, then allowed him to rejoin the team.[24]
In 2004, Auburn went 13–0, including the SEC title and a win overVirginia Tech in theSugar Bowl. Nine selectors, including six of the Massey Index selectors, named Auburn National Champions. Additionally, Auburn was the highest-ranked NCAA eligible team in final AP and Coaches polls after USC's bowl win was vacated. Tuberville was named college football coach of the year by the Associated Press, the American Football Coaches Association, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
In 2005, despite losing the entire starting backfield from the unbeaten 2004 team to the first round of theNFL draft, Tuberville led Auburn to a 9–3 record, finishing the regular season with victories over rivalsGeorgia andAlabama.
Under Tuberville, Auburn had a winning record against its biggest rival,Alabama (7–3), and was tied with its next two most significant rivals,Georgia (5–5) andLSU (5–5). He was also 5–5 againstArkansas. He led Auburn to six straight victories over in-state rival Alabama, the longest win streak in this rivalry since 1982, the year Auburn broke Alabama's nine-year winning streak.
Tuberville established himself as one of the best big-game coaches in college football, winning 9 of his last 15 games against top-10 opponents since the start of the 2004 season. In 2006, his Tigers beat two top-5 teams that later played inBCS bowls, including eventual BCS ChampionFlorida. Tuberville had a 5–2 career record against top-5 teams, including three wins againstFlorida. But he developed a reputation for losing games when he clearly had the better team. Examples include a humbling 24-point loss to a 4–5Alabama team in 2001 and a loss toVanderbilt—the first time Auburn lost to the Commodores in over 50 years. After Auburn lost three straight SEC games in 2003, Auburn boosterBobby Lowder and Auburn president and athletic director contacted thenLouisville head coachBobby Petrino to gauge his interest in taking the Auburn job if Tuberville was fired. The press found out about the meeting, which occurred just before the 2003Alabama game, and the episode has since been known as "JetGate".[25][26][27]
Tuberville coached 19 players who were selected in the NFL draft, including four first-round picks in 2004, with several others signing as free agents. He coached eight All-Americans and a Thorpe Award winner (Carlos Rogers). Thirty-four players under Tuberville were named to All-SEC (First Team). Eighteen were named All-SEC freshman. His players were named SEC player of the week 46 times. He also had two SEC players of the year and one SEC Championship game MVP.
Tuberville fired offensive coordinatorTony Franklin on October 8, 2008. After the 2008 season, with a 5–7 record including losses toVanderbilt,West Virginia, and a final 36–0 loss toAlabama, Tuberville resigned.[28] Auburn athletic directorJay Jacobs said, "To say the least, I was a little shocked. But after three times of asking him would he change his mind, he convinced me that the best thing for him and his family and for this football program was for him to possibly take a year off and take a step back."[29] With his departure, Tuberville was paid a prorated buyout of $5.1 million. The payments included $3 million within 30 days of his resignation date and the remainder within a year.
After his departure from Auburn, during the2009 football season, Tuberville worked as an analyst for Buster Sports and ESPN, discussing the SEC and the Top 25 on various television shows and podcasts.[30] He also made a cameo appearance in theAcademy Award-winning feature filmThe Blind Side.
On December 31, 2009, Tuberville expressed interest in becoming head coach of theTexas Tech Red Raiders. The position was left open after the university firedMike Leach.[31] On January 9, 2010, Tuberville was named head coach, and he was introduced at a press conference the next day.[32] On January 1, 2011, he became the second head coach in Texas Tech football history to win a bowl game in his first season—an accomplishment unmatched sinceDeWitt Weaver's first season in 1951–52.[33] This was a 45–38 victory overNorthwestern in theinaugural TicketCity Bowl.
On January 18, 2011, Texas Tech announced that Tuberville received a one-year contract extension and a $500,000 per year raise. The extension and raise gave Tuberville a $2 million salary through the 2015 season. Tuberville was responsible for the highest-rated recruiting class in Texas Tech history, securing the 18th-ranked recruiting class in 2011, according toRivals.com and the 14th-ranked class in the country according toScout.com.
On November 10, 2012, during a game againstKansas, Tuberville yanked the hat and headset off his graduate assistant Kevin Oliver.[34] Immediately after the game, Tuberville said he was aiming for Oliver's shirt in an attempt to pull him off the field.[35] Two days later, he apologized in his weekly press conference, saying he wanted to set a better example for his two sons, one of whom was on the team.[36]Big 12 commissionerBob Bowlsby publicly reprimanded Tuberville, calling his act "unsportsmanlike".[37]
Although Tuberville continued to run Leach's wide-open "Air Raid"spread offense, he was never really embraced by a fan base still smarting over Leach's ouster.[38] According to a student on a recruiting trip to Texas Tech, Tuberville departed a recruiting dinner mid-meal and the next day accepted an offer to become Cincinnati's head coach.[39] He left Texas Tech with an overall record of 20–17 and 9–17 in Big 12 conference play.
In 2025, Tuberville said he recruitedPatrick Mahomes, who played at Texas Tech from 2014 to 2016, but Mahomes said that was not true.[40]
On December 8, 2012, Tuberville resigned as head coach at Texas Tech in order to become the 38th head coach at theUniversity of Cincinnati. He signed a $2.2 million contract to coach the team.[41][42] Cincinnati's athletic director, Whit Babcock, had previously worked with Tuberville at Auburn; the two had been friends for several years.[43] On December 9, aLubbock Avalanche-Journal article pointed out that Cincinnati is only 30 miles (50 km) fromGuilford, Indiana, home of Tuberville's wife, Suzanne.[44]
In 2013, his first season with Cincinnati, Tuberville led the Bearcats to an overall record of 9–4 and a 6–2 conference record.[15] His 2014 team was also 9–4 overall, but this time earned an American Athletic Conference co-championship by virtue of their 7–1 league mark.[45] Both years also saw bowl losses, in 2013 toNorth Carolina and 2014 toVirginia Tech.[46]
On December 4, 2016, after a 4–8 season, Tuberville resigned as head coach of Cincinnati.[47] He left Cincinnati with an overall record of 29–22 and 18–14 in AAC conference play.
After resigning from Auburn in December 2008, Tuberville formed a 50-50 partnership with former Lehman Brothers broker John David Stroud, creating TS Capital Management and TS Capital Partners,[48] where he had an office and helped find investors.[49] In February 2012, seven investors sued Tuberville and Stroud, saying they were defrauded of more than $1.7 million[50] that they invested from 2008 to 2011.[51] Tuberville's attorneys denied the allegations.[52]
In May 2012, Stroud was indicted for fraudulent use of $5.2 million from various Auburn investment companies, including his partnerships with Tuberville;[53] Tuberville was not charged.[54] Tuberville said in court filings that he was also a victim, and had lost $450,000; he settled the investor lawsuit in October 2013 on undisclosed terms.[55][56] In November 2013, Stroud pleaded guilty and received a 10-year sentence.[53]
In 2014, Tuberville founded the Tommy Tuberville Foundation. Its website said its purpose was "to recognize and support organizations and causes that connect with the beliefs and values of the Tuberville family: assisting our military and veterans; awareness, education and prevention of health issues, particularly among women and children; and, education and community initiatives."[57]
Through its first five years, the foundation raised $289,599 but spent just $51,658 on charitable causes, tax records showed.[58] This rate of 18% is less than the 65% that theBetter Business Bureau says ethical charities should spend on their causes.[59] In 2020, theAssociated Press called the Tuberville Foundation "a questionable charity that raises money but gives very little away".[60] Foundation officials said the tax filings did not reflect volunteer labor and donated materials used to refurbish veterans' homes.[61]
In 2020,The New York Times reported that Tuberville campaign and foundation officials "produced internal records for 2018 that showed nearly $20,000 was raised for a temporary project to provide a retreat for veterans. But the records raised bookkeeping questions, since they showed more than $61,000 of 2018 revenue, roughly twice what the charity reported to theI.R.S. that year".[62]
In 2021, theWashington Post reported, the foundation "reported it had $74,101 in revenue and spent just 12 percent of that, or $9,000, while $32,000 went to administrative costs (including nearly $12,400 to pay off a truck the charity purchased in 2018 for $27,369)".[63] By the end of 2021, the foundation's website had gone defunct.[64]
In July 2023, a spokesperson for Tuberville said that the foundation had been under audit and had paused its activities, but that Tuberville was reforming it.[63]
In August 2018, Tuberville moved from Florida to Alabama with the intention to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020.[65] In April 2019, he announced he would enter the2020 Republican primary for the Senate seat held by DemocratDoug Jones.[66] Tuberville's campaign was described as "low-profile," with few pre-scheduled campaign appearances or press conferences.[67] He closely allied himself with PresidentDonald Trump.[67] Former White House press secretarySean Spicer was a member of Tuberville's campaign staff.[68]
Tuberville opposes the right to an abortion and favors repealing theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare). He supports Trump's proposal to build a wall on the border with Mexico.[69] Tuberville supports reducing thenational debt through cuts to social programs, but opposes cuts toSocial Security,Medicare, orMedicaid.[67] He dismisses the science ofclimate change, saying that the global climate "won't change enough in the next 400 years to affect anybody."[70][71]
On March 3, 2020, Tuberville received 33.4% of the vote in the Republican primary, ahead of former United States senator and former attorney generalJeff Sessions, who received 31.6%. Because neither candidate won over 50% of the vote, arunoff election ensued.
On March 10, ahead of the runoff election, Trump endorsed Tuberville.[72] Trump had been angered by Sessions's decision torecuse himself from the investigation intoRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections when Sessions was U.S. attorney general.[67] In May 2020, Trump called Sessions "slime" for this decision.[73] In campaign ads, Tuberville attacked Sessions for not being "man enough to stand with President Trump when things got tough."[74] In the July 14 runoff, Tuberville defeated Sessions with 60.7% of the vote.[74]
As the Republican nominee, Tuberville was heavily favored to win the election.[75] He was endorsed by theNational Right to Life Committee, America's largestanti-abortion organization.[76] On November 3, he defeated Jones with 60.1% of the vote.[5]
In anAlabama Daily News interview after the election, Tuberville said that theEuropean theater of World War II was fought "to free Europe of socialism" and erroneously that the three branches of theU.S. federal government were "the House, the Senate, and the executive." He also said that he was looking forward to raising money from his Senate office, a violation of federal law. Tuberville's comments attracted criticism.[77][78]
On November 26, 2020, Tuberville announced that his chief of staff would beStephen Boyd, who had been serving as assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Justice.[79]
On November 12, 2024, Tuberville announced his candidacy for reelection for a second term in the 2026 elections. In May 2025, he said he would instead run forgovernor of Alabama.[80][81][82]
Tuberville was one of six Republican senators to vote against expanding the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow theU.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related toCOVID-19 and establish an online database.[83][84] In February 2022, Tuberville dismissed "ridiculous" proposals to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. According toBusiness Insider, Tuberville violated theSTOCK Act 132 times in 2021.[85]
In May 2022, Tuberville introduced the Financial Freedom Act of 2022, which would allow for the inclusion ofcryptocurrency in individual retirement accounts.[86][87]
Speaking at a Trump rally inNevada on October 8, 2022, Tuberville claimed that Democrats are "pro-crime", "want to take over what you've got", and "wantreparation [sic] because they think the people that do the crime are owed that".[88] These remarks were widely condemned as inaccurate[89][90] and racist;[91][92] for example, theNAACP called them "flat out racist, ignorant and utterly sickening".[93]
Tuberville was among the 31 Senate Republicans who voted against final passage of theFiscal Responsibility Act of 2023,[94] telling reporters, "This bill does not go nearly far enough to reform our broken budget".[95]
In June 2024, Tuberville called Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" and said that Russian presidentVladimir Putin "doesn't want Ukraine. He doesn't want Europe. Hell, he's got enough land of his own. He just wants to make sure he doesn’t have United States weapons in Ukraine pointing at Moscow."[96]
In June 2025, Tuberville drew backlash after appearing onBenny Johnson's show, where he called people in urban areas "inner-city rats" who "live off the federal government" and called on President Trump to "send them back home".[97]
After taking office in January 2021, Tuberville joined a group of Republican senators who announced they would formally object to counting electoral votes won by Democratic president-electJoe Biden in the2020 presidential election.[98] The objections were part of a continued effort by Trump and his allies tooverturn his defeat in the election.
When theElectoral College count was held on January 6,pro-Trump riotersstormed the Capitol, forcing officials to evacuate their chambers before the count was completed. Trump contacted Tuberville during the riot through the cell phone of Utah senatorMike Lee, whom Trump misdialed.[99] The count resumed that evening once the Capitol was secured.
Tuberville voted in support of an objection to Arizona's electoral votes and an objection to Pennsylvania's electoral votes, which were both won by Biden. He was one of six Republican senators to support the former objection and one of seven to support the latter objection; the remainder of the Senate defeated the objections.[100][101] No further objections to the electoral votes were debated and the count concluded on the morning of January 7, certifying Biden's victory over Trump.
On May 28, 2021, Tuberville voted against creating an independent commission to investigate the2021 United States Capitol attack.[102]
WhenDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization came before the Supreme Court in 2022, Tuberville signed anamicus brief supporting the overturning ofRoe v. Wade and its federal protection of abortion. AfterRoe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, Tuberville called it a "victory for life".[103]
In 2022, Tuberville responded to a question about theRespect for Marriage Act, which would federally codifysame-sex marriage, by saying there was "no need for legislating on gay marriage". He also said, "I'm all about live life the way you want to. It's a free country."[104] He voted against the bill,[105] which passed and was signed into law.
In 2022, Tuberville was among the 11 senators who voted against theHonoring our PACT Act of 2022, a bill that provided funding for research and benefits for up to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.[106][107]
Tuberville has backed several bills intended to restrict various activities bytransgender people.[108]
In February 2023, he co-sponsored a bill to prevent people with a history or diagnosis ofgender dysphoria from serving in the U.S. military, with limited exceptions.[109][110]
In March 2023, he reintroduced a bill to forbid public schools from allowing a trans girl or woman to participate in a girl's or women's sport. Co-sponsored by 19 Republicans, the act says gender would be "recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth" rather than how a person identifies.[111]
On March 25, 2023, Tuberville complained publicly about a video showing Lieutenant Junior Grade Audrey Knutson, who is nonbinary, reading a poem during a spoken-word event aboard the aircraft carrierUSS Gerald R. Ford. The video had gone viral after the U.S. Navy posted it to itsInstagram page. After Tuberville told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he had "a lot of problems with the video", AdmiralMike Gilday,chief of naval operations, said he was "particularly proud of this sailor" and added that if someone is "willing to serve and willing to take the same oath that you and I took to put their life on the line, then I'm proud to serve beside them."[112][113]
On March 29, 2024, Tuberville accused the Democratic Party of being a "Satanic cult" in response to a tweet by theNew York Post about the banning of religious-themed designs from the White House Easter Egg art contest. His comment came at a time of widespread backlash by right-wing to far-right politicians and pundits after Biden publicly acknowledgedInternational Transgender Day of Visibility, which fell on the same date as Easter in 2024.[114]
In January 2025, Tuberville said that transgender children should "live in fear" of their parents as he believed the parents were turning them trans, which Tuberville called "child abuse" and an "absolute disgrace".LGBTQ Nation refuted these claims, saying that "there is no evidence that a person who is not LGBTQ+ can be turned LGBTQ+ by their parents".[115]
On January 30, 2025, Andy Blalock, president of the Huntsville chapter of theLog Cabin Republicans, said that Tuberville "has always supported fairness and equality in sports, including ensuring that members of the trans community can create and join leagues and teams, just as there are league and team sports designated for biological men and women" and expressed support for Tuberville's efforts to bar transgender women from competing in women's sports.[116]
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In December 2022, after Defense SecretaryLloyd Austin announced an upcoming policy to allow pregnant service members leave and reimbursement of travel costs so that they may obtain legal abortions in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling overturningRoe v. Wade, Tuberville threatened to put aSenate hold on all military promotions in protest of the policy.[117] The policy was instituted in February 2023, with Tuberville announcing a day later that he would hold all "civilian, flag, and general officer nominations" due to the "illegal expansion of DoD authority and gross misuse of taxpayer dollars" for abortions.[118]
Over the next few months, Tuberville's hold blocked the filling of hundreds of senior positions. "Without these leaders in place, these holes severely limit the department's ability to ensure the right person is in place at the right time, and to ensure a strategic readiness and operational success", Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said on June 20.[119][a]
On July 11, Tuberville blocked the confirmation of a newMarine Corps commandant, leaving the Corps without a leader for the first time in two centuries.[124] By August, more than 300 generals, admirals, and policy officials had not yet been confirmed.[9] The hold also blocked the appointment of a newArmy chief of staff, vacant as of August 3, and a newchief of naval operations, vacant as of August 14.[125] Five military commands atRedstone Arsenal in Alabama were also affected.[126]
On September 20, the Senate, working around Tuberville's hold in a rarely used procedure, voted to confirm three of the highest-ranking officers: theJoint Chiefs chairman, Marine Corps commandant, and Army chief of staff.[127] The move elevated Marine Corps generalEric Smith to commandant, but the hold prevented him from appointing a deputy commandant, a situation he called "not sustainable".[128] On October 29, Smith was hospitalized after suffering aheart attack. Lacking a deputy commandant or other available four-star general, the Marine Corps tapped alieutenant general to temporarily perform the duties of commandant.[129]
On November 1, incensed senators brought dozens of military nominations to the floor; Tuberville blocked them all.[130] The next day, the Senate confirmed a new chief of naval operations, a new Air Force chief of staff, and a new assistant commandant of the Marine Corps[131] through a laborious process of circulating acloture petition.[132]
On December 5, 2023, Tuberville largely lifted his hold, which had blocked 451 promotions during the previous week; the Senate responded by promoting 425 military officers.[133][134] But he retained his hold on 11 officers nominated for four-star positions.[133] On December 19, he lifted the hold on the final 11 officers, ending the matter.[135]
In 2025, Tuberville praised Trump's proposal to have the U.S. take over theGaza Strip, calling it "a good idea".[136]
On May 10, 2023, Birmingham-area radio stationWBHM broadcast an interview in which Tuberville was asked whether he believedwhite nationalists should be allowed to serve in themilitary. Tuberville said the Biden administration "call[s] them that. I call them Americans." Later that day, his congressional staff released a statement that said Tuberville "was being skeptical of the notion that there are white nationalists in the military, not that he believes they should be in the military."[137][138] U.S. military leaders have said extremism in the ranks is growing.[139] For example, an October 2020 Pentagon report said there were "white supremacist inroads in the U.S. military".[140] Much independent reporting indicates this as well.[141][142]
After the interview, Tuberville's brother Charles said he felt "compelled to distance himself" from Tuberville and his "ignorant, hateful rants" and "vile rhetoric".[143]
In July 2023,CNN'sKaitlan Collins asked Tuberville about his earlier comments on white nationalists, whom she defined as "someone who believes that the white race is superior to other races". Tuberville called that an "opinion". He then denied white nationalists are inherently racist.[144] Tuberville's refusal to accept the definition of a white nationalist drew heavy criticism from Democrats and Republican senators.[145][146] A day later, Tuberville reversed his statement, saying, "White nationalists are racists."[147]
In June 2025, during a podcast appearance withBenny Johnson, Tuberville railed against "inner-city rats" he said are "living off the American taxpayers" and advocated that President Trump defund U.S. cities governed by Democrats. He also claimed thatThe Great Replacement is happening.[148]
In June 2023, a New Hampshire resident was arrested and charged with threatening to assault, kidnap or murder a member of Congress.[149] The charging documents did not name Tuberville as the target, but did say the charge was connected to his 2023 hold on military promotions.[150][151]
In October 2023,Michael Hayden, a retired Air Force general and formerdirector of the Central Intelligence Agency, responded to a social-media post asking whether Tuberville should be removed from his committee assignments by saying, "How about the human race?" After some interpreted this as a call for Tuberville's assassination, Hayden said he was suggesting that the senator not be considered human.[152] Tuberville reported the comment to theUnited States Capitol Police, saying that Hayden had called for his "politically motivated assassination".[153]
On December 24, 2023, Tuberville wasdoxxed andswatted, along withother leading activists and politicians in the same period.[154]
At a March 11, 2025, Committee on Veterans Affairs hearing on the mass termination of VA employees, Tuberville said thatprivate companies withproprietary technology had solicited him to receive contracts to operate at the VA, and that these private companies would benefit the VA and should be strongly considered.[155]
Tuberville married Vicki Lynn Harris, also from Camden, Arkansas, and a graduate of Harmony Grove High School, on December 19, 1976.[156][157][158][159] They later divorced. In 1991, Tuberville married Suzanne (née Fette) ofGuilford, Indiana; they have two sons.[44] His elder son, Tucker, played as a quarterback while he was coach atTexas Tech, before following him toCincinnati.[160] Tucker thenwalked-on atAuburn,[161] where he was used as a scout team quarterback during his three seasons there, and made his sole appearance for the team in the fourth quarter of a 56–34 win overIdaho.[162]
Tuberville has a brother, Charles.[143]
Tuberville invested $1.9 million in GLC Enterprises, which theSecurities and Exchange Commission called an $80 millionPonzi scheme.[163] He lost about $150,000 when the business closed in 2011.[164]
At Auburn, Tuberville participated in the Auburn Church of Christ.[165]
Tuberville's interests include "NASCAR, golf, football, hunting and fishing, [and] America's military". He enjoyscountry and western music.[166]
In August 2023,The Washington Post reported that campaign finance and property records indicate that Tuberville lives inSanta Rosa Beach, Florida,[167][168] instead of Auburn, Alabama, as his office claims,[169] and has for almost two decades. TheUnited States Constitution requires senators to live in the state where they are elected, but does not provide a minimum length of residency; Alabama requires a candidate to reside in the state for just one day to run for office.[170][171]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss Rebels(Southeastern Conference)(1995–1998) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Ole Miss | 6–5 | 3–5 | 5th(Western) | |||||
| 1996 | Ole Miss | 5–6 | 2–6 | T–5th(Western) | |||||
| 1997 | Ole Miss | 8–4 | 4–4 | T–3rd(Western) | WMotor City | 22 | 22 | ||
| 1998 | Ole Miss | 6–5 | 3–5 | 4th(Western) | Independence* | ||||
| Ole Miss: | 25–20 | 12–20 | * Bowl game coached byDavid Cutcliffe | ||||||
| Auburn Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1999–2008) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Auburn | 5–6 | 2–6 | 5th(Western) | |||||
| 2000 | Auburn | 9–4 | 6–2 | 1st(Western) | LFlorida Citrus | 20 | 18 | ||
| 2001 | Auburn | 7–5 | 4–3 | T–1st(Western) | LPeach | ||||
| 2002 | Auburn | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd(Western)[b] | WCapital One | 16 | 14 | ||
| 2003 | Auburn | 8–5 | 5–3 | 3rd(Western) | WMusic City | ||||
| 2004 | Auburn | 13–0 | 8–0 | 1st(Western) | WSugar† | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | Auburn | 9–3 | 7–1 | T–1st(Western) | LCapital One | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2006 | Auburn | 11–2 | 6–2 | T–2nd(Western) | WCotton | 8 | 9 | ||
| 2007 | Auburn | 9–4 | 5–3 | 2nd(Western) | WChick-fil-A | 14 | 15 | ||
| 2008 | Auburn | 5–7 | 2–6 | T–4th(Western) | |||||
| Auburn: | 85–40 | 50–30 | |||||||
| Texas Tech Red Raiders(Big 12 Conference)(2010–2012) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Texas Tech | 8–5 | 3–5 | 5th(South) | WTicketCity | ||||
| 2011 | Texas Tech | 5–7 | 2–7 | 9th | |||||
| 2012 | Texas Tech | 7–5 | 4–5 | T–5th | Meineke Car Care* | ||||
| Texas Tech: | 20–17 | 9–17 | * Bowl game coached byChris Thomsen | ||||||
| Cincinnati Bearcats(American Athletic Conference)(2013–2016) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Cincinnati | 9–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | LBelk | ||||
| 2014 | Cincinnati | 9–4 | 7–1 | T–1st | LMilitary | ||||
| 2015 | Cincinnati | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–3rd(East) | LHawaii | ||||
| 2016 | Cincinnati | 4–8 | 1–7 | T–4th(East) | |||||
| Cincinnati: | 29–22 | 18–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 159–99 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermitage Hermits()(1978–1979) | |||||||||
| 1978 | Hermitage | 4–6 | 1–3 | ||||||
| 1979 | Hermitage | 5–4 | 2–2 | ||||||
| Hermitage: | 9–10 | 3–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 9–10 | ||||||||
| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Swing | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Runoff | % | P. | Total | % | ±% | P. | |||||||
| 2020 | U.S. Senator | Republican | 239,616 | 33.39% | 1st | 334,675 | 60.73% | 1st | 1,392,076 | 60.10% | +11.76% | 1st | Won | Gain | ||
A group of Republican lawmakers led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) objected to Arizona's electoral votes Wednesday afternoon, prompting up to two hours of debate before both chambers of Congress voted on whether to accept the results.
Again, these inner-city rats, they live off the federal government. And that's one reason we're $37 trillion in debt. "And it's time we find these rats and we send them back home, that are living off the American taxpayers, that are working very hard every week to pay taxes."
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromAlabama (Class 2) 2020 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Alabama 2021–present Served alongside:Richard Shelby,Katie Britt | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas United States Senator | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded byas United States Senator |
| United States senators by seniority 76th | Succeeded by | |
Political articles related to Tommy Tuberville | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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