Former Alabama Republican Party Chair John Wahl speaks with reporters on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 at a news conference at AL GOP headquarters announcing his run for lieutenant governor. Former state representative Gil Isbell filed paperwork to challenge Wahl's eligibility to campaign for that office. (Ralph Chapoco/Alabama Reflector)
A former Republican state representative is challenging a former Republican party chair’s bid for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.
Gil Isbell said he formally filed the paperwork with the Republican Party of Alabama on Thursday to challenge John Wahl’s candidacy, alleging that he does not meet the residency requirement for the office.
“When I served in the House, I tried to do the right thing,” Isbell said in an interview on Friday. “Politics are always played. However, there are rules and laws in place.”
Isbell, a Gadsden Republican, who served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022, said his complaint alleges Wahl presented a driver’s license issued in Tennessee as part of a traffic stop in 2023 in Morgan County and that he was a registered voter of that state in 2020. The allegations reflect reporting done by al.com last year.
Wahl on Friday said in a statement that he has been open that he maintained a second residence in Tennessee.
“Before entering this race, I consulted with multiple attorneys and carefully reviewed the Alabama Constitution and state law,” Wahl said. “Based on that review, I am confident that I meet all eligibility requirements. I would not have run for this office or stepped aside as State Party Chairman if I were not absolutely confident in my eligibility to run.”
The Alabama Constitution requires candidates for governor and lieutenant governor to have been residents of the state for “at least seven years next before the date of their election.” He also said that he is an Alabama resident.
“The question is whether I had an Alabama residence for the last seven years, and the answer to that question is absolutely yes,” Wahl said. “I was born in Alabama, raised in Alabama, and have always voted in Alabama. This is my home, and I am proud of that.”
The challenge was first reported by Alabama Daily News.
Isbell declined to give a copy of the complaint, saying he will make the paperwork available early next week.
“If that precludes him from having the ability to run for lieutenant governor, then he needs to step away,” Isbell said in an interview on Friday. “If the steering committee says, ‘no,’ then, basically, he was not truthful with the state of Tennessee that he was moving there.”
The former representative said he has spoken with Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, who is also a candidate for the same office, about the issue pertaining to Wahl’s residency but is not currently supporting a candidate for the office.
Allen has sharply criticized Wahl’s entry into the race, accusing him of weakening the Republican Party and of using a “homemade” voter ID to vote.
al.com reported in 2022 that Wahl cast a ballot using an ID made by then-State Auditor Jim Zeigler, which former Secretary of State John Merrill said was not a valid form of photo ID. Zeigler told al.com that he approved the ID and had it professionally printed by a vendor. Wahl has called the accusation “ridiculous.”
Wahl qualified to be a candidate last week and officially began his campaign with a news conference on Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump unexpectedly endorsed Wahl for the office, which Wahl was not seeking at the time. Wahl qualified for the election last Friday, the final day of qualifying.
Prior to campaigning for lieutenant governor, Wahl was chair of the Republican Party of Alabama, a position that he resigned soon after he qualified as a candidate for lieutenant governor and serves as chair of the Alabama Public Library Service, the agency responsible for distributing state aid to local libraries.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken McFeeters has challenged U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s candidacy for Alabama governor, alleging travel documents to Florida suggest he does not meet the residency requirements. Tuberville’s campaign has called the move “a ridiculous PR stunt.”
A spokeswoman for the Alabama Republican Party said earlier this week the party will hold hearings on challenges the accused candidate and the accuser to make their cases before the party submits its finalized list of candidates to the Alabama Secretary of State on Feb. 26.
From Alabama Reflector Post Url: Visit
Author: Ralph Chapoco