4-25-25

Yesterday a story broke on various news outlets around the State of Alabama that

US Senator and former NCAA football coach Tommy Tuberville is running for

Governor…..the sources sound credible…..Tuberville himself says he is still

praying it through…..I believe that he will run…..I also believe that Alabama is

long overdue for a Governor who inspires, who leads, who motivates, who speaks

out, who will kickstart the next level of our potential and not just sit in the office

for a few years…..someone who has conservative street cred and a willingness to

buck the system, fight the deep state, and govern like a true statesman…..in short,

what we need is someone to rally around…..someone we can be proud

of…..someone who gets us, and works for us, and doesn’t just show up at the

ribbon cutting…….we deserve that! We need that! As a state and as a

nation…..and I have a name for that kind of candidate…..I coined it several years

ago during the 2012 Presidential election cycle….. I met with former Texas

Governor Rick Perry when he was running for President that year…..I told him

that I wanted a “God-fearing gunslinger” in the Executive Office…. Someone

who is not faint of heart…..someone who can care about people and direct traffic

with the authority of their position all at the same time….someone who operates

decisively while also listening to wise and carefully selected counsel…..someone

who is hard to outthink because they’ve already studied the issues deeply but will

still hear advice from others…..someone who will admit mistakes and tell you

what it will take to ensure they never happen again….we haven’t had that in the

governors office for too long…..far too long…

That’s right…..a God-fearing Gunslinger for Governor……and I don’t think its too

much to ask…..bring me a Wyatt Earp….bring me a God-fearing Gunslinger to

serve as the Chief Executive of the state and I will get behind that all day long…..

And it’s not just here in Sweet Home Alabama…..

Right now, as I speak there are 36 Governors offices around the nation that are all

looking at having an open seat for election in 2026…..this may be the sea change

that conservatives have been looking for…..already we have conservatives Senator

Marsha Blackburn running for governor in Tennessee, Representative Andy Biggs

in Arizona, Representative Byron Donalds in Florida, former Presidential

candidate Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio, and maybe Representative Elise Stefanik

for governor in New York…..and that’s just a few of them…..multiple

conservatives are stepping into the fray and we need them to….we need them to

And I recognize that God has given me this platform….and it is an honor I do not

take lightly. I also recognize that he has given me a particular set of

experiences….experiences honed by a long career of service - leading troops,

serving on the frontlines of a war zone, practicing law, counseling/ministry, and as

an elected state lawmaker…..those experiences are not for nuthin’ if you know

what I mean….So as I considered my time with you today, and as the usual

preparations for my monologue were underway I found myself revisiting the past

several years….rethinking the means by which our current Governor responded to

different events….or for that matter didn’t respond…..and a list of what I would

want to see began to fully gel….

Our state and nation….over the past few years…..has been through a hellacious

time…..the pandemic, and the government overreach that shut down our schools,

our economy, our lives……we had the Biden social agenda that put DEI and

critical race theory into every government office and the halls of academia….we

had 40 year inflation highs and 40 year military recruiting lows…..at the state level

we saw an increase in our gas taxes and the bulk of all Covid relief dollars went to

feed government while the private sector languished…..how many times did you

see or hear our Governor speak out or lead in a meaningful way during all of that?

What do I want to hear from a Governor in a crisis management situation? What do

I want to see in the day-to-day functions of a state’s chief executive?….what kind

of character, and behavior, and principles, and faith would I want to see in a

governor of my state? How should I feel after I’ve heard that person speak to the

matters at hand?

- In a crisis I want a leader who will stand up quickly in the presence of the

people they were elected to lead and start off saying with steely eyed

confidence to the people of the state…… “We will get through this. We will

be here tomorrow.”

- I want a leader who will say “I don’t know it all but there are people in my

administration who do….and if they don’t I will find those that can join our

team”

- That kind of Governor would not long suffer any fool who let turf wars or

complacency impede progress….

- At least once a week I would want this Governor to meet with the press to

answer any questions candidly….and direct their attention to the good, the

bad and the ugly. Its’ not about appearances or poll numbers…..

- That kind of Governor would make known that “following the science” is

only one aspect of decision making in crisis management….and that

considerations of culture, faith, liberty and law will always play into each

and every option on the table

- That kind of Governor would make clear that the government is not the end-

all/be-all and call for, incentivize and galvanize the support and cooperation

of the private sector and the vast resources and capabilities that exist outside

of the walls of government

- That kind of Governor would refuse to allow politics to play into decisions

that affect life, limb or property – politics would not be a part of any

discussion on decisions that affect education and economy. That kind of

Governor would openly say that they did not get elected to get reelected and

that doing right ain’t that hard.

- That kind of Governor would mandate that Government hiring would freeze

and no expansion of government would be tolerated while the private sector

is lagging.

- That kind of Governor would direct that things like blanket tax cuts; sales

tax holidays; hiring/retention incentives for small businesses would be

hallmarks of their administrations efforts to grow the economy….not just

grow government….

- That kind of Governor would make known that a violation of civil liberties

would not be tolerated and would make the preservation of our individual

and corporate rights a priority

- That kind of Governor would be one who walks in faith but will not shy

from a fight…..you won’t hear religious platitudes….instead you will hear

and see and watch as a person of faith lives out their example of a

believer…..and isn’t afraid to say so…..knowing that if they stand for

everything they stand for nothing that kind of Governor will make clear that

they were not elected to be a poll taker, or to waver in the winds of fads and

fashions…..they will be a rock of consistency…..where principles and faith

are their guide…..

- That kind of Governor would also walk among the people – eat at their

restaurants – frequent their parks – visit their churches – hug their necks and

shake their hands – and if necessary visit them at the hospital….it is not

enough to speak confidently….a good leader must walk out under fire and

exude confidence to those they lead

Over my years I’ve watched folks who exhibited these traits….I have served with

leaders who inspired me…..in both military and civilian roles…...None of the traits

I just cited are imaginary…..they are real and when a people are in crisis they are

needed…..

So what do I want from a Governor for my state? For any state?.....I want a leader

who can and will do all of the above….look back on the last few years and tell me

honestly if you believe that our current Governor met those pure leadership

standards…..I don’t see it…..not by a stretch…..

You show me a Governor who will do those things and I will be their champion! I

will donate funds…knock on doors….and extoll their virtues….

Is there a God-fearing Gunslinger in our future?……

God almighty….I hope so. We need them for such a time as this…..in our state,

and every state….

And that’s a wrap for the Rightside Way!