Nicole Wadsworth, candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama in 2026, no longer has any campaign staff, her former campaign manager told Yellowhammer News on Thursday.
Hunter Weathers, a recent college graduate and former campaign staffer for Governor Kay Ivey, said in a statement that he has officially stepped away from the troubled campaign – “along with the entire campaign staff.”
In his statement, Weathers said during his departure, he worked to “correct the record” after disseminating false information to media outlets regarding Wadsworth’s academic credentials.
Yesterday, Yellowhammer News reported that rather than having a PhD in economics from the University of Alabama – Wadsworth instead claims that credential came from an unaccredited, Florida-based online seminary that offers degrees that are not transferable nor accepted by other universities, and are “not intended for employment purposes.”
On Thursday, Florida Institute of Technology, where she claims she earned two master’s degrees, said in a statement to Yellowhammer News that they could neither confirm nor deny that Wadsworth was a student there or if she has earned any degrees.
Wadsworth’s longshot bid for the second-highest statewide constitutional office went from bad to worse when – at her direction – Weathers dispatched an email to the state’s press corps with a directive to refer to the candidate as “Dr. Nicole Wadsworth” in the news coverage they publish.
Just over a week later, he had to walk back the information his candidate had given him, and sent out another press release to reveal the falsehood.
“From the beginning, I accepted this role with a sense of duty and optimism, rooted in the belief that we could bring something honest and impactful to the people of Alabama,” Weathers said in his statement.
“Unfortunately, persistent misinformation and ongoing internal miscommunications made it increasingly difficult to uphold those values in a way I felt comfortable with. Leadership requires trust and clarity, and without those, it became impossible to move forward in good faith.”
Weathers continues, “Before stepping away, I made it a priority to relay additional information that became known to the campaign so that the most accurate information available was known before the staffs departure. I worked diligently to correct the record and to ensure the public received the most accurate and complete information that I had at the time. The truth matters, and I owed it to the people of Alabama — and to myself — to make sure that truth was known.”
RELATED: “Dr.” Nicole Wadsworth falsely claimed University of Alabama PhD, campaign admits
Additional elements of Wadsworth’s public claims have been proven to be untrue.
Wadsworth, formerly Nicole Jones, claimed that she has never run for public office before, yet she ran for State Senate in 2017 before dropping out of the race to run for Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries in 2018 before also dropping out months before the primary election.
Wadsworth claims to be an official mediator through Jones Wadsworth Mediation, however her name does not appear on the official directory of mediators licensed by the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, which works with courts, the Alabama State Bar, state agencies and private entities to resolve disputes formally.
A request for information about Wadsworth’s legitimacy as a mediator was made by Yellowhammer News with ADR Director Eileen L. Harris on Wednesday, and has not yet been returned.
Wadsworth has at least three companies that bear her name registered with the state: Nicole Jones Commercial Est AL, Inc. formed in 2019, Nicole Jones Commercial Real Estate LLC formed in 2013, and Nicole Jones Development, LLC formed in 2012.
Less than 10 days ago, “Jones Wadsworth Inc.” was also formed, with State Rep. Tim Wadsworth (R-Arley) listed as the registered agent.
While Nicole uses the surname “Wadsworth” in official filings, such as on her principal campaign committee with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, calls State Rep. Tim Wadsworth her husband, and refers to herself as a “legislative spouse” — no record of their legal marriage exists.
Yellowhammer News confirmed this week that the Winston, Marion, and Lamar County probate court systems have no marriage certificate between Wadsworth and Jones.
The Alabama Department of Vital Statistics, which receives and records all marriage certificates issued in the state, also does not have a marriage record for them, leaving only the possibility that Wadsworth and Jones were legally married in a different state.
A request for clarification about their legal status by Yellowhammer News was forwarded to the Wadsworth campaign by Weathers as one of his final acts as manager before resigning on Thursday along with the entire campaign staff.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
