Although it has been just over a week since his election win, U.S. Sen.-elect Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is already planning for his tenure in the U.S. Senate, which is to officially begin on January 3.
In an interview with Mobile radio’s FM Talk 106.5 on Thursday, Tuberville discussed the transition process and said that he was already spending time in Washington, D.C.
“It was a great visit up there,” he said. “I’ve got my temporary office, which was nice. I’ll go up there at least three days, four days a week until the first of the year, and sworn in on January 3 and then off and running, and hopefully have my team put together because as you know, Jeff, it’s not just three or four people. It’s about 40 people that you have to hire in the state of Alabama and also in D.C.”
The football coach-turned-politician discussed his efforts to put together staff, which he said he would lean on his experiences as a coach. He also said he would try to hire people with “Alabama connections” whenever possible.
“I’ve got a huge advantage over most people that would go into a position like this,” Tuberville explained. “I’ve had the opportunity to start four or five, maybe six college football programs. And you hire 50 people that work for you. Obviously, it is a different line of work, but you go through an interview process. You talk to people. You know the questions to ask. And of course, I’m going to hire as many people, as many people as I can get to go to Washington, D.C. or work in this state that are Alabama connections.”
“I think that’s very important,” he added. “Again, it’s a process, and I’m looking right now at hiring three positions before Thanksgiving, and I’ve been interviewing people all week long. But that’s part of it because it’s all about the team. It’s not about me. It’s about the team we’ll have in-state and D.C. And of course, the entire state of Alabama, 5 million people, will be a huge part of our team. So, looking forward to going through this process.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.