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Mobile native Kyle Sweetser first gained national political attention when he spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, declaring himself to be a “Republican Voter Against Trump” and calling on other likeminded Republicans to back Kamala Harris in the presidential election.
At the time, Sweetser reassured APR that he was still a Republican despite his disapproval of Trump. However, that has since changed, as last week Sweetser launched his campaign to challenge U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., for his congressional seat in 2026 — as a Democrat.
Sweetser recently spoke with APR to explain the impetus behind his Senate run and change in party affiliation. In detailing his decision to run for office, Sweetser emphasized the damage he believes President Trump and the Republican Party are inflicting on Alabama.
“You’ve got fifteen years of one-party rule in the state of Alabama [and we are] last, or near last, in almost everything from income, to infant mortality rates, to poverty… almost 40 percent of our state is in poverty, living in poverty. We’ve got one of the highest infant mortality rates, we’ve got one of the lowest life expectancies here, so we’ve got some major issues and we’ve had a one-party rule,” Sweetser said. “[Republicans] are the establishment.”
Sweetser believes that Tuberville is indicative of a “new Republican Party” that is overly-focused on social culture war issues and cares more about “towing the line with Trump” than addressing the economic needs of Alabama and the country at-large. In Sweetser’s view, the economic policy of Trump and his Republican allies — particularly Trump’s recent string of on-again off-again tariffs — stands in direct opposition to Alabamian interests.
“With our low income in Alabama, these tariffs, they hurt us more than anyone else because tariffs are regressive taxes. That means that they affect people with the lowest income the most, it’s like a high tax rate for lower income people — and that means that’s Alabama. We have less of a cushion with our expendable income here because we make so much less, so when you get things like tariffs, they really hurt the people of Alabama,” Sweetser said.
“And not only that, you look at the Port of Mobile. Our economy is based on the economy that is under attack by the Republican Party now. So their economic policies are going to make things harder for people to live in Alabama, harder to pay their bills,” he continued. “People should be able to pay their bills and take a vacation once or twice a year with their kids and to not live in this constant state of fear. And that’s what’s been done by the Republican party in the state of Alabama and as a whole, again, moving into this economic policy that hurts people, it hurts specifically states like Alabama so bad.”
Sweetser has never before held public office, but he told APR that he feels his experience in the construction industry may actually give him a leg up when it comes to understanding the interests of the people he hopes to represent.
“Government is supposed to be for the people, by the people. We’re supposed to have people from all walks of life in government… I understand the state and I understand people at a personal level, no offense to anybody, but not in an office level or a controlled environment level,” Sweetser said.
“I work in construction, so I’ve worked from lower income residential housing to more expensive, high-income residential housing, in people’s homes where they’re comfortable to say things that they’re not comfortable to say out in public,” he continued. “I’ve worked in businesses, chemical plants, manufacturing facilities, the power plant. You name it, I’ve worked in it, I’ve seen how our economy works and talked to different people throughout the years.”
Sweetser also noted the work he has done with disaster relief in the state, doing work in the aftermath of hurricanes and oil spills to help restore Alabama communities.
“I’ve got a wide range of experience of dealing with people and understanding how our economy works, not from a behind-the-desk point, or not from a typical politician’s point, but from an on-the-ground and talking to people [point of view],” he said. “And I think we’ve lost that, and it’s part of the reason why we’re at where we’re at.”
In addition to his broader economic concerns, Sweetser says that infrastructure is a key policy focus of his campaign. He believes it is essential to maintain, support and expand Alabama’s road, rail and sewer systems as a means of bringing money into the state and increasing public safety. Sweetser also emphasized the importance of continuing to expand the Port of Mobile.
“I want to focus on infrastructure,” Sweetser said, specifically mentioning sewer and water issues in the city of Prichard and high bacteria counts in Mobile Bay. “When you have sewer overflowing when it’s not raining, coming out in people’s backyards near all these waterways, its a major issue.”
Sweetser believes that by prioritizing investment in infrastructure, Alabama can improve its public health and tourism while simultaneously brining more money and jobs to the state.
In running for office as a Democrat, Sweetser hopes to represent other Alabamians who, like himself, feel abandoned by the modern Republican party. He said that Democrats are now the party of the Constitution, while Republicans have become the party of taxation.
Sweetser also expressed that he wants people to feel “proud” to live and raise their families in Alabama. When APR asked Sweetser if he was proud of Alabama, he said he was, but that its people have been “restrained by their leadership.”
