U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville unveiled his updated senior staff last week and vowed to “go on the offense” this year in support of President-elect Donald Trump.
“If there’s one thing I learned during my coaching career, it is the importance of recruiting a strong team,” Tuberville said in a statement.
The new appointments, all of whom previously served in Tuberville’s office, include Jordan Doufexis as chief of staff, Mary Blanche Hankey as chief counsel and senior advisor and Kaitlin Stoddard as legislative director. Mallory Jaspers, Tuberville said, will remain as his communications director.
Doufexis worked for Tuberville’s campaign for the past four years, serving in various senior roles such as deputy chief of staff and state director; Hankey previously worked as Tuberville’s chief of staff, and Stoddard was Tuberville’s senior policy advisor.
“Jordan is a proven winner who has been in the trenches with me from day one; he has earned the respect of the entire team and knows Alabama like the back of his hand,” Tuberville continued.
“Mary Blanche served me well as Chief of Staff in the 118th Congress, and I know she will continue to excel as my legal advisor. Kaitlin has been an integral part of my legislative team. I am confident that with her at the helm, we will deliver legislative wins for Alabamians and President Trump. Mallory has built a lethal communications operation that will continue to work around the clock to get our message to Alabamians.”
Tuberville has been among Trump’s most loyal allies, having regularly praised his policy positions and initiatives since taking office in 2021. This week, Tuberville also praised Trump’s recent proposals to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, as well as Trump’s proposal that the United States acquire Greenland.
“I think all these things that President Trump is bringing up before he takes office – fresh ideas, new ideas – would possibly give new life to the United States of America,” Tuberville said, speaking with reporters during a press call.
Alabama Daily News asked Tuberville to expand on his support for the United States acquiring Greenland, to which he argued it was a matter of improving national security.
“We’ve got to make our national security stronger with something possibly like Greenland, where they have minerals, things that could really make us strong,” he told ADN. “What’s great about President Trump (is) he brings these ideas up that nobody else would ever think about.”
Tuberville serves on several key committees in the Senate, including the committees on Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. For the 2025 session, Tuberville was also tapped for a new committee assignment, and was selected to serve on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which addresses policies affecting older Americans.