Kyle Sweetser

Last updated

Kyle Sweetser
Personal details
Born
Mobile, Alabama
Political party Democratic (2025–present)
Other political
affiliations		 Republican (before 2025)
OccupationConstruction company owner
Website Campaign website

Kyle Sweetser is an American politician and construction company owner running as a candidate in the 2026 U.S. Senate election in Alabama. In 2024, Sweetser became a prominent Republican critic of Donald Trump, speaking out against his policies on tariffs and foreign affairs at the 2024 Democratic National Convention. [1] In April 2025, Sweetser switched his party affiliation to the Democratic Party. [2]

Contents

Political career

2024 presidential election

Preceding the 2024 election, Sweetser voted for Donald Trump in both the 2016 presidential election and the 2020 presidential election, however following the January 6th United States Capitol Attack and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweetser discontinued his support for Trump. [3] In the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, Sweetser supported Nikki Haley. [4] In the months following Haley's withdrawal in March 2024, [5] Sweetser endorsed Kamala Harris. [4] In August 2024, Sweetser was invited alongside several other Republicans to speak at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, during which he made his opposition to protectionism the focus of his speech, [6] [7] saying that tariffs increase consumer costs and harm the construction industry. [8] In October 2024, Sweetser appeared in a pro-Harris ad funded by the Future Forward PAC aimed at drawing Republican support for Kamala Harris, highlighting his concerns about the possibility of increased protectionism leading to higher consumer costs. [9]

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

In April 2025, Sweetser switched his party affiliation to the Democratic Party, and launched a campaign to challenge incumbent senator Tommy Tuberville in the 2026 election. [10] Sweetser has distanced himself from further left wings of the Democratic Party, with senior advisor Craig Snyder comparing his campaign to that of former President Bill Clinton and his efforts in the New Democratic Movement, [11] and Sweetser has said personally that he's "not left wing, period." [1] In May 2025, Tuberville withdrew his re-election campaign for the U.S. Senate to run in the 2026 Alabama gubernatorial election. [12] That same month, Sweetser joined former U.S. senator Doug Jones (2018–2021) and former U.S representative from TX-16, Beto O'Rourke (2013–2019) at a rally in Tuscaloosa, held in opposition to a coinciding appearance by Donald Trump at the University of Alabama. [13]

References

  1. 1 2 Hutchinson, Bill (August 22, 2024). "Alabama Trump voter speaks at DNC, endorses Kamala Harris" . Retrieved November 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Jobin, Alex (April 22, 2025). "Disillusioned by the Republican Party, Kyle Sweetser is challenging Tuberville in 2026". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Davis, Charles R. (May 17, 2025). "He voted for Trump, twice. Now he wants to take down MAGA and the "pathetic" Tommy Tuberville". Salon. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. 1 2 Dawber, Alistair (August 22, 2024). "Nikki Haley backers endorse Kamala Harris for US president". The Times. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ McCammon, Han, Sarah, Jeongyoon (March 6, 2024). "Nikki Haley suspends her presidential campaign, but doesn't endorse Trump". NPR. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ "Here are the Republicans that spoke at the 2024 DNC in Chicago". 5 Chicago. August 23, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Boak, Riccardi, Josh, Nicholas (August 21, 2024). "A double dose of Obama firepower, a doting spouse and a dance party: Takeaways from Day 2 of the DNC". AP News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ Brown, Griffin Uribe (August 21, 2025). "Alabama Trump voter speaks at DNC, endorses Kamala Harris". AL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Bender, Michael C. (October 23, 2025). "A Pro-Harris Ad Aims to Woo Trump-Weary Republicans". New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ Jobin, Alex (April 22, 2025). "Disillusioned by the Republican Party, Kyle Sweetser is challenging Tuberville in 2026". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Bull, Haley (September 16, 2025). "Alabama Democrats aim to flip Senate seat in deep-red state". Scripps News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ Bianco, Ali (May 27, 2025). "Tuberville announces Alabama governor run". Politico. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ↑ Cobb, Mark Hughes (May 2, 2025). "Fiery speeches mark protests of President Trump's visit to Tuscaloosa". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved November 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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