The campaign manager for an Alabama candidate for lieutenant governor made an unusual request Tuesday, asking that the news media always include the candidate’s academic title in news coverage about the race.

Nicole Wadsworth, a commercial real estate developer, announced in May she is running in the Republican primary.

Her campaign manager, Hunter Weathers, sent an email to the press about their reporting on the campaign.

“I want to take a moment to thank you for your coverage of this important race and for your commitment to informing the public,” Weathers wrote.

“With that in mind, I’d like to address a matter of professional accuracy and respect:

“Dr. Nicole Wadsworth has earned her academic and professional titles and should be addressed accordingly in all future correspondence and press materials. Going forward, we respectfully request that she be referred to as ‘Dr. Nicole Wadsworth’ in all headlines, articles, captions, and related content.”

Many news outlets, including al.com, follow Associated Press style on the use of titles.

The AP stylebook says that the “Dr.” title is used for medical doctors only and not for other professionals with a doctoral degree such as Ph.D. (doctor of philosophy.)

The email from Weathers caused some reaction in the press.

In a phone call Wednesday morning, Weathers talked more about why he made the request.

“The purpose of the request was to highlight her credentials and her academic experience and education,” Weathers said.

Weathers said Wadsworth has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Alabama, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Huntsville, and a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology’s Huntsville campus.

Wadsworth has a certification in zoning and planning from the University of North Alabama and an economic development leadership certification from Auburn University, he said.

“We just want the press to address her correctly with the appropriate titles with her experience in the private sector and her education – with a title like economic developer, economist, commercial real estate developer – something like that,“ Weathers said. ”And that was the purpose of the email.

“It wasn’t necessarily to address her by Dr.”

The issue of when the “Dr.” title is appropriate has come up in national politics. In 2020, the Wall Street Journal ran a column suggesting that Jill Biden stop using the “Dr.” title.

Biden holds an Ed.D., a doctor of education degree, from the University of Delaware.

“A wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child,” columnist Joseph Epstein wrote.

The column generated backlash from people who urged Biden to continue using the title and called on other women with doctoral degrees to do the same.

Others running in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor are Secretary of State Wes Allen, Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate, and Opelika pastor Dean Odle.

The primary is May 19, 2026.