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Tim James begins third gubernatorial run with fire and brimstone

โ€œAnd I am running for governor because I believe the leadership in this state have capitulated to the political structures that control Montgomery,โ€ James said.

Tim James

Son of former Alabama Governor Fob James and two-time gubernatorial candidate Tim James launched his third attempt for the Alabama governorship Wednesday by preaching his opposition to medical marijuana, gambling, same-sex marriage, vaccine mandates and called his supporters to โ€œengage in this righteous crusade to take back America, one state at a time.โ€

James, a toll road developer and former running back at Auburn University, also criticized Republicans in Montgomery and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, who is seeking re-election, stating Ivey and state leadership had caved to โ€œpolitical parasites who care nothing about you, or this cultural battle being waged,โ€ in his Wednesday address.

โ€œPersonally, I believe our governor is a good person,โ€ James said. โ€œShe has been a friend of our family for 40 years. But I think the administration is overwhelmed. And I am running for governor because I believe the leadership in this state have capitulated to the political structures that control Montgomery. They just donโ€™t have the stomach for the fight.โ€

During the previous legislative session in 2021, Alabama legalized medical marijuana, a move James said creates โ€œa state-run drug cartelโ€ in Alabama and opens โ€œan orchestrated pathโ€ for full legalization for recreational.

โ€œThey tried to camouflage the poison by telling us it was to help people in pain,โ€ James said. โ€œLook, Iโ€™m all about helping people in pain. But this isnโ€™t about pain. Itโ€™s about the money, and it is being pushed by wealthy and influential people in this state who justify their greed with self-righteous hypocrisy; they consider themselves pillars of the community.โ€

James voiced similar disdain for Alabamaโ€™s recent attempts to form a state lottery and authorize new casino locations, stating โ€œcasino barons who are trying to turn our state into a gambling mecca with nine full-scale casinos,โ€ and that if Alabama cities receive approval to construct casinos, they would be transformed into โ€œmodels of decay,โ€ according to James.

โ€œThey just want their money, and they have drawn their swords for one final push while they still have time,โ€ James said. โ€œThey know that Tim James will never let them turn Alabama into the Las Vegas of the South.โ€

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In an obvious appeal to the evangelical right, James said the U.S. Supreme Court โ€œhas detached law from truth,โ€ with concern to abortion and same-sex marriage, despite recent indication that the Courtโ€™s conservative wing is willing to roll back protections for legalized abortion, prompting some states to propose state protections on same-sex marriage.

โ€œThese unelected, left-wing judges decreed a new definition of marriage โ€” including those of the same sex โ€” leading to the forced acceptance of transgenderism, all of which conflict with the nature and character of God,โ€ James said. โ€œMarxism is at our doorstep, and those that embrace it have a desire to remove every aspect of God from society, so reliance and faith is on government and not on the One that created government.โ€

In another criticism of Republican leaders and Ivey, James decried previous employee vaccine mandates at the University of Alabama at Birmingham โ€” failing to mention similar vaccine mandates for employees at the University of Alabama and his alma mater โ€” and pledged never to โ€œcaveโ€ to federal vaccine mandates.

โ€œThere was no opposition from the governor and the top Republicans when UAB issued their mandate; the only sound heard was silence until the Attorney General stepped in and issued a stop order,โ€ James said. โ€œIn other words, it was OK for UAB to fire Alabama workers, but not OK for Biden to do it.โ€

James enters an already crowded gubernatorial race, joining current Alabama Governor Kay Ivey; former ambassador to Slovenia Lindy Blanchard; former Books-A-Million CEO Lew Burdette; former Morgan County Commissioner Stacy George; and Pastor of Opelikaโ€™s Fire And Grace Church Dean Odle.

John is a reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter. You can contact him at jglenn@alreporter.com or via Twitter.

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