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 โengage 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 โpolitical parasites who care nothing about you, or this cultural battle being waged,โ in his Wednesday address.
โPersonally, I believe our governor is a good person,โ James said. โShe 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 donโt have the stomach for the fight.โ
During the previous legislative session in 2021, Alabama legalized medical marijuana, a move James said creates โa state-run drug cartelโ in Alabama and opens โan orchestrated pathโ for full legalization for recreational.
โThey tried to camouflage the poison by telling us it was to help people in pain,โ James said. โLook, Iโm all about helping people in pain. But this isnโt about pain. Itโs 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 Alabamaโs recent attempts to form a state lottery and authorize new casino locations, stating โcasino 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 โmodels of decay,โ according to James.
โThey just want their money, and they have drawn their swords for one final push while they still have time,โ James said. โThey know that Tim James will never let them turn Alabama into the Las Vegas of the South.โ
In an obvious appeal to the evangelical right, James said the U.S. Supreme Court โhas detached law from truth,โ with concern to abortion and same-sex marriage, despite recent indication that the Courtโs conservative wing is willing to roll back protections for legalized abortion, prompting some states to propose state protections on same-sex marriage.
โThese 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. โMarxism 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 โcaveโ to federal vaccine mandates.
โThere 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. โIn 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 Opelikaโs Fire And Grace Church Dean Odle.
