Tim James (politician)

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Tim James
Personal details
Born (1962-03-03) March 3, 1962 (age 59)
Opelika, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationAuburn University (BS)
WebsiteCampaign website

Tim James (born March 3, 1962) is an American businessman from Alabama. The son of former Alabama Governor Fob James, he sought and lost the Republican Party nomination for Governor of Alabama twice, finishing third in the Republican primaries in both 2002 and 2010.[1]

Early life and education[]

Tim James was born in Opelika, Alabama. He attended Baylor School in Tennessee, where he played high school football, and then Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, where he earned a degree in finance and was a running back on the Auburn Tigers football. While at Auburn University, he was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order.[2][3]

Business[]

In 2004, James and his brothers entered into an agreement with Orange Beach, Alabama, to build a toll bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Although analysts expected the city to profit from the project beginning in 2014, the city must now borrow to meet the terms of the arrangement. James no longer owns the bridge but sold it to an Australian company for $70 million. As of December 2009, the city had paid the company almost twice the amount the city collected in revenues from the bridge.[4] He has owned and operated asphalt and heavy construction businesses; with his father and brothers, formed and operated the Escambia County Environmental Corp., an incineration company treating non-hazardous industrial waste, 1986-1996.[5]

Political positions[]

The Washington Post has described him as a conservative Republican.

James has been an outspoken opponent of President Barack Obama's and President George W. Bush's economic proposals. He asserts that financial corporations, the auto industry, and insurance companies should not be bailed out by taxpayers but should file bankruptcy.[6] He has also called for improvements to education including higher pay for school administrators.[6] He opposes the legalization of gambling as a means to fund education.[3][7] James is pro-life and opposes public funding for abortions. James opposes expansion of same-sex benefits to employees of the University of Alabama in Birmingham and stated that "If elected Governor of Alabama, I will vigorously oppose this measure and will enforce the spirit of Alabama law defining marriage as a sacred union between a woman and a man."[8]

In 2021, James called transgender rights, "critical race theory" and yoga in gym class part of a “beast with three heads.”[9]

Gubernatorial campaigns[]

James ran for the Republican nomination for Alabama governor in 2002, but finished in last place in the Republican primary: Bob Riley received 73.5% of the vote, Steve Windom received 17.8%, and James received 8.6%.[10] He focused on economic issues during the campaign.[11]

In 2010, he came in third in the Republican primary, losing a runoff berth to second-place finisher (and eventual primary winner) Robert J. Bentley by 167 votes. Other candidates in the 2010 race included then lawyer Bradley Byrne and former State Treasurer, Kay Ivey.

In 2010, James said that if elected governor, he would end multilingual testing for driver's licenses in Alabama in favor of English-only testing.[12][13] James' "we speak English" campaign commercial gained national attention.[14][15][16][17]

James's 2010 campaign was managed by Sandra Lucas, a former staffer of Governor Bob Riley.[18] The campaign was being advised by the former national campaign chairman to Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas who unsuccessfully sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. John Saltsman served as senior adviser to the James campaign.[19] The Huckabee campaign won in Alabama during the 2008 Republican primary. James' campaign chairman was former U.S. Congressman Sonny Callahan of Mobile. U.S. Congressman Robert Aderholt served as an advisor to the campaign.[20]

References[]

  1. ^ George Talbot (June 4, 2008). "James makes early bid for governor". Mobile Register (newspaper). Mobile, Alabama. p. B1.
  2. ^ This is Alabama Archived 2010-05-02 at the Wayback Machine,The Chattanoogan
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Brittany Whitley (February 14, 2010). "ELECTION 2010: The Governor's Race/Tim James". Opelika-Auburn News.
  4. ^ Ryan Dezember (December 18, 2009). "Bridge traffic declines again; Traffic on Toll Bridge drops BEACH EXPRESS". Mobile Register (newspaper). Mobile, Alabama. p. A1.
  5. ^ "Campaign 2010: Tim James says it's right time for him to be governor of Alabama (with videos) | AL.com". Blog.al.com. 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Michael A. Bell (June 2, 2009). "State and Regional News". Anniston Star. Anniston, Alabama.
  7. ^ John Peck (February 3, 2010). "Gambling with state budgets". Huntsville Times. p. 9A.
  8. ^ "このドメインはお名前.comで取得されています。". Timjames2010.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  9. ^ "Former candidate Tim James eyes possible challenge to Ivey". AP NEWS. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  10. ^ 2002 Election Information: Certified Primary Election Results - Republican Party, Alabama Secretary of State.
  11. ^ James says economy, jobs biggest issues[permanent dead link],Sand Mountain Reporter
  12. ^ Tim James: This is Alabama. We Speak English,FOX Atlanta
  13. ^ "Alabama's Tim James Wants English Only Driver License Exams". YouTube.com. 2010-04-29. Retrieved 2015-04-06.
  14. ^ Tim James, Superstar,Washington Post
  15. ^ Campaigning is so easy a caveman can do it,Birmingham News
  16. ^ James' ad stirs up debate across US,Montgomery Advertiser
  17. ^ [1] Archived August 31, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Tim James names former Riley staffer as campaign manager[permanent dead link], Associated Press
  19. ^ Phillip Rawls (June 19, 2008). "Tim James". The Associated Press.
  20. ^ Rep. Aderholt backing Tim James for Ala. governor,NBC 13

External links[]

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