2018 Governor’s Race: James Fields
Democrat James Fields was the first African American to run for a legislative seat in mostly-white Cullman County. Many told him to withdraw, but he went on to win that seat in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2008. Now he’s running for governor.
He tells WBHM’s Gigi Douban why he decided to keep his hat in the ring. He served from 2008-2010 after that seat was vacated unexpectedly. Fields and his wife have seven children and 18 grandchildren. He worked his way through college with a series of jobs, according to his website, then later worked at the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations for more than 28 years.
Education
As a candidate for governor, he says he wants to make level the playing field for all schools in Alabama. An education lottery is an option, he says, but he can’t be certain residents will approve one, so the state needs to come up with another plan. For Fields, that plan might involve closing or consolidating schools to save money and better fund the schools that remain.
Religion
Fields is a Methodist minister. But he says he would maintain the lines between church and state. Hear his thoughts on this, and whether he is in favor of displaying the Ten Commandments publicly, as voters will decide in a referendum this November.
Jobs, Wages, and the Economy
Fields talks about what a living wage is, and some of the biggest obstacles to increasing wages in Alabama.
Health Care
Fields says all Alabamians deserve access to quality health care. He has plans to come up with the state funds needed to match the federal government’s contribution to enroll more Alabamians in Medicaid.
Family Life
Fields’ father was a coal miner and his mother worked at a chicken processing plant. Fields describes the difficulties he had as a child when his father struggled with alcoholism, and his father’s turnaround toward the end of his life.
Full Interview
Here’s how Trump and the GOP may try to weaken Obamacare
Republican control of the White House and Congress sets the stage for potentially seismic changes including curtailing Medicaid, weakening patient protections, and increasing premium costs for millions.
Richer countries are starting to pay poorer ones for climate change damages
With climate-related disasters getting more extreme, richer countries are piloting ways to compensate developing nations, since they bear the least responsibility for causing climate change.
Most of the country shifted right in the 2024 presidential election
In 2020, President Biden won six of the seven closely watched states. This year, President-elect Donald Trump won all seven — plus he will got a majority of the popular vote.
To hit deep inside Russia, Ukraine has built its own drones
President Biden has now given Ukraine permission to use U.S. ballistic missiles inside Russia. While it was waiting, Ukraine built its own drones that can strike far across the border.
UConn’s Geno Auriemma becomes the all-time winningest college basketball coach
Geno Auriemma has led the women Huskies to 11 championships and nearly two dozen Final Four appearances in his four decades as head coach.
A duct-taped banana sells for $6.2 million at an art auction
A piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.2 million at an auction Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur.
