Alabama Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones visited The University of Alabama on Tuesday to speak to the citizens of the American Legion Boys State.
During Boys State, a leadership program for boys in high school, Jones presented a campaign speech of his own to encourage them to participate in their election process.
The University is hosting Boys State from May 24-30, providing housing and event space on campus for over 600 participants. It will also host Girls State, a similar program for women, from May 31 to June 5.
Jones’ presentation was moderated by Tom Gordon, a University alumnus and former editor for the Birmingham News. Gordon first asked Jones about his priorities and goals if elected governor.
“What I’ve seen now is a one-party dominated state,” Jones said. “One party dominates in a way that breeds both corruption and arrogance.”
Jones said that, if elected, he would prioritize government transparency to prevent abuses of power. Other priorities included expanding Medicaid, establishing a state lottery and increasing workforce participation rates.
Jones also outlined other initiatives in his campaign platform, including raising the minimum wage, cutting the cost of living and holding federal law enforcement agencies, such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accountable.
He said he hoped to accomplish these goals by reaching across the aisle in the Legislature and by reaching out to organized labor, businesses, farmers and other key groups across the state.
“It is not a set of factions like Alabama and Auburn. It’s not a game,” Jones said. “We are the same folks, and we all have the same wants and interests and desires to move the state forward.”
Brad Green, a leader in his 26th year with the Boys State program, said that Jones’ visit coincided with members’ campaigns for the Boys State general election. Running in Alabama’s gubernatorial general election himself, Jones’ practical experience served as a model for students running for office.
Green said that the election process was a valuable experience for young men, but that most of the program covers different “interest groups,” including engineering, media and journalism, law enforcement and other fields.
“These programs are about building citizenship and building leaders for the future,” Green said. “It’s really about giving them the opportunity to find out things about themselves by taking initiative and stepping out.”
Not everything was positive in Jones’ speech, however. Jones referenced his experience growing up in Jim Crow-era Alabama and said that modern politics and gerrymandering reminded him of the 1960s and ‘70s, when former Alabama Gov. George Wallace blocked Black students from registering on UA campus.
“I listened to that rhetoric about Muslims,” Jones said, referring to protests in Hoover, Alabama, that prevented the Islamic Academy of Alabama from relocating to the suburb. “I listened to that rhetoric about African-Americans 60 years ago. It’s the same thing… it has no place in Alabama.”
Jones said that the current political climate in the federal government was also a source of violent rhetoric and extreme partisanship.
“What’s happening in D.C. right now is a travesty,” Jones said. “It’s not the D.C. that I knew.”
Jones paused his speech to answer questions from Boys State participants, who asked him about his leadership experience, the challenges of campaigning in a heavily Republican state and his policy plans. He concluded by encouraging the attendees to participate in the upcoming election and continue their journeys in leadership.
“It’s you guys that are going to lead this state,” Jones said.
