On his Web site, Tim James, a Republican candidate for governor, lists education as one of the five primary tenets of his campaign.

However, during an interview Thursday with The Crimson White, James could not readily identify his stance on the Race to the Top program, a $4 billion federal education grant program, without prompting from an aide.

The U.S. Department of Education’s refusal to provide money to Alabama – centered over the state’s lack of charter schools – has fueled debate in Montgomery in recent weeks as lawmakers debate the education budget.

Still, when questioned about the program, which has made headlines around the state and across the country, James said he did not know about the program until an aide intervened, saying, “the Obama thing with charter schools.”

At that point, James said he was unsure of the efficacy of the federal grants.

“I don’t accept that money is the answer,” he said, pointing to statistics he said have shown increased spending for the same number of students with no tangible results.

The campaign of Bradley Byrne, a former chancellor of the Alabama Community College System who leads recent polls, said Sunday that Byrne’s plan for education, released last week, emphasized some criteria for the Race to the Top grants.

“Some of the areas where Alabama performed the poorest were in areas that Bradley stressed where reform is most needed,” Byrne spokeswoman Marty Sullivan said in a telephone interview. “The [Race to the Top] application for us wasn’t much of a learning experience.”

While taking care to emphasize the amount of preparation required for a statewide run, Sullivan said, “I think anyone who steps up to run as governor – or for any position – should absolutely be prepared for the kinds of issues that are going to come forward during a campaign.”

In his Thursday interview, James also said he is opposed to creating a statewide lottery, as Georgia did, to help fund education at the secondary and college levels. He questioned the fairness and the logic of such a system, arguing that lower income people were funding the educations of high-performing students. “Basing government functions off … games is not sound government,” he said.

James, who said he is “against gambling in general,” also opposes the legalization of electronic bingo in Alabama.

James’ interview came a day after Public Policy Polling released a study showing James with 9 percent support in the Republican primary, trailing Byrne, who received 27 percent.

James dismissed the poll, saying the origins of the study were unknown. “You always wonder who pays for polls,” he said. “The only polls I pay attention to are my own.”

James, the son of former Alabama Gov. Fob James, moved to boost his name recognition when he released his first television advertisement last week. Residents likely will see more of James as he has the most money of any Republican candidate – more than $2 million – to use before the primary.

James, who has not held elected office but ran for governor in 2002, said he is an outsider with substantial private sector experience. “The country is populated at every level of government with people who build a career in politics,” he said. “I have absolutely no professional political experience.”

Democrats and Republicans go to the polls June 1 for the primary election.

Taylor Holland contributed reporting.