Democratic gubernatorial candidate JaMel Brown joins the Brandon and Christopher Show Podcast

November 20, 2025 – MONTGOMERY – Rev. JaMel Jermaine Brown joined the Brandon and Christopher Show Podcast to speak with Alabama Gazette Lead Reporter and Content manager Brandon Moseley and Alabama Political Contributor Publisher Chris Peeks that he has no fear of Doug Jones entering the Senate race. Jones' eminent entry into the 2026 Democratic field for Governor was expected at that point, but had not formally been declared.

Rev. Brown said that that Jones impending entry into the race did not concern him.

"Doug Jones is very weak," said Brown. "He's incapable to lead the great state of Alabama." "A report just came out by Yellow Hammer that a poll was conducted if Doug Jones and Tommy Tuberville would compete against each other. It would be a blowout. Tommy Tuberville would beat Doug Jones."

Brown said that his social media presence gives him an edge on Jones – who served as U.S. Senator from 2018 to the end of 2020.

"Doug Jones is known by a lot of people because of his time in the United States Senate," said Brown. "A lot of people now know Jamal Brown, not just statewide, but nationwide because of my social media platform. And I want you guys to look at this, Chris. I'm the only candidate the only candidate that has more social media followers, than Doug Jones, than Tom Tuberrville, then Will Boyd, than Chad. I'm dominating the social media."

Brown is a Montgomery area pastor.

"I'm 34 years young. Born and raised on the west side of Montgomery, Alabama," said Brown about himself. "I am a pastor. I've been preaching God's word since I was seven. I've been pastoring souls and spirits ever since I was 15 years old,, online and offline. I'm an activist in my community and that's just about it. I have been serving uh my community for a mighty long time. Ever since I was a little child, I get it from my adopted parents. And that's I'm single, no kids."

Brown said that his biggest concern was that members of the Democratic Party state executive committee may try to keep him off of the Democratic Primary ballot.

"The plot is by those that are in Black leadership in the Democratic party and other wings of the Democratic Party," said Brown. "They do not want Jamal Brown to be the Democratic nominee because I consider myself as a conservative slash independent Democrat. They don't want me."

"There have been rumors that they will challenge my qualification as a Democrat. They're going to use a rule called because I openly supported a Republican in the past that they're going to try to use that rule to disqualify me as a Democratic candidate. That's how scared these folks are of me."

Brown said that he has opposition within the leadership of the Democratic Party because he is a Trump Democrat.

"There are Black Democrats in power that is playing into our Black voters saying, 'Well, he's too close to being a Trump Democrat. I voted for Trump in 2016. I voted for Trump in 2020. I voted for Trump last year. I voted for Trump all three times. I like President Trump's style of leadership. Do I agree with everything President Trump say and do? No. Who does? But we need strong people in leadership."

Brown said that the national Democratic Party has gone too far left, particularly on social issues.

"God said marriage is between a man and a woman but you still got people like Will Boyd. You got people like Chad (Martin). You got people like Doug Jones that say, 'Well, we need marriage equality. You know, we need Adam can marry Adam or Bernice can marry Kesha. We got the party need to stop being a hypocrite. And it is costing votes for the Democratic party. It's why the Democrats in Alabama will continue to lose because they're hypocrites. I believe in marriage (is) between a man and a woman. Period. What you do with your sex life is between you and that person. But on a legislative level, on a government level, I would not allow boys playing in girls' sports. I will not allow girls playing in boys' sports."

We asked Brown why he does not switch parties and run as a Republican.

"The reason why I don't want to run as a Republican is because I feel like this party needs a savior," said Brown. "I'm not trying to say I'm like Trump at all. I love I like Trump. I love Trump. I don't agree with everything he say or do."

\Boyd said that he voted for Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024. He voted for Obama in 2008 "because he was Black" but voted for Mitt Romney in 2012.

We asked Brown how he would deal with the crime problem, particularly in Alabama's inner cities.

"Crime is a good issue," said Brown. "The crime is Black on Black. We're just going to be honest. I want the whole world to know this. All the crime going across America in the neighborhoods that are high is Blacks killing Blacks. Period. That's it. You don't see White folks from the east side going to kill a White person on the west side. You don't see White gangs killing each other. These are Black folks. These are Black people. These are my people. So, what I'm going to do, I'm going to work with those mayors in those cities. I'm going to put pressure on them. Let's invest in our police departments. Let's give our police officers the right amount of tools so we can hire more police officers."

Brown blamed soft on crime mayors for a lot of the crime problems.

"If we defund the police, crime is going to go up. I'm not with defund the police. I want to fund the police and put them on our street. Let them fight crime. We need police officers to fight crime."

Brown supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. He also supports a lottery and the legalization of casino gambling.

"I'm 100% for legalization of marijuana. I'm 100% for legalization of the lottery. Bringing the lottery here. I'm 100% for the legalization of gaming in the state of Alabama because they'll bring us extra revenue. And one of the reasons why I'm big on legalization on marijuana (is) because I'm tired of seeing Black and brown men go to jail for a little piece of weed on them. I'm tired of seeing it. Marijuana ain't hurt nobody. God made the plant."

"I think gangs is a problem," said Brown. "\hy the hell would y'all want to go shoot people on a housing authority property? Why? But it's a lot of gangs. It's a lot of stuff that people in their minds and it be hate, and jealous and envy."

Too many men are not involved in the lives of their children.

"We got to start holding Black fathers accountable. If you bring a child into this world, we just don't need to hammer them with child support or we just going to child support them child support. Let's find out what the root cause and let's find out why that Black father is distancing himself so much from that mother that he wants to distance himself from that child also."

Bron said that new revenues from gambling and marijuana taxes would go to fund "roads, bridges, medical and broadband."

Brown wants to release many nonviolent offenders from the prisons.

"The most important issue to me in Alabama right now....is releasing everybody out of our state penitentiary system that went in there but did not kill anybody, that did not rape anybody, did not abuse a child, and did not abuse a elder person," said Brown. "I want to get all those folks out. I want to give them a second chance. I want to give people their rights back, their gun rights back. That's what I really want to advocate for because I'm a Bible man and God fearing."

Brown opposes the death penalty.

"I don't believe in the death penalty," said Brown. "I think that people ought to do time and hold second chances. And I'm going to I'm going to boldly say on your podcast tonight, I am 100% against the death penalty because if God can give me a second chance and give other people second chance, I see people change their lives around. Man does not have the right to take another man's life. whether it be the government or anybody in the streets. Period."

That pro-life stance also applies to abortion.

"I do not support abortion at all. I'm 100% against abortion," said Brown.

Brown said that he would support legislation to require that the Ten Commandments be placed in schools.

"I believe the Ten Commandments need to be in every school and in every government facility in the state of Alabama," said Brown.

Brown supports ending the state sales tax on groceries.

"I don't believe nobody in the state Alabama should be paying tax on groceries," said Brown. "If you go to other states, other communities across the c country, you don't have to pay tax on groceries."

Brown would replace that revenue with taxes on marijuana, lottery proceeds, and gaming.

Brown supports President Trump's plan to do away with the Department of Education, but he would support going even further.

"I'm also in agreement with the abolishment of the education department federally and state," said Brown. "Let the locals control their own board of education. Period."

He also is in favor of school choice.

"Wherever that child decides to go, that education dollars should go there," said Brown.

Brown expressed his concern that some Alabama manufacturers were pushing their employees too hard which is why Brown feels that many Alabamians do not want to enter the workforce.

"We need to get away from slaving Alabamians," said Brown. "As a report came out about Hyundai being basically a modern-day slave master. Basically, they slay their workers. The average person that go to Hyundai Brandon works their ass off just to go buy Mercedes Benz that they really can't enjoy."

"These people (are) working over 12 some hours a day," said Brown. "They pro and the money is good, but the labor is hard. We need to bring in more good qualifying jobs that are not going to put miles on people's bodies and wait them out when they so young. So I believe that's the reason why you got a lot of people don't want to go to the job. The money is good, but you go to Hyundai, we go to Hyundai right now, they slaving them folks."

Brown is in favor of a Bernie Sanders' proposal to go to a 32 hour workweek.

"We need to make work week Monday through Thursday and Friday, Saturday, Sunday is all overtime."

He also favors raising the Alabama minimum wage to $15 an hour, with some positions like manufacturing having a $20 an hour minimum wage.

Brown said that he does not care if raising the minimum wage raises prices.

"I don't care if uh a cheeseburger at McDonald's becomes $6, If somebody gonna buy it, they're gonna. That's how I feel about because guess what? I don't care how high so get I'm still going to buy. So that's how I feel about it. But when that time comes, we'll work on it."

Brown says that he does not support cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but that he does support reforming the program so that it does not pay for sodas and junk food.

"Yes, obesity among our kids is rapidly high because parents are buying all of this junk punk food. I agree with the Republicans on Capitol Hill and I have said this before. We need to put limitation on SNAP benefits. We need to if you're going to get this SNAP benefits, buy some vegetables, buy some fruits, buy the food that your child needed. "

Brown said that he is able to relate to people in all walks of life and that his character should not be taken out of context.

"I want people to not judge me. because of my very authentic characteristic that I have. I don't want people (to)judge me because I like to dance and entertain my thousands of people on social media. I don't want people to judge me because I have a way with words and I know how to deliver a message that'll get to certain people. But I want people to judge me on one thing. this. You can put me in a room full of legislators. I know how to fight, stand, and carry myself and act. You can put me in a room full of Masons, I know how to carry, act, and handle myself. You can put me in a room full of police officers, I can do the same. Just as you can put me in a room full of drug dealers. If you put me in a room for the people out of the hood, if you put me in a room with them, I know how to adjust. I know how to adapt. I know how to lead. I know how to carry myself if I'm elected to the position as governor of the great state of Alabama. Judge me by my policies. Judge me by my solutions. Judge me based off of my experience."

Brown is the Pastor at The House of Chosen, He is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Founder at The Ja’Mel J. Brown Foundation and the CEO at The Ja’Mel Brown Show

Jamel Brown faces a crowded Democratic primary field that includes retired educator Yolanda Flowers, former Senator Doug Jones, pastor Dr. Will Boyd, and businessman Chad "Chig" Martin.

The Democratic primary is on May 19, 2026.

To comment or ask a question email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.