Doug Jones hosted a town hall Wednesday night at Campus 805 in Huntsville, drawing more than 600 people for the largest stop so far on his Town Hall Tour.
Jones was joined by Madison County Commissioner Violet Edwards, the Democratic nominee for state auditor and a member of Jones’ “Ticket for Change.”
With Huntsville experiencing rapid growth, many of the evening’s questions focused on the challenges that accompany it, including health care, housing, infrastructure and the role of local government.
Health care generated some of the night’s strongest discussion as Jones reiterated his commitment to expanding Medicaid immediately upon taking office. He argued that Alabama’s refusal to expand coverage is about politics, not policy.
“I’m telling you guys, on Day One, I’m going to start doing everything I can to expand Medicaid,” Jones said. “We’ve not had a champion in the governor’s office. You’re going to have that now.”
Jones also discussed the pressures rapid growth has placed on Huntsville and Madison County. He said local leaders need more authority to respond to the needs of their communities instead of waiting on Montgomery.
“We need to give Huntsville and Madison County a little more power to do things on their own,” Jones said, “without having to come to the overlords in Montgomery.”
Throughout the evening, Jones emphasized that the campaign’s town halls are intended to give him an opportunity to listen to Alabamians and have honest conversations about the issues affecting their daily lives.
“I truly believe that all politics is personal,” Jones said. “People want to know, ‘How is this going to affect me?’”
The Huntsville event marked the fourth stop on Jones’ statewide Town Hall Tour and drew the largest crowd to date, following earlier town halls in Greene County, Sheffield and Dothan.
The next town hall with Jones will take place Tuesday, August 4, in Shelby County. Additional information is available at mobilize.us/dougforalabama.
