At a community meeting crammed with Republicans Monday, Democratic candidate James Fields could have stood out.

Instead, the crowd at the Beat 8 community center at Corinth welcomed him as a known quantity: an accessible local politician whose party affiliation, at least for some, takes a back seat to individual character.

Fields was among several candidates seeking state office to speak to a crowd of nearly 100 Cullman County residents at Monday’s informal community meet-and-greet, a gathering where burgers, cold drinks and dessert went hand in hand with stump speeches from aspirants to the Alabama governor’s office.

The collegial atmosphere wasn’t lost on Fields.

“We can talk about what political party you belong to,” he told the crowd during his impromptu talk, “but it’s about the individual; it’s about trust; it’s about faith. That’s the bottom line.”

The other candidates — all Republicans — echoed some of the same themes. Restoring trust in Alabama leadership, facing up to tough financial choices and remaining accountable to angry voters all got plenty of air time.

“One of the big things that bothers me,” said current Agriculture Commissioner and 2018 gubernatorial candidate John McMillan, “is…I’ve gone beyond being disappointed with the leadership in Montgomery. I think the people of Alabama deserve better.”

Fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Dawson agreed, noting voters have an opportunity to make an affirmative choice with new leadership, rather than electing the perceived least among tired, bad choices.

Chess Bedsole, a Birmingham-area attorney seeking the state attorney general’s office, touted his lengthy involvement in the campaign of President Donald Trump, as well as his navigation of potential controversy amid the emergent scandal surrounding former Gov. Robert Bentley, as exemplars of the kind of character voters demand from the new batch of candidates.

“Three things about me,” said Bedsole, “are that I’ve got clean hands, I’m a committed and proven conservative Republican, and I’m going to put points on the board — because that’s what I’ve done in my career.”

Deputies from the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office, along with Sheriff Matt Gentry, turned out for the meeting with grill, charcoal and spatula in tow, cooking for a near-overflow crowd at an event that Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill said keeps growing with each new iteration.

“I remember the first time I came here. There were only four people,” Merrill joked.