According to the Associated Press, Shomari Figures, a Democrat who worked at the Justice Department, will face Caroleene Dobson, a lawyer and Republican political newcomer, for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District seat this November.
The two candidates won Tuesday’s primary in the district, which was redistricted after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the state had illegally diluted the power of black voters.
With the district now having more black voters, who have largely supported Democrats in the past, political analysts see the race for it as one of the most competitive in the South. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates it as a likely Democratic seat. (The district’s current representative, Barry Moore, is expected to remain in Congress after winning the Republican primary in the neighboring First Congressional District.)
The Second District now stretches across the entire state and includes much of Mobile. Montgomery, the capital of Alabama; and several counties in the Black Belt where fertile soil once fueled plantations where enslaved people worked.
In the Republican primary, Ms. Dobson faced Dick Brewbaker, a former state senator. Mr. Brewbaker repeatedly referred to his experiences in the state legislature, while Ms. Dobson argued that it was time for a newer political voice in Washington.
In the Democratic runoff, Mr. Figures’ opponent was state Representative Anthony Daniels, the House Democratic leader.
Mr. Figures’ family has a long political legacy in Alabama: He is the son of Michael Figures and Vivian Davis Figures, both of whom served in the state Senate, with Ms. Davis Figures winning her husband’s seat after his death in 1996. Shomari Figures moved back to Alabama after working in the Justice Department and the Obama administration.
Mr. Daniels does not live in the district — a point of contention in the race, although residency is not a requirement — but grew up there. He argued that his leadership position in the State House showed he could deliver for Alabamians.
The November election could see Alabama send two black representatives to Washington for the first time in its history if Mr. Figures wins and Rep. Terri Sewell, the Democrat in the Sixth Congressional District, wins re-election, as analysts widely expect.
Source link
2024-04-17 02:10:38
www.nytimes.com
