Figures and Dobson are in a heated battle for a redrawn Alabama House district

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Alabama voters will decide who will represent a congressional district that was redrawn after a lengthy legal battle that drew national attention and could provide a rare opportunity for Democrats to flip a seat in the Deep South.

Democrat Shomari Figures, a former top aide to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, faces Republican Caroleene Dobson, an attorney and political newcomer, in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

The district, which had been reliably Republican, became competitive after it was reshaped last year by federal judges. A federal court ruled that Alabama had illegally diluted the influence of Black voters and redrew the district to increase the percentage of Black voters. A win by Figures would give Alabama a second Black representative in its congressional delegation for the first time in history, presuming Rep. Terri Sewell also wins reelection.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report had rated the reshaped district as “likely Democrat” but both campaigns stressed that it is a competitive race. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named Figures to its “Red to Blue” program, a slate of priority candidates they believed could flip districts from Republican control. The National Republican Congressional Committee similarly named Dobson to its list of priority candidates called the “Young Guns.”

Figures is an attorney who served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to Garland. He also was an aide to former President Barack Obama, serving as domestic director of the Presidential Personnel Office. On the campaign trail, Figures, 39, discussed the district’s profound needs in infrastructure, education, and health care. Obama recorded robocalls encouraging voters to support Figures. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also traveled to Alabama to support Figures, underscoring the role the district could play in which party has control of Congress.

Throughput the race, Figures said he wants to use his Washington experience to benefit his home state.

“Do you want somebody in Washington that has the experience to go up there and leverage that experience to try to bring the resources and help and focus and care and concern on issues that matter here locally?" Figures said outside a polling place Tuesday. “How are we going to fix our health care systems here? How are we going to expand Medicaid here? How are we going to get jobs and workforce development programs here?”

Dobson, a real estate attorney, had criticized Figures as a “Washington D.C. insider” because of his lengthy Washington resume and connections to the Obama and Biden administrations. Dobson, 37, emphasized concerns about border security, inflation, and crime — issues that she said resonate with voters across the political spectrum.

“I’m running to make life better for Alabama families. I want to bring down prices. I want to make our communities safe. I want to secure our country and I most importantly I want to make sure that every kid in this district has the opportunity for success here in south Alabama,” Dobson said Tuesday.

Abbie Felder, a retired state employee who voted for Figures, greeted him as he campaigned outside her polling place in Montgomery.

“It’s exciting to be part of history. It’s exciting to know you are voting for someone that is a regular person who knows about the values and struggles of the people who are not above the $60,000 income range,” Felder said.

Phyllis Lambert, an 84-year-old retired teacher in Montgomery, gave similar reasons for voting for Dobson.

“She’s for us, the American people. She’s going to fight for us. We’re not way up here,” Lambert said gesturing her hand in reference to the wealthy.

The heated election comes after a bitter legal fight over the shape of the district.

Federal judges approved new district lines after ruling that Alabama’s previous map — which had only one majority-Black district out of seven — was likely racially gerrymandered to limit the influence of Black voters in a state that is 27% Black. The three-judge panel said Alabama should have a second district where Black voters make up a substantial portion of the electorate and have a reasonable opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

The new district, where Black residents make up nearly 49% of the voting age population, spans the width of the state and includes the capital city of Montgomery, parts of the port city of Mobile as well as rural counties.

The battle over the district lines is not finished. The district was created because a court issued a preliminary injunction blocking use of the state’s prior map. The lawsuit is set to go to trial in February.