Democrat Shomari Figures and Republican Caroleene Dobson Win Runoffs in Alabama
Democrats and Republicans selected their candidates for a new majority-Black district in Alabama.
The Democratic and Republican runoffs occurred today in Alabama to complete the selection of candidates for the November general election. The only contest in the state that required a runoff was the race for the newly created 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The district lines in Alabama were redrawn for the 2024 election following successful litigation brought under the Voting Rights Act and affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result, two of the state’s seven congressional districts feature majority-Black compositions. That made the new 2nd District open instead of the Republican incumbent seeking re-election here. Instead, Republican Barry Moore prevailed in the primary against his fellow incumbent Jerry Carl to represent the new 1st District.
Runoffs are called in Alabama if none of the candidates in the primary achieved a 50%+1 majority. That was the result of the primary over a month ago for both the Democratic and Republican races for the 2nd District.
And now, Shomari Figures has been declared the winner in the Democratic runoff. The race was called in his favor as he’s currently leading with 61.0% against Anthony Daniels with 39.0%. 35,916 votes have been counted.
Figures previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland from January 2021 to October 2023. He is also the son of Alabama State Senator Vivian Davis Figures.
Daniels has held District 53 in the Alabama House of Representatives since November 2014. He has also served as the chamber’s Minority Leader since February 2017.
Meanwhile, Caroleene Dobson has been declared the winner in the Republican runoff. The race was called in her favor as she’s currently leading with 58.4% against Dick Brewbaker with 41.6%. 25,142 votes have been counted.
Dobson currently works as a real estate attorney at the Maynard Nexson law firm in Birmingham, Alabama. She is also a member of the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Southeastern Livestock Exposition.
Brewbaker previously served District 75 in the Alabama House of Representatives from January 2003 to January 2007 and then District 25 in the Alabama State Senate from November 2010 to November 2018.
Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District unifies the capital city of Montgomery and stretches across the majority Black sections of the Winegrass Region to take in parts of Mobile. Additional cities in the district include Greenville, Monroeville, Troy and Tuskegee.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be contested in the 2024 general election happening on Tuesday, November 5. The outcome will determine political control of the lower legislative chamber in the U.S. Congress.