Fourteen.
That’s the headcount, as of Thursday evening, for qualified Republican and Democrat candidates in Alabama’s newly drawn Congressional District 2, according to the parties.
Today is the last day of qualifying for 2024 races and that list is expected to grow in what’s likely to be the biggest race in the state next year.
As of Thursday, the candidates were:
- Greg Albritton (R)
- James Averhard (D)
- Napoleon Bracy Jr. (D)
- Dick Brewbaker (R)
- Anthony Daniels (D)
- Caroleene Dobson (R)
- Karla M. DuPriest (R)
- Juandalyn Givan (D)
- Jeremy Gray (D)
- Hampton S. Harris (R)
- Phyllis Harvey-Hall (D)
- Willie Lenard (D)
- Shomari Figures (D)
- Vimal Patel (D)
- Larry Darnell Simpson (D)
Four Democrats added their names to the list Thursday, including Daniels, the current House Minority leader from Huntsville. There’s no requirement that congressmen live in their districts and several candidates currently reside just outside the district in central and south Alabama. Daniels is originally from Bullock County and has strong ties to the area.
He qualified Thursday after a ceremonial bill signing with Gov. Kay Ivey on his 2023 legislation to untax Alabama workers’ overtime earnings.
Other new names on the candidate roster are familiar. Shomari Figures is the son of current state Sen. Vivian Figures and the late Sen. Michael Figures. He’s a former aide to President Barack Obama and recently left his position as deputy chief of staff and counselor to the U.S. Attorney General.
State Rep. Jaundalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, on Thursday said she’d run and has an official announcement planned today.
Congressional District 2 was heavily redrawn last month by a federal court to give Black voters in the state an opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice in two of the state’s seven districts.
It now has a Black voting population of nearly 49%. State Republican party chairman John Wahl last week said the new district would be a challenge for Republicans but is winnable.
The seat is open as current Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, was drawn out of the district and is now running against Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, in District 1.
The new congressional District 2 stretches across the state from Washington County on the Mississippi side to Russell and Barbour counties on the Georgia side. It now includes all of Montgomery County to the north and a northwest portion of Mobile County.
Qualifying ends at 5 p.m. today. Primary elections are March 5.