WASHINGTON — Democratic ad spending in the race for Alabama’s new 2nd Congressional District is about double Republican spending over the past two months as Rep. Shomari Figures fights to keep his seat in a Republican-friendly district.
Figures’ campaign and groups supporting the Democratic nominee have spent nearly $1.5 million on advertising across all platforms since the special primary set the matchup between him and Republican State Rep. Rhett Marques, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact.
On the Republican side, groups supporting Marques and his campaign have spent about $827,000 on advertising since the week of Aug. 11 when he became the GOP nominee, according to AdImpact.
Following the Supreme Court weakening the Voting Rights Act, Alabama Republicans implemented a new congressional map to give the GOP an edge under the new 2nd District lines, as President Donald Trump would have won the area by 14 points in 2024.
But Figures and national Democrats believe they still have a good shot at keeping the seat blue in an election year that’s difficult for Republicans.
The current 2nd District, which Figures represents, is about 48% Black while the new district is about 40% Black. Earlier this year, the Cook Political Report shifted the race from solid Republican to likely Republican.
In the roughly two months since the special primary, both sides have dedicated the most advertising money toward the Montgomery media market, totaling about $1.1 million. Getting Black voters to turn out around the Capital region could play a key part in Figures’ campaign.
Ad spending in the Wiregrass for the 2nd District race totals nearly $500,000 over the past two months, and the Columbus/Auburn market has seen about $437,000 in ad spending.
Pro-Figures ad spending
So far, the House Democrats’ campaign arm, in coordination with Figures’ campaign, has spent the most on advertising in the competitive race, totaling about $1.1 million.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has placed Figures on its Frontline Incumbents list, has split its ad spending pretty evenly across the district’s three main media markets.
But the DCCC is targeting voters in certain pockets of the newly redrawn 2nd District with two distinct ads.
One ad, broadcast in Dothan, depicts Figures’ support for farmers and his legislation to stop President Donald Trump’s move to import 300,000 metric tons of beef, targeting the area’s farmers.
In Montgomery, the DCCC, in conjunction with Figures’ campaign, is airing an ad claiming Figures played a key role in helping to keep Jackson Hospital open in the wake of financial struggles.
The coordinated buys also include two other ads that appear to appeal to a wider swath of 2nd District voters, as the spending has been roughly evenly split among the district’s three main media markets.
“By bridging our differences, we’ll always do right by Alabama,” Figures says in one of the ads broadcast in all three markets.
On Tuesday, the DCCC and Figures’ campaign launched a negative attack ad against Marques for some of his votes from his eight years serving in the Alabama Legislature and for paying some of his taxes late on his former tire business in Enterprise nearly two decades ago.
“Shomari Figures is bankrolled by the far-left wing of his party, and the misleading TV ads he and his socialist buddies are running are an attempt to distract Alabamians from the truth of Shomari’s crazy voting record,” Marques said in a statement responding to the attack ad.
Figures is also receiving ad support from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, who launched a Super PAC called Ready for the Fight last month.
This week, that PAC started airing its first broadcast ad in Montgomery attacking Marques. The ad buy is about $182,000 as of Wednesday, according to AdImpact.
Other groups, including Project 218, a Democratic-aligned super PAC, have run digital ads supporting Figures. The Rolling Sea Action Fund, a Congressional Black Caucus super PAC, has run radio ads to boost the Alabama Democrat. Separately, Figures’ campaign itself has spent about $125,000 on advertising.
Pro-Marques ad spending
A President Donald Trump-aligned Super PAC, called the No Going Back PAC, is the biggest ad spender in support of Marques’ campaign over the past two months, totaling about $539,000 in ad buys.
The PAC is running an attack ad against Figures, airing in Montgomery and Dothan, according to AdImpact.
The ad invokes several prominent issues this cycle: stock trading by members of Congress and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Figures opposed the massive tax and spending law because of concerns about its major cuts to food assistance programs and health care. He called the Stop Insider Trading Act, which he also voted against, a “Republican gimmick” because it included sweeping voter ID restrictions for federal elections.
“I think most people literally laugh out loud when a Trump supporter says they’re the anti-corruption candidate. Everyone knows Rhett will not stand up to Donald Trump, no matter how corrupt the action may be,” Figures said in a statement.
Alabama Christian Conservatives, a super PAC aligned with Marques, has spent about $287,000 on advertising mainly in Montgomery over the past two months.
One 30-second ad from the group, airing in Montgomery according to AdImpact, depicts Marques as a “Washington outsider” and touches on the popular issue this cycle of stock trading by members of Congress.
“Rhett Marques wants every member of Congress banned from trading stocks. No exceptions,” the ad says.
Future ad reservations
Figures’ biggest advertising boost has yet to fully hit the airwaves. In addition to its current ad buy, Pritzker’s Ready for the Fight PAC has reserved nearly $1.2 million in ad spending for the rest of campaign season, bringing its total for the general election race to nearly $1.4 million, according to AdImpact as of Wednesday.
Project 218 and Rolling Sea Action Fund have also reserved future ad buys to support Figures.
For Marques, the two biggest outside groups supporting him, No Going Back and Alabama Christian Conservatives, have also reserved about $59,000 in future ad buys as of Wednesday. Marques’ campaign has also reserved $105,000 worth of ads.
The general election is Nov. 3.