MONTGOMERY, Ala. –Voters in south and central Alabama will head to the polls today decide both the Democratic and Republican nominees in the race to represent Alabama’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District.
Those voting in the Democratic primary runoff election will decide between Anthony Daniels, Alabama House minority leader, and Shomari Figures, who previously served under two U.S. attorney generals.
In the Republican primary, voters will decide between Dick Brewbaker, a former state lawmaker and auto dealership owner, and Caroleene Dobson, a real estate attorney and political newcomer.
Alabama’s 2nd District is, by far, the most contested this election cycle, almost entirely due to a federally imposed redrawing of the state’s congressional districts that made what was once a Republican stronghold for decades, suddenly in play for Democrats.
While the newly drawn district now favors Democrats based on historical election data, which shows Black-preferred candidates winning in 15 of the past 17 election contests, Republicans say their party still has a fighting chance in the contest.
Democratic runoff
House Rep. Anthony Daniels of Huntsville is the acting House minority leader, and has leaned into his experience as a state lawmaker during his campaign.
Legislative achievements he’s touted include the passage of his bill to eliminate taxes on overtime pay, as well as his efforts to protect in vitro fertilization in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that shuttered IVF services across the state.
In the March 5 primary election, Daniels received 22.4% of the vote. As of March 27, he has raised $457,305 toward his campaign, and spent $416,549.
Most recently, Shomari Figures was the deputy chief of staff for U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, a position he stepped down from to enter the race to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
Figures has run heavily on his experience in Washington during his campaign, which includes working under U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, as legislative counsel for Sen. Sherrod Brown, and working on the presidential campaign and transition team of Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, respectively.
He received 43.5% of the vote during the March 5 primary, and has raised $390,393 toward his campaign as of March 27, and spent $339,565.
Republican runoff
Dick Brewbaker is a former state lawmaker who served two terms in the Alabama Senate, and one in the House. He recently sold the Montgomery auto dealership that’s been in his family for more than 80 years.
In his campaign, Brewbaker has run on his connections to the District 2 community, as well as his legislative experience in Montgomery. Legislative accomplishments he’s touted include a bill that helped facilitate virtual learning options for public school students, as well as legislation that expanded scholarship funding opportunities for children in foster care.
In the March 5 primary, Brewbaker received 39.5% of the vote. He has raised nearly $1.76 million, most of it self fund, toward his campaign, and spent almost $1.72 million, as of March 27.
Caroleene Dobson is a real estate attorney, member of the Alabama Forestry Commission, and political newcomer.
Energy independence, business deregulation and fiscal responsibility have been key pillars of Dobson’s campaign during the race. She’s advocated strongly for cutting federal spending, as well as securing the U.S. southern border.
Dobson received 26.4% of the vote during the March 5 primary. As of March 27, she has raised roughly $1.2 million toward her campaign, and spent almost $1.1 million. She’s loaned more than $900,000 to her campaign.