MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Shomari Figures, the Democratic candidate for Alabama’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District, has outraised his Republican opponent Caroleene Dobson in the first half of this month, though fell short of Dobson in advertising spending.
The latest figures come from the campaigns’ pre-general finance reports, submitted last week and covering campaign receipts and expenditures between Oct. 1 and 16.
According to the reports, Figures raked in $169,550 in campaign contributions during that period to Dobson’s $89,215. On advertising, however, Figures had been outspent when compared to his opponent, spending $374,101 during that same period, and Dobson, $388,741.
Shomari Figures
Of the $169,550 Figures received in early to mid-October, $144,250 was from individual contributions, and $25,300 was from political action committees, or PACs. In the total election cycle, Figures had raised nearly $1.6 million in individual contributions and $514,164 from PACs. Earlier in the campaign, he made a personal loan of $25,000.
Among some of Figures’ strongest PAC support during the 16-day period includes $5,000 from End Citizens United PAC, which aims to overturn the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision that permitted corporations to more freely contribute to political campaigns.
Other PACs supporting Figures during this period include Vote Save America with a $5,000 contribution, Community PAC with a $3,300 contribution, and Brave PAC with another $3,000 contribution. More generally, Figures has received pro-union and labor PAC support throughout the race.
In those 16 days, Figures saw $471,327 in campaign expenditures, bringing the total to $1.7 million to date.
Of the $471,327 spent in early to mid-October, the majority – $374,101 – was spent on advertising, with $352,161 going towards the advertising firm GPS Impact, based in Des Moines, Iowa. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, Figures had spent $254,374 on advertising with GPS Impact.
His campaign also saw $21,940 in expenditures to Lamar Advertising for print advertising.
On Oct. 1, Figures had $745,215 in cash on hand for his campaign, and by Oct. 16, $445,084.
Caroleene Dobson
Dobson managed to bring in $89,215 in campaign contributions between Oct. 1 and 16; $65,965 from individual contributions, and $23,250 from PACs. To date, her campaign has seen nearly $1.1 million in individual contributions, and $346,499 from PACs. She has loaned her campaign $1.68 million.
Supported strongly by the agricultural industry, Dobson’s PAC support during the 16-day period was varied, with the largest contribution coming from the Washington, D.C.-based BankPAC, representing the banking industry, of $2,500.
Other contributions from PACs during this period include $2,000 from the Virginia-based Concerned Americans for Freedom & Opportunity PAC, another $2,000 from the Tennessee-based Never Surrender PAC, $1,000 from the Texas-based Hellfire PAC, and $500 from the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida PAC.
On expenditures, Dobson spent $455,869 during the 16-day period, bringing her total campaign expenditures to just over $3 million. Of the $455,869, a large share – $388,741 – was spent on advertising.
The Virginia-based advertising firm American Media & Advocacy Group received the largest share of Dobson’s recent media buys, getting $276,050 from her campaign over the 16-day period. Dobson previously spent $444,115 on advertising with American Media & Advocacy Group between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Other media buys from Dobson during the 16-day period included $35,844 to the Virginia-based Convergence Media, $11,548 to the Kentucky-based Strategic Impact, $10,000 to the Alabama-based True Targeted Digital Solutions, and $5,299 to the Florida-based Advantage Inc.
Dobson’s cash on hand decreased from $491,765 on Oct. 1 to $122,440 on Oct. 16.
District 2 race
Figures and Dobson are running to represent what has become the state’s most-contested Congressional race this election after the district was redrawn last year.
Backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, a lower court imposed a new congressional map on the state after it had ruled that the existing map likely violated the Voting Rights Act by lumping a disproportionate number of Black voters into a single district, District 7, and thereby diluted their voting power and representation.
While the district now leans Democrat, political experts believe it to still be in play for Republicans, and that Figures will likely have to win a sizable share of undecided voters to be able to turn the district blue.