MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — When the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act this year, U.S. Rep. Shomari figures knew he was going to be targeted.
The Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature soon after redrawn 2nd congressional districtone of only two in the state represented by a Democrat, to facilitate a GOP victory.
Numbers, one of several black members of Congress who saw their districts redrawn, complicated this plan. He is fighting to keep his seat not only by rallying black voters in cities like Montgomery and Tuskegee, both rooted in the national struggle for civil rights, but also by reaching out to voters deep in conservative territory, exploiting their concerns about rising price food, fuel and fertilizer.
“We know the cards have been stacked. We know the rules have been changed in the middle of the game, but we know what we have to do,” Figures told a cheering crowd in Montgomery recently. “All we have to do is show up. All we have to do is show up. All we have to do is fight.”
National groups took note.
TV ad spending in the district has increased from almost nothing to nearly $10 million over the past seven weeks, according to AdImpact, with Democratic groups spending more than Republicans. Numbers race against state Rep. Rhett Marques approved by President Donald Trumpis drawing attention as another sign of potential trouble for Republicans as they try to maintain their position. their majorities in Congress. The contest also became a rallying point for black voters angry at how quickly Southern states handpicked congressional districts after the Supreme Court’s decision.
US Senator Cory Booker said the Alabama election was an opportunity to send a message about voting rights.
“The people of Alabama have an opportunity again to say that this is a moral moment — not on my watch,” Booker, D-N.J., said during a campaign stop with Figures. “I will not sit by while you try to take away our power.”
Redistricting Efforts Spark Backlash Among Black Voters
Figures was elected in 2024 after a federal court ordered the creation of new districts, ruling that the Legislature had illegally diluted the voting power of black residents. Alabama is 27% black and has seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. With Figures’ victory, the state added a second Black member of Congress for the first time in its history, aligning its representation with its demographics.
But the Supreme Court’s decision last term paved the way for new lines. The map Alabama uses on Election Day reduces the voting-age black population in Figures’ district from 48% to 40%, making the district more likely to go Republican. Trump increased the size of the new district by 14 percentage points two years ago.
Despite the district’s conservative leaning, Democrats hope a redistricting backlash and frustration with the economy will galvanize voters Tuesday and send the numbers back to Congress.
Some black voters say they see echoes of the state’s Jim Crow past in the district’s redrawing.
“I’m 75 years old and history is repeating itself,” said Francis Fanning, a retired substitute teacher in Montgomery.
Sheyann Webb-Christburg was 8 years old in 1965 when she and others voting rights protesters attacked by law enforcement in Selma.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting African Americans their right to vote,” said Webb-Christburg, who lives in Montgomery and remembers the feeling of excitement when Figures was elected two years ago.
“It’s very sad that we’re in this place,” she said. “But we must still continue as we did in the 1960s. Let us raise our voices, because we still keep hope alive.”
The Republican candidate says he is more aligned with “Alabama values”
For the GOP, the new lines aim to reclaim a district that was reliably Republican before it was changed by the federal court.
“We have the opportunity to not only flip a seat from Democrat to Republican here in Alabama, but also hold the majority in the House if we win,” Marques said.
He emphasizes his legislative record, which includes support for school choice, law enforcement and restrictions on transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports and gender-affirming care for minors. Marques said he is more aligned with “Alabama values in this district.”
He acknowledged voters’ concerns about affordability but placed blame on Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
Marques has deep ties to heavily Republican areas of the district, where he served on the Enterprise City Council and ran an auto shop for decades.
“I know his values and I trust him,” said Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd, who appeared with Marques at an event with local law enforcement.
Republicans are optimistic about winning back the seat, but have expressed concerns about the risk of poor turnout as Figures mounts an aggressive campaign. Marques said he hoped to win “if Republicans and people who believe in freedom” were going to vote.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said the district was one of three dozen seats that would determine control of Congress.
“This seat will definitely have a greater say in the direction of the country. Do we want conservative policies rooted in common sense, or do we want far-left socialists?” Scalise, R-La., said at a campaign event for Marques in the city of Dothan.
Black churches at the boll weevil festival
Figures campaigned in areas with strong Republican and Democratic majorities, seeking to maximize Democratic turnout while trying to persuade more conservative and independent voters.
He said affordability is the overarching issue faced by all voters, from grocery and gas prices to farmers’ prices high fertilizer costs.
“The cost of living in this country is spiraling out of control. And we don’t come from a district or state where people can afford to continue to spend money on $4 a gallon for gas or $8 for ground beef,” the numbers show.
The numbers often indicate that the median individual income in Alabama is $34,000 and that people have difficulty accessing hospitals and health care. He framed the race as a choice between “someone with a history of serving the people” or someone there to serve a president.
One weekend in October, his busy schedule included welcoming people to the annual Boll Weevil fall festival in Enterprise, a predominantly white town of about 31,000. The festival is named after the cotton-destroying insect that forced the community to shift to more prosperous peanut farming a century ago.
The next day, he made a series of appearances at predominantly black churches in the nearby city of Dothan, urging people to vote.
Figures often indicate that the district was never designated as majority black, but was initially split evenly between black and white voters.
Speaking outside Greater Beulah Baptist Church, a majority-black church in heavily Republican Houston County, Figures said the district has been reconfigured in a way that makes it harder for “someone who looks like me” to win. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible, he said.
“Even if they change constituencies, we still have the right to show up and make our voices heard,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.
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