Alabama has chosen new candidates for its newly created congressional district.

After a primary run-off election, the two candidates who will be competing for Alabama's newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District have been determined. Shomari Figures emerged as the Democratic nominee with an impressive 61% of the vote, totaling 21,926 votes. His opponent, state House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, received 13,990 votes. On the Republican side, political newcomer Caroleene Dobson secured the nomination with 58% of the vote, edging out former state legislator Dick Brewbaker.

At just 38 years old, Figures already has an impressive political background. He is an attorney and former executive for the Obama White House, with strong ties to Alabama's political culture. His parents, state Senator Vivian Davis Figures and the late Senate President Pro Tem Michael Figures, are both well-respected figures in the state. Michael Figures is known for his role in bankrupting the Ku Klux Klan in the 1980s. Shomari Figures also has experience working under U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland as deputy chief of staff and counselor. His connections in the political world have helped him secure close to $2 million in outside spending from groups like the Washington-based political action committee Protect Progress.

Dobson also has a legal background, and she is involved with various organizations such as the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Federalist Society. She also serves on the board of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition.

The run-off election, which took place on April 16, has been a highly anticipated event in the political world. Its outcome will have significant implications for control of Congress in the upcoming November 2024 election. There is also much speculation about how the election will impact the Supreme Court's orders for states, including Alabama, to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act and eliminate racial gerrymandering.

In 2023, Republican lawmakers in Alabama faced criticism for their reluctance to create a district for Black voters, despite the state's significant Black population. The GOP-controlled Alabama Legislature eventually drew new district lines after a panel of judges ruled that the previous map, with only one majority-Black district out of seven, likely violated the Voting Rights Act.

The new Alabama map was one of three designed by a court-appointed special master for consideration. Interestingly, two of the judges on the panel were appointed by former President Donald Trump, while the third was appointed by former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

Currently, Republicans hold a tight majority in Congress with 218 seats to Democrats' 213, with four vacant seats. If Figures wins in November, it will represent a significant shift in power from Republican to Democrat. Democrats would need to flip five seats out of the 435-seat House of Representatives to regain the majority in the November 2024 election.

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