The Young Republican Federation of Alabama held its biannual state meeting in Enterprise last weekend, and members spent it knocking doors for State Rep. Rhett Marques (R-Enterprise), the Republican nominee in the newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District.
YRFA meets twice a year to host organizational meetings and conduct business on behalf of the federation. The group picked Enterprise this fall for one reason: to put volunteers on the ground in Marques’ hometown with Election Day two weeks away.
Marques won the Republican nomination in August, taking 50.03% of the vote in a six-candidate special primary and carrying every county in the district except Lowndes and Dale.
A former Enterprise tire store owner who has served in the Alabama House since 2018, Marques ran on his endorsement from President Donald Trump and his conservative record in Montgomery. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) and House Republican leadership also backed him.
He faces Congressman Shomari Figures (D-Mobile), who won the seat in 2024 under a court-drawn map that stretched from Mobile to Montgomery and east to the Georgia line.
The Legislature redrew the district this year after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the state’s map.
The new 2nd District runs from the Wiregrass up through Montgomery and west to Lowndes and Butler counties, drops Mobile entirely and cuts the district’s Black voting age population from roughly 49% to 40%. Trump would have carried it by 14 points in 2024.
National Democrats have put Figures on the DCCC’s Frontline list, and a June internal Democratic poll showed the race within a point. Republicans see the seat as their clearest pickup in the state.
“This was the last major event I put together before my term ends this spring, and I’m so proud of how successful this weekend was, and how many people were willing to drive hours to knock doors,” YRFA Chair Stephanie Petelos Nabavian said.
“I’m very optimistic about the future of the YRs and the positive impact this group of young people will continue to make for years to come. Just as important as helping candidates, this weekend was about building friendships and developing relationships of young leaders.”
Petelos Nabavian, a Birmingham attorney and daughter of former Hoover Mayor and Jefferson County Manager Tony Petelos, previously chaired the Greater Birmingham Young Republicans and the Alabama Federation of College Republicans before winning a second term as state chair. Under her leadership the federation has chartered new clubs in Shelby, Pickens, Mobile, Lee and Baldwin counties.
Senior Vice Chairman Nate Butler said the weekend showed what the organization is built to do.
“We’ve got some of the best members in the country, and I’m so thankful for their commitment to the Republican Party,” Butler said.
“My passion for this federation is to be the helping hand to those just starting, whether that’s connecting them to campaigns, professional development opportunities, or just growing our party one Young Republican at a time, and if the members who came to Enterprise this weekend are any indication of the direction we’re heading, we’ve got a bright future.”
Election Day is November 3, and the 2nd District is one of several Alabama races drawing attention down the stretch.
Madison County has become extremely competitive, with Democrats targeting Huntsville-area legislative seats, including Senate District 2 and open House seats left by a wave of retirements. The redrawn 2nd District gives Republicans a chance to flip a seat back to red that the party lost in 2024 and restore a 6-1 Alabama delegation.
