The GOP primary for a newly-drawn 2nd Congressional District has officially brought three contenders to the table: State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), former State Sen. Dick Brewbaker (R-Pike Road) and Birmingham attorney Caroleene Dobson.
The federally-imposed district encompasses a Black voting age population of 48.7% intended to enhance competitiveness for the eventual Democratic nominee.
RELATED: Newly drawn Second Congressional District attracting wide field of candidates
Montgomery businessman and former state lawmaker Dick Brewbaker made his candidacy official on Tuesday.
“I am a lifelong resident of this district. People who know me know that I will always stand up for what is right and never allow myself to get caught up in Washington’s games and political theatre,” he said in his announcement. “When I see what is happening to this country and what is happening in Congress, it is truly unbelievable, there is a massive disconnect with what is happening there and what is happening in the lives of everyday Americans.”
Brewbaker indicated that with a slim Republican majority in the House, what’s right for Alabama is right for the country.
“We just don’t need another Democrat Congressman from Alabama,” he said.
Brewbaker is a former teacher and the longtime President and CEO of Brewbaker Motors, a family-owned car dealership in Montgomery. He was a State Senator from 2010 until 2018 after serving two terms in the Alabama House.
RELATED: Carl says GOP has ‘very strong chance of taking District 2’
Qualifying for both party primaries closes on Friday, November 10. Ahead of the deadline, three candidates have qualified. State Sen. Greg Albritton is running for the seat, despite speculation he does not actively reside in the district.
“I’ve represented this district for years, many of these counties,” Albritton said to Alabama Daily News. “I know the people, I know the problems. I’m the best one to represent this district and I intend to do so.”
“If elected, he will move his official address back to Range, in Conecuh County and within District 2. He’d previously moved to Atmore when his Senate district lines were changed, taking Conecuh County out,” Alabama Daily News reported.
Albritton says he’s all in. “It takes work to do,” he told AL.com. “That’s what I think I’m fairly good at. And I intend to work this sucker as hard as I need to to get the votes I need. And I think I can.”
Albritton, who currently serves as the Senate General Fund Committee chairman, was promoted in his initial media advisory as “a champion for fiscal responsibility and government accountability during his time in Montgomery.”
RELATED: Caroleene Dobson, real estate lawyer with rodeo past, wants to turn CD2 red
Caroleene Dobson, the first candidate to qualify for the GOP primary, has deep roots in Alabama’s agriculture and outdoors, now works as a real estate attorney for the Birmingham-based firm Maynard-Nexsen.
Dobson grew up working on her family’s cattle farm and competed in the National High School Finals Rodeo as a teen. Today, Dobson is a member of the Alabama Forestry Commission and serves on the board of the Southeastern Livestock Exposition.
“As a member of Congress, I will fight for our families, our farms, and our faith and preserve the bedrock values and moral backbone that have made our nation the greatest ever known,” Dobson said in her announcement. “It is time to give Washington, D.C. a good dose of Alabama common sense and go to battle against those on the far left who want to control how we use our property and what we do, think, and say.”
The 2024 primary election date is set for March 5, 2024.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.