When running for Congress in 2024, now-U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Mobile) was asked, “Can a person who does not live in the congressional district they serve adequately represent the constituents? Why or why not?”
Figures answered, “No — plain and simple.”
Now, Figures himself might be trying to do exactly that just two years later.
Alabama Media Group, reporting on Figures’ 2024 congressional bid at the time, quoted the candidate as saying:
“As we travel around the District, this issue is raised by nearly every voter. Voters believe a candidate’s current residence is a reflection of the candidate’s commitment and dedication to the people of this district.
Candidates who say, ‘If I win, I will move into the District,’ are essentially telling people that, ‘If you do for me, then and only then will I do for you.’
That is as transactional as it gets, and we cannot afford transactional leadership that only does for those who do something for them.
To refuse to move into the district to run for this seat is a slap in the face of voters, and the elected officials running for this seat who live outside of the district clearly value the people and communities they represent now much more than they value the people and communities of District 2.”
Fast forward to 2026, and Figures is running for a congressional district that no longer covers his home in Mobile — and the boundaries are far from Alabama’s Port City.
According to Figures’ annual financial disclosure filed in August 2026, the mortgage on his Mobile home is a liability worth between $1,000,000-$5,000,000.
Alabama Secretary of State records show Figures on October 6, 2026, registered to vote at an address in east Montgomery rather than his Mobile home. That Montgomery property sold for $272,000 on August 27, 2026, three months after Democrat qualifying for the race was certified and 16 days after the special primary election was held for the seat.
In 2024, Figures added, “Your focus should be the district in which you reside, not the district you visit. Public service is a commitment. The decision to move to the district and connect with your communities is a commitment. I’ve made that commitment, and someone who cannot commit to being a D2 resident can’t be expected to be committed to much else.”
While Figures has changed his voter registration, his wife remains registered to vote at their Mobile home as of October 9, 2026.
Records show Mrs. Figures voted by in-person absentee ballot in Mobile on October 8 – meaning she voted in the First Congressional District for the General Election and will not be voting for her husband this November.
Congressman Figures previously criticized a 2024 Democratic primary opponent for not being able to vote for himself.
“Mr. [Anthony] Daniels obviously feels very ashamed that on April 16th he can’t even vote for himself, because he refuses to live in the District,” Figures lectured.
The Figures campaign did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
