Latest FEC filings show big money battle in Alabama’s 2nd District as Dobson, Figures enter home stretch

As the race for Alabama’s re-drawn 2nd Congressional District enters its final weeks, Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson have released their latest fundraising reports.

Figures, the Democratic nominee, reported raising $1,105,000 during the third quarter, which accounts for July 1 through September 30 of this year. According to the campaign, that could account for the most financially successful quarter for a Democratic congressional candidate in Alabama — rivaled only by Doug Jones in 2020, whose unsuccessful bid for U.S. Senate reported raising $1.9 million in Q4.

Of Figures third-quarter fundraising totals, $816,060 came from individual contributions, and $253,214 came from PACs.

Republican candidate Caroleene Dobson reported raising $558,228 during the third quarter, with $395,655 coming from individual contributions, $131,950 from PACs, and a personal loan of $300,000. Dobson ended the quarter with $491,765 in cash on hand.

Since the initial filing of both their campaigns nearly one year ago, Dobson has raised $3,089,380 while Figures has raised $1,999,272. Dobson has spent $2,597,614 and Figures has spent $1,254,639 — with a $406,480 of that from the third quarter.

RELATED: Alabama Minority GOP endorses Caroleene Dobson for Congress

“Much of Figures’ fundraising dollars come from groups and individuals in places like Massachusetts, California, and Washington, D.C., where their extremist liberal beliefs are directly opposed to the traditional morals and values that most Alabamians embrace,” Drew Dickson, a spokesperson for Dobson’s campaign said in a statement.

“His high-dollar, out-of-state donors want to elect a Washington, D.C. insider who does not live in Alabama, does not think like Alabama, and will not vote the way Alabamians want him to vote, and Shomari Figures is the perfect puppet for their liberal purposes.”

With the November 5, 2024 general election just weeks away, both campaigns are racing to win over voters in what has become one of the most closely-watched contests in Alabama and across the country, due in large measure to its untested demographic makeup, which leans Democrat.

RELATED: Shomari Figures touts Obama ties in new ads

“The more than $1 million raised is an investment from the people who are ready to protect Social Security benefits, expand healthcare access, and elect someone who will put this District first and actually work to find solutions for the most pressing problems we have here at home,” Shomari Figures said in a statement Wednesday.

“I want to thank every contributor for the confidence and faith they have placed in this effort to bring a new generation of leadership and representation to Alabama. While we are incredibly thankful for the financial support the campaign is receiving, we know that this is and will continue to be a very tough race, and there is a lot of work to do,” Shomari Figures said in a statement Wednesday.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270