On Tuesday night, the Democratic Party chose their nominee to Alabama’s newly-drawn 2nd Congressional District in a runoff election between State Rep. Anthony Daniels and Shomari Figures, son of civil rights attorney and former State Sen. Michael Figures and current State Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile).
According to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, Shomari Figures defeated House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, receiving roughly 60% of the vote with the majority of counties reported. Daniels conceded to Figures as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Figures is set to go head-to-head with the winner of the GOP runoff election, Caroleene Dobson, in the November general election.
Figures is a University of Alabama graduate and also graduated law school there before working for Barack Obama’s campaign in 2008. When he took office, Figures worked in the Obama White House and was appointed to positions across the administration, including in the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Justice.
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“The campaign to this point, we’ve been focused on running a combination of the old school and a modern campaign. And what I mean by that is this, my parents have been on a ballot in the state of Alabama my entire life — there’s not a single day of my life where one of my parents has not been an elected official. So, I have a childhood full of campaigning,” Figures told Yellowhammer News on Monday.
His connection to the new district and its legal basis goes back a long way.
“My father was one of the plaintiffs in the original lawsuit that brought about what is now Congresswoman Sewell’s seat. In fact, the case Figures v. Hunt, which affirmed the creation of that district, was actually cited in the federal court decision that created this district. So, there’s that historical perspective to it that I think is somewhat personal to me,” Figures said.
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“It’s not drawn to be a Democrat [district], it’s not drawn to be a Republican [district] — it’s drawn to give African Americans here in the state a legitimate opportunity to elect a candidate of their preference of their choice. You know, given the state’s overall population demographics, and look, I think that’s a good thing. Fair representation is something that’s necessary, I think it’s a hallmark of our democratic process.”
While national political issues are expected to take center stage in the interval between Tuesday’s runoff and the November 5, 2024 general election, Figures said he also views the responsibility of a member of Congress as “leveraging the entirety of the federal government for the benefit of the people and communities in your district,” especially in the absence of Congressman from Mobile.
“I think the federal experience has come in handy a lot,” Figures said.
“So, that gives me a very unique perspective here. People in every community want to make sure that their issues are going to be prioritized, whether it’s a new water source that they have to tap into in Greenville, or the port, dredging, and in Mobile where the inland port and Montgomery — every community wants their issues prioritized and they want to make sure that they’re voting for someone that’s going to listen to those priorities. I’m going to work with them to strategize and secure the funding that they need.”
At time of update, with over 105,000 ballots cast, accounting for 7.51% voter turnout, the primary runoff in CD2 was effectively the only show in town. In November, Figures and Dobson will appear on the same general election ballot as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
“Thank you to the people of District 2,” Figures said on Tuesday night.
“At the end of the day this race is not about me. This race has always been about the people and places that call our community home. It’s about our teachers, public service workers, people in uniform, our seniors, and the children of our District. To all of those who have placed their trust and confidence in me, thank you. Now, we move forward with a unified party and mission to win in November.”
Updated to reflect latest unofficial vote totals and victory statement from Shomari Figures.
Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270
