Alabama 2nd Congressional District race could have national implications

By Anna Barrett (Alabama Reflector) Published: August 13, 2026

Key points

• The contest between U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile and Republican nominee Rhett Marques for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District is likely to draw national attention.
• The district was redrawn to favor Republicans after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, and the electorate is expected to have a GOP lean.
• However, Democrats say defending Figures’ seat will be a priority and hope resources and a favorable national environment will assist the congressman.

Tuesday’s primaries set the contest for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, a nationally-watched race that could help determine control of Congress next year.

Voters in the district in southeastern Alabama — redrawn by the Alabama Legislature after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the state to use a map that it previously ruled racially discriminatory — will choose between Republican Rhett Marques, a Trump-endorsed state legislator from Enterprise, and incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures of Mobile.

Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton, D-Greensboro, who was elected chair of the Alabama Democratic Party on Saturday, said in an interview Wednesday morning that maintaining Figures’ seat is a priority for him and the party.

“We’re going to be very aggressive in this district. I think that this is a very volatile district for us and we’re going to take a lot of resources over here in CD2,” Singleton said. “Not only in money, but in manpower, boots on the ground. We feel like we can win it.”

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Marques said it is important to flip the seat in order to prevent the progressive wing of the Democratic party – like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City – from taking over.

“My opponent, who will be coming up in the fall, he will not only prop them up, he will caucus with them, and he’s going to vote with them,” he said. “Make no mistake about it. The Democrats stay together, and that is scary.”

Rhett Marques wins Republican nomination in Alabama 2nd Congressional District

Figures said in an interview Wednesday evening that there is no basis for that statement of characterization of him or his fellow Democrats.

“I consider myself to be the type of member that’s representing the state of Alabama, that’s representing District 2. What we do every single day is put the people and interests and needs of this district first and foremost,” he said. “Whether they are from our rural areas or whether they’re from our city centers, whether it’s issues to help our farmers or issues to help people who need to keep the hospital in their communities open, that’s what we do. That’s what we focus on, and that’s what we prioritize.”

Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, chair of the Alabama Republican Party, echoed the anti-progressive sentiment of Marques in a statement Tuesday night.

“The [Democratic] candidates running for congressional seats and their gubernatorial nominee, Doug Jones, embrace the values of liberal extremist states like Massachusetts, California, and New York, while our entire Republican slate stands tall for commonsense, conservative Alabama values,” he said. “The Alabama Republican Party grassroots team stands ready to knock on every door, put a sign in every yard, and put in the hard work required to elect the ALGOP ticket from top to bottom in November.”

For 1st time in history, Alabama will have two Black U.S. House members serving together

Figures was elected to the district in 2024 under a court-ordered map that spanned from Mobile to Montgomery to the Georgia state line. The map, aimed at giving Black Alabamians a chance to elect their preferred leaders, set the Black Voting Age Population at 48.7%. Figures’ 2024 win was the first time Alabama elected two Black representatives.

The 2023 Legislature-passed map that was put in place in May covers the Wiregrass, Montgomery and the eastern part of the Black Belt, and reduced the BVAP to 39.9%. The Cook Political Report rates the district R+7.

However, Democrats – who are projected to have a good environment in November — have signaled support for Figures. In a press release Tuesday night, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee touted Figures’ voter-centered approach to lawmaking, his efforts to pass legislation for rural hospitals and his ability to secure funding for counties throughout the district.

“Shomari Figures is the fighter that the people of Alabama need in Congress. He’s laser-focused on the issues that matter most: lowering costs, expanding access to health care, and creating economic opportunity,” Suzan DelBene, chair of the DCCC, said.

Wiregrass turnout boost

Tuesday’s turnout numbers across the five special primary elections were extremely low. According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, just 5.24% of eligible voters cast ballots on Tuesday, about 113,000 voters out of a total electorate of 2.1 million. Turnout in the 2nd District was slightly better, with 8.16% of registered voters casting a ballot on Tuesday, but that remained below the 23% statewide turnout in the May 19 primaries and the 11% turnout in the June 16 runoffs.

Candidates in the 2nd District expressed concern throughout the race of low turnout and predicted roughly 30,000 Alabamians would vote. In the end, about 42,600 in the district cast a ballot.

Turnout in Wiregrass counties was significantly higher than other areas of the district. Three of the candidates were native to the region: Marques of Coffee County, David Matthews of Dale County and James Richardson of Henry County.

“Y’all showed out … Coffee County, the Wiregrass, the River Region, everybody came together tonight,” Marques said Tuesday night.

Democratic voting turnout surges, Republican turnout falls during May 19 primary

Coffee County had the highest turnout at 10.56%. Marques won his home county with more than 60% of votes, and about 2,000 votes ahead of the candidate with the second most votes. About 9.25% of voters cast a ballot in Dale County, which Matthews won with about 600 votes over Marques. About 8.24% of voters cast a ballot in Henry County, which Marques won. Richardson attended Marques’ watch party Tuesday night in full support of the state representative.

With no contested races, Democratic-leaning counties had much lower turnout. Bullock, Russell and Macon counties had the lowest turnout in the district at 3.08%, 2.11% and 1.68%, respectively. Marques won all three counties.

Map change impact on November

With racially polarized voting in the state, Republicans see the new district as more favorable to them because the 2023 map has a decreased Black Voting Age Population than the court-ordered map that Figures won under in 2024.

A panel of federal judges ruled that the 2023 map denied Black Alabamians the opportunity to elect a representative of their choosing under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In April, the U.S. Supreme Court significantly weakened that section of the VRA in a case known as Louisiana v. Callais, and now requires any challengers to prove intent to racially discriminate. The 2023 map was reinstated shortly after Callais.

A special session of the Alabama Legislature paved the way for the special primary election, which voided election results from the May 19 primary under the 2024 map. Marques was a candidate in the 1st Congressional District under that map and switched to the 2nd district due to his residency.

Figures maintained through the special session that he was not worried about his job, but would continue fighting for his constituents.

“The opponent doesn’t change the focus,” Figures said Wednesday. “The focus has always been and will always be the people of this district, and showing them that we have a record of delivering, a record of providing resources to this district, a record of you know seeking out solutions for the pain that they’re feeling.”

Alabama lawmakers advance primary bills as protests erupt in committees

An internal Democratic poll published in July showed that Marques and Figures are in a “statistical tie” among 400 likely voters. Figures raised $1.35 million through July 22 to Marques $1.32 million, according to the Federal Election Commission. Figures has spent about half of his cash and Marques spent $1.13 million.

Although Marques has Trump’s endorsement, Singleton is confident Figures has a chance. According to polling conducted by YouGov and analyzed by The Economist, Trump is broadly unpopular with Alabama residents, though he maintains a positive rating among 2024 voters.

“President Trump is not going to have to run this race. Rep. Marques is going to have to run this race,” Singleton said. “To have President Trump on his side, it’s a good thing for us.”

The Key Points box was written by Editor Brian Lyman.

• This story was updated at 9:44 a.m. to include comments from U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures.