Primary elections in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District have been heated and crowded because a federal court redrew the district to increase the number of votes cast by Black voters.
If Democrats succeed in November, they can take over a congressional seat in the Deep South. With the balance of power in the House of Representatives hanging in the balance, Republicans are determined to cling on to the seat. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans are among the eighteen hopefuls vying for office in the newly created district.
Even while Republicans control the state legislature, Democrats see the redrawn 2nd Congressional District—Mobile, Montgomery, and the border with Georgia—as a once-in-a-generation chance to gain ground.
On Super Tuesday, the state will host two contentious congressional primaries, including this one. Two Republican congressmen, Barry Moore and Jerry Carl, are locked in a primary battle that will determine who will leave office in the 1st Congressional District next year.
After concluding that Alabama had unlawfully suppressed the votes of Black inhabitants, a federal court redrawn the borders of Congress in November. The three-judge panel said that Alabama, a state with a 27% Black population, needs to establish an additional district where a large number of Black voters are of voting age and may reasonably choose an elected official.
There are many candidates vying for the 2nd Congressional District seat, so a runoff between the two closest candidates is likely to be held on April 16. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the election will go to a runoff.
Among the candidates are prominent figures from the Alabama Legislature, including Mobile native and former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Shomari Figures: The Huntsville-based House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, the Prichard-based state representative Napoleon Bracy, Jr., the Pleasant Grove–based state senator Merika Coleman, the Birmingham–based state representative Juandalynn Givan, and the Opelika–based state representative Jeremy Gray.
In addition to James Averhart, Phyllis Harvey-Hall, Larry Darnell Simpson, and Willie J. Lenard, all former U.S. Marines, are vying for the office.
Eight Republicans have officially declared their candidacy: Greg Albritton, Dick Brewbaker, Caroleene Dobson, Karla M. DuPriest, Stacey T. Shepperson, and Belinda Thomas.
Due to redrawn district borders, the Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District in southern Alabama features some exciting contests.
After being pulled out of his existing seat in the 2nd Congressional District, Moore ran against Carl, the sitting representative for the 1st Congressional District.
The two Republicans and their backers have exchanged accusations over their voting histories, overdue tax payments, and allegiance to ex-President Trump.
They were elected to represent their districts in 2020 and are now serving their second term in office. Moore served as a lawmaker in Alabama for a while, and Carl was president of the Mobile County Commission when he was on it.
In November, Tom Holmes, a Democrat, will square off against the victor.
