Voters in four of Alabama’s seven congressional districts will participate in special primaries Tuesday to select nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives. The contests were originally scheduled for May 19 but were postponed by Republican Governor Kay Ivey following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that prompted Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, and other Republican-controlled states to revise their congressional boundaries.
The redistricting effort is part of a broader Republican strategy backed by President Donald Trump aimed at strengthening the party’s position ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and protecting its narrow House majority. The new boundaries will take effect in January 2027, though current representatives will continue serving in their existing districts through the end of 2026. Both of Alabama’s Democratic House members are seeking reelection under the new district lines and face no opposition in their primaries.
In the 2nd Congressional District, U.S. Representative Shomari Figures is pursuing a second term. Under the new boundaries, the Black population share decreases from 50% to approximately 40%. Six Republicans are competing for the party’s nomination to challenge Figures in the general election, including state Representative Rhett Marques, who has received an endorsement from President Trump. In the 7th District, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell is running for a ninth term, and the new boundaries maintain a slight Black majority in that district. Two Republicans, Ammie Akin and David Perry, are seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sewell.
Polls will close at 7 p.m. Central Time. Alabama does not offer in-person early voting and maintains relatively low mail-in voting participation. The Associated Press will declare winners in the contested primaries for the four special primary districts based on its standard procedures, which require sufficient vote margins to eliminate any possibility of a trailing candidate closing the gap.
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