Republicans held a special primary election in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District to nominate a challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, who is seeking a second term. The district is among several Democratic-leaning seats across the South that were redrawn to favor Republicans following a U.S. Supreme Court decision that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. Party strategists consider the race consequential for determining House control in November’s midterms, with both parties listing it as a priority.
Six Republican candidates competed in the primary, with state Rep. Rhett Marques receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Other candidates included Hampton Harris, a lawyer; Christian Horn, a business owner and the only Black candidate in the race; David Matthews, a former Trump appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Joshua McKee, a former U.S. Army Green Beret; and James Richardson, a former Marine. During campaign forums, candidates emphasized themes of taking back the seat for Republicans while addressing constituent concerns about border control, data centers, and the district’s economic needs.
Figures originally won the seat in 2024 after years of litigation under the Voting Rights Act, when a federal court redrew the district after ruling that the Republican-controlled Legislature had intentionally diluted Black voting power. That election made Alabama history by producing its first two Black representatives. However, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black district in Louisiana as an unconstitutional gerrymander in April, Alabama Republicans implemented a new map. The redrawn district moved from stretching across the Black Belt to being nestled in the state’s southeastern corner, reducing the Black voting age population from 48% to 40%. Figures has argued his prior representation of more than half the newly drawn district positions him to win despite the redistricting changes. Some Black constituents view the redistricting as reminiscent of historical voting rights suppression efforts, though others remain optimistic about Figures’ reelection prospects.
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