U.S. Congressional candidate Shomari Figures will speak Thursday evening at the Democratic National Convention. Figures is the Democratic Party nominee for Alabama’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District.
Last summer, in Allen v. Milligan, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the proposed Alabama congressional district map was gerrymandered, discriminating against Black voters. While the state initially refused to redraw the map, defying a federal court order, a new map was eventually drawn. This allowed for another nearly majority Black district in Alabama and set the stage for the competitive primaries as a minority opportunity district.
“I am honored to be chosen to speak on behalf of Alabama and the voters of District 2,” said Figures. “Now is the time to energize our party, educate and organize our communities, and encourage people to vote on November 5.”
More: Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District race in November: What to know
Figures is the son of state Sen. Vivian Figures and the late former state Sen. Michael Figures. He served in the White House and the Department of Justice during the Obama administration’s second term. He later served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland during the Biden administration.
During the Democratic Primary, Figures beat out 10 opponents with 43.5% of the vote. He went on to defeat Alabama House minority leader Anthony Daniels in the runoff election, receiving 61% of the vote.
More: Voter turnout more than doubles in Alabama’s redrawn congressional district
Figures will address the audience at 7 p.m., before Vice President Kamala Harris, who will formally accept the Democratic presidential nomination the same evening.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.
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Publish date : 2024-08-21 06:41:00
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