Alabama 2nd District Candidates to Debate Live Online in October

Democratic candidate Shomari Figures and Republican Caroleene Dobson will participate in a live debate in October. This debate will be streamed online on news and its Facebook and YouTube channels.

Figures' campaign expressed excitement about the debate on October 10, stating, “The people of District 2 deserve to hear the vision for the place they call home from the candidates that want to represent them.”

Dobson criticized Figures for supporting policies she believes have increased prices and allowed dangerous drugs like fentanyl to cross the U.S.-Mexico border due to lenient immigration laws under the Biden Administration. She stated, “Voters in Alabama’s Second Congressional District have a choice between two very different candidates. I look forward to contrasting my vision for our district and nation with his.”

The debate will be moderated by news’ Ivana Hrynkiw. Candidates will receive debate topics in advance but will not know the specific questions. Viewers can also submit questions online during the debate.

“This debate is a crucial opportunity for Alabamians to hear directly from the candidates,” said Hollis R. Towns, editor-in-chief of news. “It shows how news provides trustworthy information that matters to our readers.”

The debate will focus on key issues for voters in the 2nd congressional district, with both candidates running for political office for the first time.

Shomari Figures, 39, is a Mobile native and an attorney who worked in the Obama administration and the Justice Department under President Joe Biden before returning to Alabama to run in the newly redrawn 2nd district.

Caroleene Dobson, 37, is an attorney from Montgomery who grew up in Monroe County, located in the southern part of the district.

This race is a rare competitive general election between a Democrat and a Republican for a congressional seat in Alabama. A federal court redrew District 2 after ruling that Alabama’s previous congressional map likely violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by concentrating too many Black voters into a single district, District 7.

The newly drawn district is currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise. The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling, leading to the creation of a district that gives Black voters a better chance to elect a candidate of their choice.

The new District 2 includes all or part of 13 counties, stretching from Phenix City to Mobile. With the district now about 50% Black, Democrats have a chance to flip the seat and add a second Democrat to Alabama’s seven-member U.S. House delegation.

Both national Democratic and Republican parties are heavily involved, as the stakes are high in this close race. Republicans currently hold a narrow 218 to 213 majority in Congress, and the race for control of the House will be tight in November.

The National Republican Congressional Committee prioritized the Alabama contest by including Dobson in its “Young Gun” list, a program offering mentorship and support to Republican candidates. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) also got involved, adding the Alabama race to its “Red to Blue” program in May for the first time in 18 years.