Shomari Figures wins reelection in Alabama’s 2nd District congressional race despite redistricting

Rep. Shomari Figures, who has served in the seat since 2024, said he was a “loss for words,” after managing to hold onto the seat.

Despite the GOP’s best redistricting efforts, Rep. Shomari Figures kept a firm grasp on his congressional seat in Alabama’s 2nd District. 

On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Democratic congressman defeated his opponent, Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques, and won reelection after he managed to secure 54.8% of the votes compared to Marques’ 45.2%, per AL.com. 

“Look, I’m at a loss for words,” he said during his acceptance speech as he stood on stage surrounded by his wife, their young children, and his mother. 

“We had the deck stacked against us,” he continued before recalling the setback that came in May, when, in a Senate committee hearing room that bears his father’s name, he pleaded with the state legislature not to do what they ultimately did. 

“In fact, I think the words that I said were ‘that I stand here not to embarrass you, not even to shame you, but I stand here as the little brother, asking the big brother to do the right thing,’ and we know what they did,” he continued. “But as anyone who has ever been part of a sibling relationship knows, is that at some point, someday, whether by deed or by action, you make the point that we ain’t kids anymore.”

He added, “And Montgomery tonight, we made that point loud, we made it clear, and we made it decisively across this district.” 

The Mobile native, attorney, and former Obama Adminstration official managed to secure his victory among a string of historic wins for both Democrats, who took over both chambers of Congress, and Black candidates who pulled off historic wins across races including governor, Senate, Congress, and beyond, despite Republican efforts to maintain their power.   

Figures, who was first elected in 2024, faced a rocky path to reelection after Alabama Republicans revived a congressional map that reduced the Black voting-age population in his district from roughly 48% to around 40%. However, the move, which was enabled after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, proved to be a challenge but did not stop him. 

“At the end of the day, whatever this district looks like, we will be your representative for the next two years,” Figures said.

With another two years ahead of him, Figures used his remarks to promise that he’s going to be productive around some of his state’s biggest issues. 

“Now this is the part of the game where we get back to work, because we don’t run elections just to say we won,” he said as the crowd went wild. “We run elections to be able to go do the work that you can do if you win.”