By John Sharp

Republican Caroleene Dobson of Montgomery faces Democrat Shomari Figures of Mobile in the 2nd congressional district race during the Nov. 5, 2024, general election.John Sharp

Democratic candidate Shomari Figures and his Republican opponent, Caroleene Dobson, will participate in a live online debate in October that will be broadcast on AL.com as well as AL.com’s Facebook and YouTube channels.

The Figures campaign, in a statement, said, “We are looking forward to the debate on October 10. 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, in a statement, criticized Figures for supporting policies that she says have caused prices to increase, and allowed drugs like fentanyl to come across the U.S.-Mexico border due to lax immigration laws under the Biden Administration.

“Voters in Alabama’s Second Congressional District have a choice between two very different candidates,” Dobson said. “I look forward to contrasting my vision for our district and nation with his.”

The one-hour debate, beginning at noon on Oct. 10, will be moderated by AL.com’s Ivana Hrynkiw. Candidates will be given debate topics ahead of the debate but not specific questions. Questions may also be asked from online participants.

“AL.com is the essential town square for Alabamians to get trusted news to stay informed about the issues that matter most to them,” said Hollis R. Towns, editor-in-chief of AL.com, the state’s largest media company. “This all-important debate will provide readers an opportunity to hear these candidates unfiltered, and it demonstrates how AL.com provides information readers can count on.”

The debate’s sponsor is AARP Alabama. AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment.

The debate will focus on issues of importance for voters in the 2nd congressional district and will feature two candidates running for political office for the first time.

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

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

The contest represents a rare competitive general election race between a Democratic and Republican candidate for a congressional seat in Alabama.

A federal court redrew District 2 after ruling that Alabama’s previous congressional map most likely violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it packed too many Black voters into one majority Black district, District 7.

The district, currently represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise, was drawn to benefit a Democratic politician after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act. As a result, the newly redrawn map includes the 2nd district that gives Black voters a better opportunity to electing a candidate of their choosing.

The new District 2 takes in all or part of 13 counties from Phenix City to Mobile. It’s about 50% Black, giving Democrats a chance to flip the seat and add a second Democrat to the state’s seven-member U.S. House delegation.

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

The National Republican Congressional Committee made the Alabama contest a priority after it included Dobson as one of 26 Republicans to its “Young Gun” list in July. The program provides mentorship and support for Republican candidates for Congress.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced its involvement in the race in late May when, for the first time in 18 years, it added an Alabama congressional district race to its “Red to Blue” program.

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