National Republicans to target 2nd congressional district, announce Caroleene Dobson as a ‘Young Gun
Alabama’s 2nd congressional district was drawn to give a Democratic politician the advantage, but the National Republican Congressional Committee is going all-in on its candidate 99 days before the Nov. 5 election.
The NRCC announced Monday that Montgomery attorney Caroleene Dobson is one of 26 Republicans added to the “Young Gun” list. The program, founded in 2007, provides mentorship and support for Republican candidates seeking U.S. House seats.
The NRCC also announced that the 2nd district is an “official target” for national Republicans on Nov. 5.
The announcement means that the national campaign arms of both major political parties will be duking it out in a rare competitive congressional seat in Alabama. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced its involvement in the race in late May.
“Extreme House Democrats’ border, crime, and cost of living crises wrecked Americans’ safety and security,” NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson said in a statement. “Fortunately, these Republican candidates are already well on their way to running winning campaigns that will grow our House majority in November.”
Republicans want to keep the 2nd district, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. But the district was redrawn last fall to benefit a Democrat after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Alabama’s congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The result is a newly redrawn district that gives Black voters a better opportunity to elect a candidate of their choosing.
Moore decided not to run in the 2nd district, and instead opted to run in the redrawn and heavily conservative 1st congressional district. Moore defeated U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, during the March 5 Republican primary, and is poised to remain in Congress.
The stakes are high in the 2nd district as Dobson and Democratic candidate Shomari Figures campaign for a seat that takes in all or part of 13 counties from Montgomery to Mobile and from the Georgia line to the Mississippi line.
Justin Chermol, a spokesperson with the DCCC, said the national Democratic party is confident in Figures ability to win in November, and blasted Dobson as a “radical, phony and extreme politician” for her views on a number of issues including abortion rights.
“The DCCC is confident Shomari Figures will win in November, restore fair representation to his home district, and be a valued and trusted member of Congress come January 2025,” Chermol said.
Republicans hold a narrow 218 to 213 majority in Congress, and polling shows the race for the House majority will be tight. According to FiveThirtyEight’s analysis of polls asking people which party they would support in a generic congressional election, 45.1% say they support Republicans while 44.9% back Democrats.
The two campaign committees have taken turns with major fundraising hauls. The DCCC raised a record-breaking $12.4 million in April, while the NRCC countered with $12.6 million in May.
Dobson has also been impressive in fundraising, which was noted by the NRCC in naming her to the Young Gun program. According to the latest campaign finance reports, Dobson raised over $545,000, with the bulk coming from individual contributions. Figures raised over $475,000.
Hudson, in comments to Punch Bowl News earlier this month, said he felt that “if only a few” of the district’s Black voters backed Dobson, then the Republicans could be competitive. He called Figures “fairly weak,” and heaped praised on Dobson, saying she was “really impressive.”
Figures is the son of longtime state Sen. Vivian Figures and the late Michael Figures, who served 18 years as a state senator until his death in 1996. Shomari Figures worked on former President Barak Obama’s campaign and has recently served as a deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland while working in the Justice Department.
Figures won the support of the Democratic Congressional Committee, which added him to their “Red to Blue” program in May. He joined 20 other Democratic congressional hopefuls who the DCCC – much like the NRCC – is providing financial and staff assistance throughout the campaign.
Figures is the first Alabama congressional hopeful to be added to the Red to the Blue program since 2008. The DCCC’s program began in 2006 under then-DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel.
This story was updated at 9:39 a.m. on Monday, July 29, 2024, with comments from the DCCC.
