Rep. Jeremy Gray enters Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District race
Jemma Stephenson, Alabama Reflector Rep. Jeremy Gray, D-Opelika, jumped into the 2nd Congressional District race on Thursday, becoming the third Democratic member of the Legislature to enter the contest. Gray, first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2018, cited issues including reliable housing, childcare, and women’s rights in an announcement on Facebook. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership to bend the arc of justice,” the statement said. “Because the American Dream should be a promise, not a privilege.” In a video accompanying donation requests, Gray also cited his legislation that allowed yoga exercises to be performed in Alabama schools, ending a nearly three-decade-long ban. Gray, a business owner and personal trainer, played college football for North Carolina State University and later played in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. A federal court last month approved new congressional maps for the state. The map created a new 2nd Congressional District with a Black Voting Age Population of 48.7%. Due to the racial polarization of Alabama’s voting patterns – where white Alabamians tend to vote Republican and Black Alabamians tend to vote Democratic – the district is seen as a potential pick-up for Democrats. Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, and Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Prichard, have also said they will run for the seat. Democrats Terrell Anderson, Phyllis Harvey-Hall, and Austin Vigue are also running for the seat. Attorney Caroleene Dobson is running on the Republican side. House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, and Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, have also said they may enter the race. Former Sen. Dick Brewbaker of Pike Road, a Republican, is also considering a run. The 2nd Congressional District includes Montgomery and the southern Black Belt. Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Follow Alabama Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
Alabama Democratic Party opens candidate qualifying on Friday
The Alabama Democratic Party opened its candidate qualifying on Friday. Alabama Presidential Delegate qualifying will open on October 16, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. CDT. The big news this year is that Alabama’s Second Congressional District looks like it could be open as incumbent Republican Congressman Barry Moore (R-AL02) has been drawn out of his district by the court-appointed special master assigned to redistrict the state. Moore has said that he will wait before deciding what to do next. At present, he and GOP Congressman Jerry Carl now live in the First Congressional District. When Moore was re-elected in 2022, Congressional District 2 was 30% Black. The federal courts have ordered the state to draw a second Congressional District that is majority minority “or something close to it.’ The maps drawn by the special master have increased the Black voter percentage in the Second Congressional District to between 48.7% and 50.5%. This makes Congressional District 2 much friendlier for Democrats than it was previously. Austin Vigue has already announced that he is running for Congress in what now appears to be an open seat. In addition to the seven congressional seats, numerous county offices are on the ballot in 2024, including the Public Service Commission President, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Associate Justice, and other judicial seats. Candidate qualifying opened on September 29, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. CDT. Individuals interested in running for office as a Democrat or serving as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention may submit a Declaration of Candidacy and pay the appropriate qualifying fees at the Alabama Democratic Party Headquarters at 501 Adams Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104, or online. Democratic candidate qualifying will close on Friday, November 10, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. CST, 116 days before the primary election, as required by Alabama Code § 17-13-5(a). “The 2024 Election Cycle is vital for Alabama Democrats,” said Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley. “We have an opportunity to elect a 2nd Democrat to the U.S. House, win state races, and re-elect President [Joe] Biden so that he may complete his historic agenda. Alabama has benefited greatly from President Biden’s policies, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with over $3.2 billion allocated for roads, bridges, high-speed internet, and other major projects. We will do our part by winning seats for local, state, and national offices.” “We are excited to work with candidates that stand for Democratic values and who will move Alabama forward,” Kelley continued. “I would like to commend those who are seeking elected office and answering the call to serve others. Running for office is an endeavor that requires many sacrifices in a candidate’s life. Your time and efforts will make a difference for the people of Alabama. The Alabama Democratic Party will be here to support our candidates and guide them to victory.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Austin Vigue announces run for Congress in Second Congressional District
On Thursday, Alabama Today spoke with Democratic Congressional candidate Austin Vigue from Wetumpka. Vigue graduated from Auburn University in Montgomery (AUM) with a degree in political science. He currently works there as an admissions counselor, where he is involved in recruiting community college students to the campus to finish their degree. “I feel that the people of the United States, the people of Alabama, deserve more than they get right now,” Vigue said. “The people serving in Congress now are completely out of touch.” Vigue said Americans deserve affordable healthcare. Additionally, for many Americans, college has become unaffordable. Vigue believes voters of the Second Congressional District deserve what he calls “The New Square Deal.” “I have been preparing for this my whole life,” Vigue said. “I was involved in student government in college, and I had to learn how to work with people that I vehemently disagree with in order to get things done.” Alabama Today asked Vigue if he was active with his local Democratic Party group. “Elmore County (Democratic Party) is presently inactive,” Vigue said. “I have been meeting with Democratic parties and clubs around the state.” Alabama Today asked if he agreed with the court imposing new district lines on Alabama or if he felt it should have been left to the Alabama Legislature. “The Supreme Court was very clear in what it ordered the state to do,” Vigue said. Vigue blamed the state Legislature for defying the federal court and supports the rights of Alabama’s minority to have representation in Congress. Alabama Today asked if he expects the U.S. to be at war with China in the next five years. “I don’t. Frankly, I think there is a lot of saber-rattling,” Vigue said. “A war between China and the U.S. would devastate the global economy.” Vigue supports robust military funding to ensure the United States is militarily superior to every country. “I support funding missile defense systems,” Vigue said. “I support a grant program to build (fallout) shelters throughout the state. We also live in a state where tornadoes can appear suddenly out of nowhere. Citizens can take shelter there for tornadoes and hurricanes as well.” “The best way to prevent war with China is diplomacy,” Vigue added. “A nuclear war between China and the U.S. would be devastating for the whole world.” Alabama Today asked if he supports the U.S. continuing to arm Ukraine in its war against Russia. “Yes. What Russia has done in invading Ukraine is not just wrong morally, but it also violates international law.” Vigue believes allowing Russia to take Ukraine would be similar to allowing Hitler to take Czechoslovakia in World War II. “They would go into Poland next,” Vigue said, and after that, it would precipitate a larger war that would be devastating. “They do not own Ukraine.” When asked about education, Vigue stressed the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Education, and Math) classes and additional funding for education. “Families have an inherent right to make the school decision that is best for their child,” Vigue added and said that he also supports a voucher program so that families who cannot afford it can have the option to send their child to private school. When asked about the state’s plan to bury old coal ash ponds on-site or at a toxic waste storage facility like Emelle, Vige stated, “I think we have to be careful with things like that. I think we should go with the data.” Vigue said that if the data shows that it is safer to bury it, he would support that. However, if the Environmental Protection Agency has data showing that doing that will allow something to get in the groundwater that will lead to health problems for people moving forward, he would rather spend the upfront cost of moving it rather than paying for the health issues it would cause. When asked about federal debt and paying it down, Vigue stated, “First of all, where there are departments that are bloated and over staffed that we can do without, I am for getting rid of them.” Vigue said that he and his staff would go over the entire federal government to find places where budget cuts could be made, and he also thinks the government should do something to ensure that millionaires and billionaires cannot game the system. He also supports eliminating tax loopholes that allow the wealthy and corporations to avoid paying their fair share and preventing them from moving their money offshore to foreign tax havens. He also opposed allowing corporations to move factories and jobs overseas. Vigue said that as a member of Congress, he supports developing a robust rural infrastructure so that kids who don’t go to college can get blue-collar jobs that pay well and have benefits. Vigue said that we need to do more to help students pay for trade and technical schools and believes that the U.S. is not helping people get back on their feet. “We are putting people in an impossible situation where if they get a minimum wage job, they lose their health insurance and all of their government benefits.” Vigue said that even though he is just 26, he brings “new energy and new ideas” to Congress. “I grew up in the Second District. I went to school in the Second District. I work in the Second District. I live in the Second District,” Vigue said. “In a few days, that appears to be changing” with the maps prepared by the Special Master for the Court. Vigue began his campaign expecting to be running against incumbent Congressman Barry Moore (R-ALO2). Moore, who lives in Enterprise, was also drawn out of the second district and now finds himself in Jerry Carl’s First Congressional District. Moore has stated that he will wait to see what he does next. Vigue is still running for Congress in the Second District, but at this moment, he is the only declared candidate in the Second District in what likely will be an open seat. The Constitution of the United States does not require someone to live
