21 candidates qualify to run in Congressional District 2
Alabama’s Second Congressional District race was already crowded, but by the time major party qualifying ended on Friday at 5:00 p.m., a total of 21 candidates had qualified with the Alabama Democratic Party and the Alabama Republican Party. The Congressional District 2 (CD2) seat is an open seat because the court-appointed special master redrew Alabama’s congressional districts in such a way that two incumbents, Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) and Jerry Carl (R-Enterprise), now live in the same district – Alabama’s First Congressional District. While Moore and Carl battle over which one gets to remain in Congress, CD2 is open with no incumbent. Since the rules for Congressional Districts do not require you to live in the district you are running, politicians from all over Alabama are running for this seat. Thirteen candidates qualified to run in CD2 with the Alabama Democratic Party. Retired Marine and 2020 congressional candidate James Averhart from Mobile qualified. So did State Representative Napoleon Bracy Jr. Bracy represents Prichard. He works for Austal. State Senator Merika Coleman from Jefferson County qualified. Coleman represents Birmingham, Bessemer, and Pleasant Grove. State Representative Anthony Daniels from Huntsville is running for the seat. Daniels is the House Minority Leader. Shomari Figures works in Washington, D.C., for Attorney General Merrick Garland but is originally from Mobile. His parents are State Senator Vivian Figures and the late State Senator Michael Figures (both of Mobile). He has worked for President Barack Obama. Brian Gary is a general surgeon at Jackson Hospital. State Representative Juandalynn Givan represents Birmingham and Forestdale in Jefferson County. Givan is a Jefferson County attorney. State Representative Jeremy Gray represents Lee and Russell Counties in the Legislature. He is the House Minority Whip. Phyllis Harvey-Hall was the Democratic nominee for CD2 in 2022 and 2020. She lost both times to Barry Moore. Willie J. Lenard is a resident of Opelika. Vimal Patel is a successful hotelier, commercial real estate investor, and realtor. He was a candidate in the Democratic primary in 2022 but lost to Harvey-Hall. Larry Darnell Simpson is a musician. Darryl “Sink” Sinkfield is an ASU alum and supporter. Eight Republicans have qualified. State Senator Greg Albritton of Atmore is an attorney. The retired naval officer is currently the House Finance & Taxation General Fund Committee chairman. Dick Brewbaker is a former Montgomery area automobile dealer. The Pike Road resident is a former state senator who served two terms from 2010 to 2018. Caroleene Dobson is a real estate attorney and a former rodeo standout. She serves on the Alabama Forestry Commission and Southeast Livestock Exposition. Karla M. DuPriest is a former candidate for U.S. Senate. She is a longtime congressional staffer who currently runs a popular barbecue restaurant in Mobile. Wallace Gilberry is a former University of Alabama football player who has played for multiple NFL teams. Hampton S. Harris has also qualified for the post. Stacey T. Shepperson qualified on Friday afternoon, right before the close of GOP qualifying. Belinda Thomas serves on the Newton City Council in Dale County. Both major party primaries are on March 5. If necessary, the primary runoff elections will be held on April 16. The eventual Republican and Democratic nominees will then face each other a year from now in the 2024 general election on November 5. The new district lines mean that Congressional District 2 has shifted from being a safe Republican seat to a likely Democratic seat. Given the razor-thin Republican majority in the House of Representatives, this district flipping to the Democrats could help swing control of Congress to the Democrats. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Five Democrats have qualified for Second Congressional District
Five Democrats have qualified to run for Congress in the Second Congressional District. The list of qualified candidates includes James Averhart, State Rep. Napoleon Bracy, State Rep. Jeremy Gray, Phyllis Harvey-Hall, and Willie J. Lenard. James Averhart is a retired U.S. Marine, who ran previously in CD1 against Jerry Carl in 2020. He lives in Mobile. “The American citizenry deserves and expects more of its leadership,” Averhart said. “We should no longer settle for those who continue to promulgate untruths and spew divisive rhetoric. We deserve leadership who will extol the truth and hold in high regard a united nation.” Napoleon Bracy is a long-time State Representative representing Prichard – one of the poorest major cities in Alabama. Bracy works for Austal USA. “We are taking this thing to Congress,” Bracy said. “This district is made up of so many cities, communities, and neighborhoods just like the one I grew up in—places hurting with high poverty and crime rates, unemployment that just doesn’t have a lot of opportunities, some of it is because they’ve been overlooked. This gives us an opportunity to finally have a seat at the table and get the things we deserve.” Jeremy Gray represents Lee and Russell Counties in the Alabama House of Representatives. “It’s time for a new generation of leadership to bend the arc of justice,” Gray said. “Because the American Dream should be a promise, not a privilege.” “For too many in Alabama, working hard simply isn’t enough to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads,” Gray said. “Our community needs leadership so that we have opportunities not just to get by but to thrive. “For too many in Alabama, working hard simply isn’t enough to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. Our community needs leadership so that we have opportunities not just to get by but to thrive. That’s why I’m excited to announce that I’m running for Congress – to give voice to these challenges in Washington and to find solutions that will improve the lives of everyone in our community.” “Growing up in Opelika, I was raised in a small house by a single mother and my grandma,” Gray continued. “We lived paycheck to paycheck. But in my Grandma’s house, we made space for everyone. On the football field, I learned the value of teamwork. In the Alabama State House, I fought for the most vulnerable among us.” Gray is the House Minority Whip. Phyllis Harvey-Hall ran for the Second Congressional District in 2022 and 2020, losing both times to Barry Moore (R). Hall is a career educator with both bachelor’s and advanced degrees, “It’s time that Alabama’s 2nd district has a leader that will represent them and bring communities together,” said Harvey-Hall on Facebook. “It’s time for Alabama to have a leader that will fight for everyone to have a better quality of life.” Willie J. Lenard is much less known at this point. He has qualified but has not yet released a statement or started a campaign website. We will have more details in the coming days. State Sens. Kirk Hatcher and Merika Coleman have talked about running but, to this point, have not qualified with the Alabama Democratic Party. Friday is the last day to qualify with either major party. The primary is on March 5. The eventual winner of the Democratic party nomination will face the Republican nominee a year from now in the November election. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Senate race between Jones, Tuberville tops Alabama ballot
In addition to voting for president, Alabama voters will also decide a U.S. Senate race and multiple other offices and issues on Tuesday. Here is a look at Election Day in Alabama: PRESIDENT Very popular among the conservatives who dominate Alabama politics, Republicans are hopeful President Donald Trump will carry the state against Democrat Joe Biden. Trump carried 62% of the roughly 2.1 million votes cast in Alabama in his race against Hillary Clinton in 2016, and there’s little indication Trump’s popularity has waned in the deep-red state despite problems including impeachment and the coronavirus pandemic. But while some GOP candidates in Alabama have staked their campaigns on aggressively supporting Trump for a second term, increased Democratic turnout could narrow the president’s margin against Biden. While Alabama Democrats are more energized and organized than they were four years ago, the number of yard signs and roadside shops selling Trump paraphernalia across Alabama are visible proof of Biden’s uphill battle in reclaiming a state that a Democratic last carried in a presidential election in 1976, when Jimmy Carter from neighboring Georgia was on the ballot. U.S. SENATE Republicans trying to maintain control of the U.S. Senate are staking their hopes on former college football coach Tommy Tuberville defeating first-term Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, who won the seat in a special election in 2017. Tuberville, who has never held public office and last coached four years ago, is among the candidates who’ve aligned themselves most closely with Trump, even declaring in the primary campaign: “God sent us Donald Trump.” Viewed as an underdog in a Republican-controlled state, Jones mocked Tuberville as “Coach Clueless” and chided him for his refusal to debate. Jones won the seat previously held by Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, after GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore was publicly accused of sexual misconduct involving young women decades ago. With GOP incumbents in danger elsewhere, Republicans hope Tuberville can knock off Jones. U.S. HOUSE The state will have at least two new members of Congress after voters pick winners in races for two open U.S. House seats in south Alabama. The Republican chairman of the Mobile County Commission, Jerry Carl, is trying to keep GOP control in the southwest Alabama seat now held by Rep. Bradley Byrne. Carl is facing Democrat James Averhart, a retired Marine who runs a nonprofit group and directs the Mobile-area office of the NAACP. In southeast Alabama’s 2nd District, Republican Barry Moore of Enterprise and Democrat Phyllis Harvey-Hall are vying for the job of GOP Rep. Martha Roby, who didn’t seek reelection. Moore is a former state representative and business owner, while Harvey-Hall is an educator from Montgomery. Two Republican House members are also hoping to win reelection. Rep. Mike Rogers of Saks is seeking a 10th term in east Alabama’s 3rd District against Democrat Adia Winfrey, while Rep. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville is seeking a 13th term in office against Democrat Rick Neighbors in the 4th District, which includes much of north Alabama. Reps. Mo Brooks of Huntsville; Gary Palmer of Hoover; and Terri Sewell of Selma were unopposed in the general election. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Six statewide constitutional amendments are on the ballot, including one that would remove racist language from the state’s 1901 constitution, which was passed to ensure white supremacy in Alabama. Sponsored by Rep. Merika Coleman of Birmingham, Amendment 4 would allow a recompilation of the state constitution to remove wording that prohibited mixed-race marriage and mandated racially segregated schools. While no longer in effect, supporters of the amendment say the prohibitions are an embarrassment and should be removed. Recommended changes to the constitution would be submitted to lawmakers in 2022 for approval, and voters would again be asked to approve the stripped-down document. Voters defeated similar measures twice before, most recently in 2012. Amendment 1 is a mostly symbolic measure pushed by Republicans that says only U.S. citizens have the right to vote, which already is the law nationally. The Alabama Constitution currently states that every male citizen can vote, although the 19th Amendment provided women’s suffrage in 1920. Amendment 2 would allow the full Alabama Supreme Court to appoint the director of the state’s court system, a task now performed solely by the chief justice, and make other changes to the judicial system. Amendment 3 would extend the amount of time that appointed district and circuit judges can serve. Amendments 5 and 6 would protect anyone who kills someone in self-defense in a church in Franklin and Lauderdale counties. Alabama’s “stand your ground” law already applies inside churches, the attorney general’s office has said, but backers support more specific provisions. PSC PRESIDENT Republican Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh is seeking reelection as president of the utility-regulating Alabama Public Service Commission against Democrat Laura Casey. Cavanaugh, seeking her third term, was the first woman to serve as chair of the Alabama Republican Party and has closely aligned herself with President Trump while espousing conservative orthodoxy. She says keeping power rates low helps families and business development. Casey contends the three-member PSC, all Republicans, is more interested in protecting the state’s largest electrical utility, Alabama Power Co., than consumers. She recently lost an appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court, which rejected her right to videotape a hearing held before the PSC about solar energy fees. STATE SCHOOL BOARD The ballot on Tuesday includes three contested seats on the Alabama State Board of Education. In the District 1 race in southwest Alabama, Republican board vice president Jackie Zeigler, a retired principal, is opposed by Democratic nominee Tom Holmes, a retired state employee who also led a disabilities advocacy program. Republican Stephanie Bell is touting her experience supporting programs, including the Alabama Reading Initiative, as she seeks an eighth term representing the 3rd District of central Alabama. She is opposed by Jarralynne Agee, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Miles College in Birmingham. In the 5th District, which includes much of Alabama’s Black Belt region, Democrat Tonya Smith Chestnut and Republican Lesa
National Rifle Association PVF announces federal scores and endorsements
As first reported by Yellowhammer news, the NRA-ILA has released its endorsements for candidates running for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. According to Yellowhammer news, only the Seventh Congressional District, the race only features U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, did not see the NRA Political Victory Fund make an endorsement. Sewell received an “F” grade. In Alabama’s First Congressional District, Jerry Carl received an “AQ” grade, the highest possible endorsement while Carl’s opponent James Averhart, who received an “F” grade. According to the NRA-PVF, a candidate with an “AQ” grade is described as, “A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues.” In the Second Congressional District, the NRA-PVF gave Barry Moore with an “A” grade while Democratic nominee Phyllis Harvey-Hall received an “F” grade. Incumbent congressmen who also received “A” ratings were U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers (AL-03), Robert Aderholt (AL-04), Mo Brooks (AL-05), and Gary Palmer (AL-06). In Alabama’s Senate race Yellowhammer News reported the NRA has endorsed Republican nominee Tommy Tuberville over U.S. Senator Doug Jones. Tuberville received an “AQ” grade, and Jones received a “D” grade. A “D” grade means the candidate is, “An anti-gun candidate who usually supports restrictive gun control legislation and opposes pro-gun reforms. Regardless of public statements, can usually be counted on to vote wrong on key issues.” “Too many members of the U.S. Congress believe that the Second Amendment is merely a suggestion and not a hard-earned constitutional right. Whether it is for hunting, sport shooting, home defense, or simply because they want one, every law-abiding U.S. citizen has the right to own a gun, and I will go toe-to-toe with any lawmaker who tries to take away that freedom,” Tuberville commented.
Tommy Tuberville wins GOP Senate race, House runoffs undecided
Former football coach and first-time candidate Tommy Tuberville handily defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Senate, House runoffs included on today’s runoff ballot
The nation focuses its attention on Alabama today.
Senate, House runoffs included on Alabama runoff ballot
There are important runoffs for Senate, Congress, State School Board and Court of Criminal Appeals.
