Current:Home > ContactDemocrats Daniels and Figures stress experience ahead of next week’s congressional runoff -Insightful Finance Hub
Democrats Daniels and Figures stress experience ahead of next week’s congressional runoff
View
Date:2025-04-16 11:18:16
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — The two Democrats running for Alabama’s newly redrawn congressional district stressed their experience — one at the federal level and one at the Alabama Legislature — in a debate that aired Tuesday night.
Shomari Figures, who served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, and state House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels will meet in a Tuesday runoff to decide the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
Democrats are hoping to flip the Deep South seat, which has been held by Republicans after it was redrawn by a federal court to give Black voters greater opportunity to elect a representative of their choice. A panel of federal judges ruled the state’s previous congressional map likely violated the Voting Rights Act. The judges said Alabama should have a second district where Black voters comprise a substantial part of the electorate.
The winner of the Democratic runoff will face the Republican nominee in the closely watched November general election. The Republican nomination is being decided in a runoff between former state senator Dick Brewbaker and attorney Caroleene Dobson. Republicans are aiming to keep the seat under GOP control.
Daniels, a former teacher and business owner, was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2014 and was elected minority leader in 2017, becoming the first Black man to hold the post.
“I have the experience and the track record for delivering for the people of the state of Alabama,” Daniels said. Daniels said he has been able to get legislation approved — including a new law that exempts overtime pay from state income tax — despite Democrats being a “super minority” in Montgomery.
Before working for Garland, Figures was a congressional staffer for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and was deputy director of the Presidential Personnel Office for President Barack Obama.
“We need someone who can hit Washington running, who can hit the ground running full speed ahead. Washington is not Montgomery. It is an entirely different animal, and we need to have someone with the experience of navigating Washington D.C.,” Figures said.
Figures is the son of two prominent Alabama legislators, long-term state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures and the late Senate President Pro Tem Michael Figures, who died in 1996.
The debate, unlike the one ahead of the GOP runoff, was devoid of heated exchanges. Figures and Daniels expressed similar views on several issues. Both were critical of Alabama’s decision not to expand Medicaid. Both spoke of the need for immigration legislation. Both were critical of Alabama lawmakers’ decision to end the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.
The new district, viewed as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Democrats in a state where Republicans dominate state and federal offices, drew a crowded field with 11 Democrats seeking the nomination.
Figures led in the initial round of voting, capturing about 43% of the vote. Daniels finished second at about 22%. A runoff is required because no candidate captured more than 50% of the vote.
The congressional debate was sponsored by WSFA and WALA.
veryGood! (12974)
Related
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
- California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
- Larry Hobbs, who guided AP’s coverage of Florida news for decades, has died at 83
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Vogue Model Dynus Saxon Charged With Murder After Stabbing Attack
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- Who is Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Florida congressman Donald Trump picked to serve as attorney general?
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Walmart Planned to Remove Oven Before 19-Year-Old Employee's Death
Ranking
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Gun groups sue to overturn Maine’s new three-day waiting period to buy firearms
- Quincy Jones' Cause of Death Revealed
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Biden, Harris participate in Veterans Day ceremony | The Excerpt
- Taylor Swift gifts 7-year-old '22' hat after promising to meet her when she was a baby
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
Recommendation
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Volunteer firefighter accused of setting brush fire on Long Island
Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
Hurricane forecasters on alert: November storm could head for Florida
Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
NFL coaches diversity report 2024: Gains at head coach, setbacks at offensive coordinator