The Greene County Democrat

Tag: Caroleene Dobson

  • Newswire : SPLC Action Fund endorses Shomari Figures for AL-CD2

    Shomari Figures

    By Jacob Holmes, Alabama Political Reporters

    The SPLC Action Fund has announced endorsements in two newly-drawn, majority-Black congressional districts in Alabama and Louisiana.

    “For far too long, Alabama and Louisiana have unlawfully diminished the political power of Black voters through gerrymandering,” said Madison Hollon, program manager of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund.

    “After years of advocacy and recent rulings affirming the right to fair representation in government, Black voters have the opportunity to show their political power and elect candidates who will best represent them in the halls of Congress. We are proud to endorse Shomari Figures in AL-02 and Cleo Fields in LA-06 to make history and usher in a new era of leadership in the Deep South.”

    The SPLC Action Fund said it is backing Figures because he has dedicated his career to advocate for the people of Alabama through public service in all three branches of the federal government and is committed to expanding Medicaid, investing in education, growing Alabama’s workforce and economy and ending the gun violence epidemic.

    The Action Fund recently released a poll showing growing enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket, including a double-digit lead for Figures in the race. However, the poll also showed that Figures still needs to win over undecided voters.

    Figures has picked up endorsements from Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, who challenged Figures in a runoff for the nomination, and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed. 

    His opponent, Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson, has garnered endorsements from Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama. 

    The general election is now less than a month away with polls opening on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

  • Newswire : Poll: Figures takes big lead in CD2 race

    Shomari Figures and Carolean Dobson, candidates in the Alabama 2nd. Congressional District contest

    The new SPLC Action Fund poll shows Figures with a lead among likely voters, thanks to a big boost from Vice President Kamala Harris.

    By Josh Moon, Alabama Political Reporter

    With a boost from Vice President Kamala Harris, Shomari Figures is pulling away in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, according to a new poll from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Action Fund. 

    The poll, which collected information from 400 likely voters, found that Figures held a 51-39 lead over Republican challenger Caroleene Dobson. He also holds significant advantages over Dobson in both favorability and name recognition. Also, respondents were much more enthusiastic about voting for Figures. 

    “The enthusiasm is a big shift from the polling we did earlier this year,” said Brandon Jones, the director of political campaigns for the SPLC’s Action Fund. “Enthusiasm was down significantly with President Biden in the race, and we were very concerned about the turnout that we would see in this race. But it’s very obvious that (Harris) has sparked real enthusiasm and that has translated to more enthusiasm down the ticket as well.”

    Alabama’s 2nd District will be one of the more closely watched races in the country, because of the voter dynamics within the district. Drawn by court order, and specifically by a special master, the district was designed to give Black voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choosing by joining like-minded white voters. 

    According to recent statistics from the newly drawn district, it would have elected a Democratic candidate in most of the recent elections, despite white voters holding a slight demographic advantage. Still, the district is very competitive, and a Republican blowout at the top of the ticket could spell doom for a Democrat in a House race on the same ticket. But that doesn’t seem like an issue now. 

    “Harris’ entry into the race really sparked a turnaround,” Jones said. 
    While that wasn’t really a surprise, given the national response to Harris’ campaign, there were some surprises within the polling, Jones said. For example, for all the talk of the border and abortion policy, they didn’t score highly on the list of top concerns for voters in the district. 

    Respondents rated K-12 education issues, crime and gun violence as their top issues. Securing the border rated ninth-most important, while restoring abortion rights rated 11th, in the 11-item survey. 

    Also, respondents said their vote was important in both the presidential election and in determining control of the House. 

    “I think people sometimes forget that while Donald Trump on the ticket creates a lot of excitement for (conservative) voters, the same is true for those voting against him,” Jones said. “The numbers for those who felt their vote was important in determining control of Congress were very high, and that tells you that people realize what’s at stake. And even if their vote can’t stop Trump from becoming president, maybe they can have some say in stopping his agenda.”