The Greene County Democrat

Tag: Shomari Figures

  • Doug Jones, Shomari Figures push voting rights at Troy town hall

    Doug Jones, Shomari Figures push voting rights at Troy town hall

    By Alabama Political Reporter, Staff

    Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones joined U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, D-Alabama, last week for a town hall at Troy University, where the two candidates took questions from students, community members and voters ahead of the November election.

    The event, hosted by the Troy University College Democrats and Pike County Democrats, focused heavily on congressional redistricting and the continuing fight over Black voting power in Alabama.

    Alabama’s 2026 congressional elections are proceeding under the Legislature’s 2023 map after the U.S. Supreme Court stayed a lower-court injunction in June. The order followed the court’s April decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which changed the legal standard governing discriminatory-effect vote-dilution claims under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

    The decision restored the Republican-drawn 2023 plan and displaced the court-ordered map used during the 2024 election. That remedial map established a second Black-opportunity district following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan.

    Figures won the reconfigured 2nd Congressional District in 2024, joining U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, as Alabama’s two Black members of Congress. He is now seeking reelection against Republican state Representative Rhett Marques under dramatically different district lines.

    Both Figures and Jones argued Tuesday that the new district remains competitive. A DCCC-sponsored poll released this week showed Figures and Marques tied at 46 percent, with 8 percent of voters undecided.

    Jones said reaching voters in parts of Alabama where Democrats have not competed consistently represents an opportunity for candidates heading into November.

    “We are moving into areas that Democrats haven’t gone in a while. That’s why we’re doing these town halls,” Jones said. “We are not just going out trying to preach to the choir. We’re talking to people, and we’re listening to people. That’s the critical piece.”

    Holding the town hall in Pike County carried additional significance. Civil rights leader and longtime Georgia congressman John Lewis was born and raised near Troy, earning him the enduring nickname “the Boy from Troy.” His nephew, Ron Lewis, was among those attending Tuesday’s event.

    Figures also pointed to what he described as growing enthusiasm surrounding Jones’ campaign and argued that energy at the top of the Democratic ticket could help candidates across the state.

    “Doug Jones is running one of the most exciting and inspiring campaigns that we have seen for governor in recent memory,” Figures said. “And that energy is what’s going to lead the top of the ticket in November. And I am thrilled to stand in the winner’s circle with you in November.”

    The joint appearance highlighted the candidates’ strategy of expanding Democratic outreach beyond the party’s traditional base and increasing turnout in communities that have often received little attention during statewide campaigns.

    Featured Image: U.S. Representative Shomari Figures and gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones host a town hall in Pike County. (Alabama Political Reporter)

  • Congressman Shomari Figures tells Alabama New South Coalition that Trump “is trying to take us backwards and we must organize, resist, and fight back”

    Congressman Shomari Figures speaking at ANSC Convention

    Alabama’s new 2nd District Congressman, Shomari Figures, was the keynote speaker for the Alabama New South Coalition’s (ANSC) Spring Convention in Montgomery this past weekend. The convention was held at the Maggie Street Dream Center and attended by over 100 delegates from the organization’s county chapters.
    In his remarks, Figures said the Trump Administration is trying to take the nation backwards, thread our social safety net and make it difficult for Black and poor people to get ahead in Alabama and America. He pointed to efforts to cut food stamps, cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, ending LIHEAP (a program that provides assistance to people with their utility bills), cuts to assistance  1890 Land Grant Colleges, making it difficult for people to get their Social Security benefits, cutting education funds for Title I, Headstart, school lunches, and critical scientific and medical research.
    Figures said that the Trump Justice Department had just pulled out of a longstanding school desegregation case in Louisiana, which is the beginning of their backing away from the 1954 Brown vs. The Board of Education landmark school desegregation case. Trump is also backing away from basic Constitutional principles, the rule of law, birthright citizenship and bypassing the role of Congress in funding and staffing government programs.
    “They are trying to take us backwards to an earlier time when we were not a multi-racial, technological society. Progress is not inevitable. ANSC and other community-based organizations must organize, resist and fight back against these reckless and destructive proposals, “ said Figures. “ I voted against the Republican budget outline bill because of all the cuts and tax breaks for the richest in our country. Some are criticizing me because they say I voted to shut-down the government. But Trump and his supporters are following the dictates of Project 2025 and closing the parts of the government they don’t like anyway”.
    On the positive side, Figures said he has introduced legislation in Congress, with bi-partisan support which will provide $500 million to rural hospitals that need operation support to keep open. “Four hospitals in rural counties in my district have closed in the past five years. Others, including Jackson Hospital in Montgomery, are in danger of closing. Until we provide affordable health insurance for all or a universal payer system, this fund will help support operational costs for qualified hospitals,” said Figures.
    The ANSC Convention had three informative panels on healthcare, education and voting in the morning before the luncheon keynote. The panels discussed ways that the community could be involved in healthcare, education and voting decisions and actions at the local level by ANSC County Chapters and their members and supporters.

  • ANSA endorses: Harris-Walz, Terri Sewell, Shomari Figures, Greg Griffin, and Tanya Chestnut for statewide offices in November election

    PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – AUGUST 6: Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60 year old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

     

    The Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC) held its Fall Convention at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Montgomery on Saturday, October 5, 2024. Delegates from ANSC county chapters met to consider the candidates and issues in the upcoming November election.

    For endorsements, the ANSC recessed its meeting and went into session as the Alabama New South Alliance (ANSA) the ‘sister” or parallel organization that deals with partisan political choices.

    The ANSA endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for President and Vice- President of the United States; Terri Sewell for Alabama 7th Congressional District; Shomari Figures for Alabama 2nd. Congressional District; Greg Griffin for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court; Tanya Chestnut for Alabama State School Board, District 5; and Collins Petttaway for District 4 Circuit Judge, which overlaps several districts. All are Democratic candidates. Local county chapters will endorse for more local election contests.

    Several of the candidates endorsed by ANSA appeared at the meeting and made statements and answered voter questions. Shomari Figures, the Democratic candidate for the newly redistricted 2nd Congressional District was present. His new district stretches across the state from Russell, Bullock, Macon and Barber counties on the east to Washington and Mobile counties on the western side of Alabama. The new boundaries of the 2nd CD were decided in litigation which went to the U. S. Supreme Court, three times in the last five years.

    Shomari Figures, who is the son of Michael Figures (a founder of ANSC) and Vivian Figures (both Alabama State Senators) said, “ We cannot let this election slip. Even though I have been outspent on TV by 9 to 1, we must win this race, to show if given a chance that Black people will rise to the occasion and utilize the district that the courts created.”

    Figures said that his attention would be focused on healthcare in the district and the expansion of Medicaid coverage, under the Affordable Care Act, to those without insurance coverage. He said, “Four hospitals serving my district have closed or reduced services due to declining patient revenues. Bullock County Hospital and Grove Hill Hospital have changed to only Emergency Health Centers, Monroe County has ended maternal care and other services, and Thomasville has suspended operations. There is a real crisis in rural health care in my district, that actually could be alleviated if the Republican Governor and Legislative leaders agreed to Medicaid expansion.”

    The ANSA also endorsed Congresswoman Terri Sewell, incumbent seven term Congresswoman representing the 7th Congressional District, which includes Greene County. ANSA also endorsed Tanya Chestnut for the District 5 Alabama State School Board, which includes Sumter and other Black Belt counties

    Montgomery Circuit Judge, Greg Griffin, said he felt that Black people need to serve on the appellate courts of our state, which is why he is running for Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary but now is running statewide against the right-wing Republican incumbent, Tom Parker.

    The ANSC meeting also had a panel explaining the problems which will arise from Project 2025, the 925-page comprehensive plan of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, for implementation if Donald Trump is elected President for a second term. The panel spoke to the implications of Project 2025 to devastate the Federal workforce, abolish the Department of Education and its programs for low-income students, including reduced cost meals, HeadStart and Title 1 funding. Project 2025 is a plan to revive the Comstock Act which will place a national ban on abortion, curtail birth control and limit IVF treatments.

    Donald Trump has tried to disassociate himself from Project 2025, but 140 former staff members worked on its detailed implementation guideline. Other former Trump staffers are collecting resumes of loyal Trump workers to be used to replace fired civil service employees, to run the government within the new guidelines.

    Congressman Troy Carter traveled from New Orleans, Louisiana to be the ANSC luncheon speaker. Carter praised ANSC for its history of civic participation and involving Black voters in the electoral process. Of Shomari Figures, he said, “You can’t hope him in or pray him in, but you must vote him and Kamala Harris and Tim Walz into office.”

  • U.S. Reps. Sewell, Crockett and former AG Eric Holder campaign for Figures in AL-2 race

    Congresswoman Jasmin Crockett and Terri Sewell of Alabama

    By Jacob Holmes, Alabama Political Reporters

    U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, was joined by U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Sunday in Montgomery to urge women voters to support Shomari Figures in the race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

    The congressmembers were joined by attorney Tamika Reed, wife of Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, and Kalisha Figures, wife of Shomari Figures, to round out the “Women for Figures” panel at Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church.

    After a legal battle over the percentage of Black citizens in the district, a federal court redrew the map to give Black voters a better opportunity to elect the candidate of their choice. This has created the only competitive congressional race in the state between Figures and the Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson.

    Crockett urged that if Kamala Harris wins the presidency, she will need Democratic control of the House and Senate to bring her policies to reality.

    “I need better co-workers,” Crockett said. “I need people that actually want to work for the people. Right now, this has been the most unproductive Congress in the history of Congress.”
    Sewell emphasized the roles of Montgomery and Selma in the Civil Rights movement and said the new district needs to help continue that trend of making progress.
    “It’s high time that we get more representation, fairer representation in Alabama, in Congress,” Sewell said. “So I am thrilled I didn’t have to be bludgeoned on a bridge. I just had to give up Montgomery County for progress, and progress we will have if you go to the polls.”

    The panel emphasized the future of abortion rights. The U.S. Supreme Court rolled back a federal right to abortion access in its landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health in a major victory for Republicans.

    ”You don’t have to be pro-choice,” Crockett said. “You can do whatever you want to with your uterus or the fact you don’t even have one. We’re not asking you to agree.”

    Kalisha Figures said childbirth is scary and noted the travel times to hospitals that deliver babies for rural Alabamians.
    “I have three times given birth,” she said. “It is scary, on face value, if you are healthy and well. It is scary. So to not have access to that care, to have to drive 60, 90 minutes in labor to get care, these are the issues we’re talking about when we talk about the state of women, right in Alabama, in this district.”

    Former AG Eric Holder also visits Alabama to campaign for Shomari Figures

    Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder arrived in Mobile to bolster Shomari Figures’ campaign for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Holder, known nationally for his advocacy on voting rights and redistricting fairness, emphasized the importance of this election in the broader movement to protect democracy and ensure equitable representation.

    Holder’s support for Figures underscores the high stakes of this congressional race, which has garnered attention for its potential impact on state and national redistricting debates. As the first African American U.S. Attorney General, Holder has been a pivotal voice against gerrymandering through his work with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), where he has actively campaigned to secure fair elections across the nation. His presence in Alabama signals the importance of securing fair representation in regions where voting rights have been an ongoing battle.

    The day’s events began at 2:50 p.m. with a press conference at Figures’ campaign headquarters on Government Street. Holder then visited Great Day Latte on S. Conception Street, showcasing support for local businesses. The evening continues with Holder joining Figures at a campaign phone bank back at headquarters before a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at 6 p.m. at Big Zion A.M.E. Zion Church on S. Bayou Street. This rally will be a key event as Holder and Figures emphasize their shared commitment to a just political system that champions voting rights.

    Holder’s visit comes at a time when Alabamians are increasingly engaged in discussions around voting rights and political representation. His alignment with Figures not only strengthens the candidate’s platform but also reinforces the national focus on the significance of fair elections and civil rights advocacy.

  • Super Tuesday election results Griggers wins 17th Judicial Circuit race Biden, Trump, and Sewell lead in Greene County, win statewide

    In the Tuesday, March 5th Primary election, 2,047 people voted in Greene County, with 1,829 (90%) voting Democratic and 215 (10%) voting Republican. This was a relatively low turnout election for Greene County.

    In the most contested local race, District Attorney Gregg Griggers won the Democratic nomination for the 17th Judicial Circuit position, currently held by Judge Eddie Hardaway, who was age limited from running and required to retire.

    In Greene County, Griggers received 1,061 (61%) votes to 682 (39%) for Attorney Rob Lee. In the three-county district (Greene, Sumter, and Marengo) Griggers polled 4,940 (64%) to 2,799 (36%) for Rob Lee. In Sumter County, Lee won by a margin of 976 (51%) to 945 (49%) for Griggers. In Marengo County, Griggers received 2,934 (72%) to 1,141 (28%) for Lee.

    In the Greene County Democratic Primary for President, Joe Biden led with 1,458 (87%) to 78 votes for Dean Phillips and 140 votes for Uncommitted. Joe Biden also won the state’s Democratic delegates.

    In the Republican Presidential Primary, in Greene County, Donald Trump led with 191 (91%) to 17 for Nikki Haley and 3 for Uncommitted.
    Trump won the state of Alabama by more than 80% of the votes.

    In Greene County, incumbent U. S. Representative Terri Sewell won the Democratic nomination by 1,623 (94%) of the votes to 105 for challenger Chris Davis. Sewell was also nominated district wide for her Congressional position. She will be running against Christian Horn who won the Republican nomination against Robin Litaker.

    For Statewide Amendment No. 1, allowing the Alabama Legislature to vote on local bills before the budget is completed, won by 1,056 (61%) to 690 (39%) in Greene County but lost narrowly statewide (50.8% to 49.2%) in unofficial returns available this morning.

    In the new 2nd District Congressional race, there will be a run-off on April 16, 2024, in both the Democratic and Republican parties. In the Democratic Primary, Shomari Figures leads with 24,825 (44%) votes to 12,774 (22%) for Anthony Daniels, out of a total of 57,129 votes cast. Figures and Daniels will be in the Democratic runoff.

    In the Republican Primary, out of 56,968 votes cast, Dick Brewbaker led with 22,556 (40%) votes to 15,075 (27%) for Caroleen Dobson. They will meet in the Republican runoff.

    It is interesting to note that Democrats received only 161 more total votes in this race than the Republican field. Despite the victory in re-districting this Alabama 2nd Congressional District, to allow for a Black Democrat to win, the district will be highly contested through the November General Election and whoever wins the primaries will need to keep campaigning to win in November.

  • Alabama’s 2nd District voters seek progressive representation, new poll reveals key issues

    Candidates: Anthony Daniels, Merika Coleman, Napoleon Bracy, Shomari Figures

    By: Bill Britt, Alabama Political Reporter

    Voters in Alabama’s newly redrawn 2nd Congressional District are expressing a strong desire for a representative who champions a progressive agenda, focusing on issues such as voting rights, the rising cost of living, and the affordability of health care. This sentiment is highlighted in a poll released in late December by the SPLC Action Fund and its affiliate, the New Southern Majority, a federal independent expenditure (IE) PAC.

    The newly created district stretches from Bullock and Macon counties in east Alabama, through Montgomery and counties south of the city, connected to Pritchard in Mobile county on the western side of the state.
    Brandon Jones, the director of political campaigns for the SPLC Action Fund, emphasized the significance of these findings. “This research demonstrates that voters across Alabama’s new congressional district want true, progressive representation,” he stated. Jones further noted that the candidates’ stances on progressive policies will play a crucial role, as voters are eager to harness the political power their district now offers.
    The poll results show a highly competitive race, with a significant 47 percent of voters still undecided. State Rep. Napoleon Bracy is currently leading with 15 percent support, followed by Shomari Figures at 9 percent, State Rep. Anthony Daniels at 8 percent, State Sen. Merika Coleman with 6 percent, Darryl Sinkfield at 5 percent, State Rep. Jeremy Gray at 4 percent, and State Rep. Juandalynn Givan at 2 percent. Notably, Sinkfield recently announced his withdrawal from the race. Some say the poll may have been weighted with Mobile county voters.
    It is interesting to note that several of the major candidates for this Congressional District live outside the district. State Representative and Democratic Majority Leader, Anthony Daniels, lives in Huntsville. He was born in Midway, Bullock County in the district. State Senator Merika Coleman represents and lives in Bessemer. State Representative Givan lives in Birmingham. State Representative Napoleon Bracy and Shomari Figures live in Mobile County, within the district. The U. S. Constitution does not require that a Congressperson live in the district but only within the state represented.
    In January, the organizations plan to host a candidate forum in Montgomery, offering voters a direct opportunity to engage with the candidates and understand their perspectives on critical issues and their vision for promoting equity and justice in the Deep South.
    The poll also revealed nuanced concerns among voters: 20 percent are primarily worried about voting rights, while 15 percent are focused on inflation and rising costs, and 12 percent on making health care more affordable. Additionally, voters highlighted equal access to quality K-12 public schools (78 percent), expanding Medicaid (75 percent), attracting new, well-paying jobs (71 percent), advocating for voting rights through early voting options (67 percent), and ensuring the affordability of college and higher education (66 percent) as top priorities.
    When asked in an open-ended question about the issue that matters most to them personally, voters again listed voting rights (22 percent), health care (16 percent), education (15 percent), and good-paying jobs (11 percent) as their primary concerns.
    Regarding opinions on national figures, the poll found that only 10 percent of voters in the District have a favorable view of former President Donald Trump, with a significant 86 percent viewing him negatively. In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris received a 76 percent favorability rating, with President Joe Biden’s favorability at 77 percent. Former President Barack Obama remains the most favorably viewed, with an 88 percent favorable rating.

    This poll, which surveyed 450 likely voters in the upcoming March Democratic primary, was conducted by Impact Research, based in Montgomery.
    Some additional information and edits added by Greene County Democrat