In the state’s redrawn 2nd District, former state senator and one-time Montgomery car dealer Dick Brewbaker has advanced to the runoff for the Republican nomination. Amid a competitive field of seven candidates, Brewbaker emerged as the frontrunner, setting the stage for a face-off against attorney Caroleene Dobson on April 16. Dobson, who secured her spot in the runoff with a second-place finish, will vie against Brewbaker in an eagerly anticipated contest.
The outcome of the Republican runoff will lead to a November showdown against the Democratic nominee in a district where Democrats are perceived to have a viable shot at overturning what has traditionally been a Republican stronghold. This election presents an opportunity for the Democratic Party to potentially increase their representation within Alabama’s congressional delegation by adding a second Democrat and possibly a second Black member.
On the Democratic side, the race to the nomination is between Shomari Figures, a former Justice Department official from Mobile, and Anthony Daniels, the Alabama House Minority Leader from Huntsville. Both are competing in a runoff, demonstrating the high stakes and competitive nature of this electoral cycle.
The redrawing of the 2nd congressional district, approved by a federal court in October, has tilted the electoral balance. The new district configuration, stretching from the Georgia to the Mississippi borders and encompassing parts of 13 counties, including the path from Montgomery to Mobile, is seen as advantageous to Democratic candidates.
Dick Brewbaker, who chose not to seek reelection in 2018 after honoring a term-limit pledge, previously served two terms in the Alabama Senate and one term in the Alabama House. His opponent, Caroleene Dobson, brings to the table a background rooted in the district’s rural community, having grown up on a cattle farm in Beatrice, Monroe County. A graduate of Harvard College and Baylor Law School, Dobson specializes in real estate law.
Also contending in the Republican field were notable figures such as Sen. Greg Albritton of Atmore, a retired Navy officer and chair of the Senate’s General Fund budget committee, Montgomery attorney Hampton Harris, Bishop State Community College instructor Stacey Shepperson, Newton City Council member Belinda Thomas, and Mobile entrepreneur Karla DuPriest.
As the political landscape in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district undergoes a transformation, the upcoming runoffs are poised to define the future direction of both parties in this pivotal region.
