Shomari Figures wins reelection in Alabama’s 2nd District

Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures won reelection in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques. With 91% of ballots counted, Figures had 53.8% of the vote to Marques’s 46.2%. The race was called for Figures on November 3, 2026.

The contest took place under a Republican-drawn map that shifted the district’s political balance toward Republicans. The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use the map in June, overturning a lower court’s block. The district’s Black voting-age population fell from nearly 48% to about 40% under the revised boundaries.

Figures initially secured the seat in 2024 using boundaries imposed by a court after a Voting Rights Act lawsuit. A federal judge had determined that Alabama’s Republican-led Legislature weakened Black voters’ political influence and mandated another district with a Black population that was at or close to half.

President Donald Trump backed Marques, who secured the Republican nomination in an August primary held under the new map. The state had to redo an earlier primary after the legal changes. Trump carried the district in 2024, winning 56.6% to Kamala Harris’s 42.3%; in 2020, he won 53.7% to Joe Biden’s 45.1%.

The Cook Political Report rated the race likely Republican, but Democrats invested heavily in Figures’s campaign. A national Democratic fundraising committee that assists vulnerable incumbents sent $219,500 to his campaign during the third quarter, while outside groups spent millions on advertising. A super PAC aligned with Trump spent more than $2 million supporting Marques. The race was among those that could help decide control of the House.

Figures Defeats Trump-Backed Republican Despite GOP Redistricting

Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures held Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques even after a Republican-drawn map made the seat more favorable to the GOP. With 91% of ballots counted, Figures led 53.8% to 46.2%; the race was called for him on November 3, 2026.

The remapped district’s Black voting-age population dropped from nearly 48% to about 40%. The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use the map in June, after a lower court had blocked it. Figures initially secured the seat in 2024 with boundaries mandated by a court following a Voting Rights Act case. A federal court had concluded that Alabama’s Republican-controlled Legislature diluted Black voters’ political power and required a second district where Black residents formed a majority or near-majority.

Trump backed Marques, who captured the Republican nomination in an August primary under the revised boundaries. The state redid an earlier primary after the legal changes. Trump had carried the district in 2024 and 2020, making Figures’s victory a significant hold in territory that leaned Republican in recent presidential contests.

Democrats put substantial resources behind Figures. A national party fundraising committee for vulnerable incumbents sent $219,500 to his campaign in the third quarter, and outside groups spent millions on advertising. A super PAC aligned with Trump spent more than $2 million supporting Marques. The race could help determine which party controls the House.

Figures Holds Seat After Map Shift, With House Control at Stake

Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques fell short in his bid to unseat Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, even as the revised boundaries shifted the district’s political balance toward Republicans. With 91% counted, Figures had 53.8% and Marques 46.2%; the race was called on November 3, 2026.

President Donald Trump backed Marques, who captured the Republican nomination in an August primary conducted under the new map. Alabama had to redo an earlier primary after legal changes. Trump carried the district in both 2020 and 2024, but Figures retained the seat in a contest that could affect control of the House.

The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use the Republican-drawn map in June, reversing a lower court’s block. Its boundaries reduced the district’s Black voting-age population from nearly 48% to about 40%. Figures had secured the seat in 2024 with boundaries mandated by a court after a Voting Rights Act case. A federal court had ruled that Alabama’s Republican-led Legislature diluted Black voters’ political power and ordered another district where Black residents constituted at least half, or nearly half, of the population.

The race drew substantial spending from both sides. A Democratic fundraising committee supporting vulnerable incumbents sent $219,500 to Figures’s campaign during the third quarter, and outside groups spent millions on advertising. A super PAC aligned with Trump spent more than $2 million backing Marques. The result shows that a map tilted toward Republicans did not guarantee a Republican victory.