CAMPAIGN 2024: Dobson, Figures clash in District 2 Congressional debate
CAMPAIGN 2024: Congressional hopefuls Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson clashed in a debate today, punctuated by policy differences and verbal swipes at each other’s resume.
Figures, a Democrat, and Dobson, a Republican are running to represent Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which was redrawn after a lengthy redistricting battle. Their debate was hosted by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Former Congresswoman Martha Roby was the moderator.
Dobson said Figures, who worked in the Obama White House and as a former top aide to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, over his background in Washington.
“He wants to continue the policies of the last four years, but you and I should ask ourselves: Are we better off than we were four years ago?” Dobson said.
Figures said Dobson was choosing a “photo-op” over meaningful solutions.
Figures referred to a campaign trip that Dobson took to the Mexico border to highlight immigration issues as a “photo-op” while saying he has been at the border “as a staffer” to work on legislation to provide more resources to border agents.
“My opponent mentions the border, but what she fails to mention about the border is that in her early legal career, she spent time in Texas actually selling millions of acres of our border state land in Texas to shadow companies owned by Mexican investors,” Figures said.
Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District was redrawn after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed Alabama had likely illegally diluted the influence of Black voters when drawing congressional lines. A three-judge panel selected new lines to give Black residents¸ who now make up nearly 49% of the district’s voting-age population, an “opportunity” to elect a candidate of their choice.
The open seat has sparked a heated race for the district that could help decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Current District 2 Congressman Barry Moore is the Republican nominee for the 1st Congressional District. He is from Enterprise, which is now in District 1.
Some of the sharpest policy contrasts were over abortion and healthcare.
“I do not believe it is the government’s role to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. I think it’s pretty simple. If you don’t believe in abortion, if you don’t want an abortion, don’t have one,” Figures said.
Dobson described herself as “pro-life” but said the issue should be left to the states.
“This is an issue that’s best left to state legislatures to decide with compassion and common sense,” Dobson said.
Dobson said she supports exemptions to abortion bans for rape, incest and for a pregnant woman’s health. Alabama’s abortion ban does not have exemptions for rape and incest.
Both candidates spoke of the need to address infrastructure and healthcare challenges in the district.
(Copyright 2024 The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
