Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Friday he would make a decision on whether to run for Congress in the redrawn 2nd District sometime before qualifying for the race ends on Nov. 10.

Reed is the Capital City’s first Black mayor and was elected to a second four-year term in August.

“I’ve heard from community leaders, residents as well as leaders from outside of Alabama, as to my interest,” Reed said. “And their suggestion that they think I would do well in the job, that’s an honor in itself, that people feel that you could serve this nation at a higher level that we’re currently doing right now.

“Having said that, I just got through a reelection, and I asked the people of Montgomery to give me four years to continue the work that we’ve been doing. So, my analysis on this is where can I best serve the people of Montgomery. And certainly that is going to be key in my ultimate decision. Is that from the position of mayor? Or will that be potentially as a member of the United States House of Representatives?”

Reed, who was Montgomery County probate judge before his election as mayor in 2019, said he will talk with his family, friends, and advisors.

“It’s something that I’m deliberating on very intentionally,” Reed said. “It’s something that I’m praying about, and it’s something that I don’t take likely.

“I don’t have a deadline other than I know when the qualifying period ends. But I want to make a decision that’s not only right for myself and my family but also for the residents of Montgomery and certainly the 2nd Congressional District.”

The Democratic Party opened qualifying on Sept. 29. So far, no candidate has qualified in the 2nd District.

Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson said she will run for the office.

Qualifying in the Republican Party starts Monday. District 2 has been a Republican stronghold until Black voters prevailed in Voting Rights Act lawsuits, resulting in a new district map approved by a federal court on Oct. 5, one that is favorable to Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, who is in his second term representing District 2, has said he is “seriously praying” about whether to run for reelection in the redrawn district. The new map moved Moore’s hometown into District 1.

Qualifying for both parties ends on Nov. 10.

On the Democratic side, several elected public officials who live outside District 2 are considering the race, in addition to Tyson. The law does not require U.S. House members to live in their districts. The U.S. Constitution only requires that a member of the U.S. House live in the state that he or she is elected to serve.

Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels of Huntsville said Friday he is considering a run for the District 2 seat. Daniels grew up in the district, in Bullock County. He said he works on community projects there and considers it home. Daniels said he still cuts the grass at his grandmother’s home in Midway, where an aunt now lives.

“When you live and grow up somewhere, you never leave it,” Daniels said.

Daniels, a former teacher, was elected to the Alabama House in 2014. The House Democratic caucus elected him as minority leader in 2017 and reelected him last year. Daniels has built a reputation for working with the Republican majority on areas of agreement, such as his bill to exempt overtime pay from the state income tax, which lawmakers passed this year.

Daniels said if he decides to run and is elected, he would follow the results-oriented approach that he has pursued in the Legislature.

“This is another legislative branch, so therefore there is no training that will have to happen because this is the same branch of government,” Daniels said. “So, do you want someone that’s ready for the job on day one that has shown success? Or do you not? The people, the voters will decide who they want to represent them.”

Daniels said people in Bullock County and elsewhere in the redrawn district have asked him about running over the last few months. He said he had not considered it before that and has several factors to weigh.

“I have three businesses in Madison County,” Daniels said. “So my family is number one. I’ll continue to pray about it and make a decision here in the next several weeks.”

He said his decision could depend on who else enters the race.

“If there’s someone that is better suited for the position than me, those are factors,” Daniels said.

“There are some strong people that are talking about it,” Daniels said. “But nobody has actually signed their name on the dotted line and filled out the paperwork. So nobody is really in the race.”

Others who have said they will consider running include Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Prichard, and Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham.

In text messages on Friday, Coleman and Bracy said they are still deciding.

“My team and I are currently in the exploratory stage, and we’ll be reaching a final decision very soon,” Coleman said.

Bracy said he is “seriously considering” running for the seat.

District 2 was a Republican-leaning district before the new map approved by a three-judge federal court until on Oct. 5. The map substantially changed the district, which had been mainly southeast Alabama, making it span the state from east to west and adding part of Mobile County.

The changes increased the Black voting age population to 49%. An analysis showed that Black-preferred candidates, Democrats, received more votes in the district than their Republican opponents in 16 of 17 recent elections by an average of 10 percentage points.

Read more: Who could be running in the open Alabama Congressional District 2 race?

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