Alabama legislators who live in Birmingham and Huntsville are running for Congress in Alabama’s redrawn 2nd District, which runs from Montgomery to Mobile.

The U.S. Constitution does not require members of the U.S. House of Representatives to live in the districts they represent, only in the state.

The candidates who live outside the district say they have proven by their work in the Legislature they can be effective voices for 13-county district that runs from the Georgia line to the Mississippi line. Candidates who live in the district say residency does matter.

In October, a federal court approved a map redrawing the district. Black residents now make up 49% of the voting age population, changing it from a safe Republican district to one where a Democrat could win, potentially becoming the second Democrat and second Black member in Alabama’s seven-member Congressional delegation.

Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans are on the ballot in next Tuesday’s primary.

AL.com asked the candidates several questions about their goals and priorities. This story reports the answers of the Democratic candidates to the question about residency. Ten of the 11 responded.

Some of answers have been edited for clarity and brevity. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

The answers from Republicans will come in a separate story.

Question: Can a person who does not live in the congressional district they serve adequately represent the constituents? Why or why not?

James Averhart

James Averhart is from Mobile and is executive director of the NAACP Alabama State Conference. He served on active duty in the Marines from 1987 to 2017. He was the Democratic nominee in the 1st Congressional District in 2020 and lost to Jerry Carl in the general election.

Personally, I feel that a person who does not live in the district cannot adequately represent the citizens. I feel that it’s important for the 2nd Congressional District to be represented by someone who is not just knowledgeable of the issues the citizens are facing, but to reside in the district. There should be a connection to the people that the individual desire to represent.

Napoleon Bracy Jr.

Napoleon Bracy Jr. has represented a Mobile County district in the Legislature since 2010. He grew up in Prichard and served on the Prichard City Council. Bracy lives in Saraland, which is just outside the district.

This job is about taking the voices of the 2nd Congressional District to D.C., and bringing back results that matter from D.C. to the folks in the 2nd Congressional District. Living in the District is about more than having an address. It’s about understanding us as people, our traditions, and the nuances from county to county, town to town. Everything in my life has been Alabama’s 2nd. This is my community, and if you have not been with us in this fight for better representation, more resources, and a better quality of life, you will not adequately serve us.

Merika Coleman

Merika Coleman was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2022 after representing a Jefferson County district in the Legislature for five terms. She is an attorney and an instructor at Miles College and is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus.

Absolutely!! It’s not where you live, it’s what you can deliver for the district. But I also have roots in the District in Mobile and Prichard and enjoy spending time with my family in Toulminville. As I’ve traveled this district, the citizens have told me that they want a member of Congress that’s accessible, experienced, will fight for them and has a proven track record.

I have a 21-year record of service to the entire state of Alabama including District 2. I’m known as a fighter in Montgomery and a strong voice for my constituents, but I also have a record of bringing home the bacon for my district and providing millions of dollars for road projects, economic development, capital improvement grants, money for parks and schools, business incentives and even utility assistance for senior citizens and veterans.

As a legislator, lawyer, college professor, community advocate, military brat and mother, I have a unique set of skills and life experience that have prepared me to serve the citizens of Congressional District 2. You get a member of Congress that is ready to serve on day one and ready to leverage the relationships that I’ve built in Washington D.C and the state of Alabama to provide for this District.

Anthony Daniels

Anthony Daniels has represented a Huntsville-area district in the Alabama House since 2014. He has been House minority leader since 2017.

I grew up in the 2nd District, in Midway. I graduated from Bullock County High School. If elected, I plan to relocate my family and businesses into the 2nd District. I know this district because it’s where I’m from and I have continued to serve this district in the legislature as House Minority Leader.

On record, I stood up for Mobile County on the House floor during the 2016 debate on how to spend more than $1 billion in settlement money from the BP oil spill. I supported that funding staying in southern Alabama because it was the right thing to do. I’ve helped steer hundreds of millions of dollars of economic investment into the district.

Additionally, serving on the Board of Directors of Innovate Alabama, I supported the distribution of millions to small businesses and start-ups across the district. With my wife, we have created opportunities for children in the district to be exposed to STEM programs. Right now, families across the district are benefiting from the tax cut on overtime pay I recently passed into law.

I know the people and share their values – education, health, and hard work. I’m fighting for our values on Goat Hill and I want to bring them to Capitol Hill, particularly the fight to expand Medicaid.

Constituents in the 2nd District deserve access to affordable health care, investments in education and protections of public-school systems, and economic opportunities to thrive. I believe I am the most prepared to help deliver on these priorities.

Shomari Figures

Shomari Figures is a Mobile native who worked in the Obama administration and as deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

No – plain and simple. As we travel around the District, this issue is raised by nearly every voter. Voters believe a candidate’s current residence is a reflection of the candidate’s commitment and dedication to the people of this district. Candidates who say, “If I win, I will move into the District,” are essentially telling people that, “If you do for me, then and only then will I do for you.” That is as transactional as it gets, and we cannot afford transactional leadership that only does for those who do something for them.

To refuse to move into the district to run for this seat is a slap in the face of voters, and the elected officials running for this seat who live outside of the district clearly value the people and communities they represent now much more than they value the people and communities of District 2.

To be clear, this is not a personal attack against anyone. If this seat was in Huntsville or Birmingham, the candidates from there would say the exact same thing because voters deserve to be represented by people who prioritize them, and it is clear that living with the voters of this district is not a priority for the candidates who do not live in – or anywhere near – District 2. If Birmingham or Huntsville is your priority now, voters cannot trust that those cities will not remain your priority if you are elected. We have enough cities and towns in District 2 to focus on without having to worry about whether our member of Congress is prioritizing Huntsville or Birmingham over communities in our District.

Your focus should be the district in which you reside, not the district you visit. Public service is a commitment. The decision to move to the district and connect with your communities is a commitment. I’ve made that commitment, and someone who cannot commit to being a D2 resident can’t be expected to be committed to much else.

Juandalynn Givan

Juandalynn Givan has represented a Birmingham district in the Alabama House since 2010. She is an attorney.

There is no residency requirement for federal positions. I’m not sure why this position or this question continues to be raised. The people deserve leadership. There is nothing in the constitution that says that anyone has to live in a particular place, we need to stick to the issues at hand again, healthcare, voting rights, human rights, banking, reform, civil justice, social justice, or injustice, crime in our neighborhood, and infrastructure broadband.

These are the issues that need to be addressed. The residency requirement should not be an issue because it’s not designed that way. There are many places in my district, whenever I’m in the process of a reapportionment, I’m resigned to the fact that that I’ve never represented the new areas given to me. But I go in and I represent those people with every fiber of my being to be the best representative, and to get to know the people. And I would do no differently with regards to Congressional District 2, when I am elected to the seat. I will fight the good fight to defend democracy throughout District 2.

Jeremy Gray

Jeremy Gray was elected to the Alabama House in 2018 and represents a district in Lee and Russell counties. Russell County is in the 2nd District. Gray said he moved his main residency from Opelika to Phenix City so that he is living and can vote in the district.

Living within the district is a critical factor in being an effective representative. I not only call Alabama’s District 2 my home, but I’m currently serving as its representative in Russell County. I’ve successfully brought resources to our community that no other candidate can claim. This experience gives me a deep understanding of our community’s unique needs, spanning both rural and urban areas of the district.

Effective representation is essential, and I firmly believe that someone who doesn’t reside in the district they represent may struggle to grasp and address our concerns fully. When you live within the district, you’re more in tune with the everyday challenges faced by your constituents, and you’re more accessible to them. To put it plainly, you’ve got skin in the game.

Rest assured; my top priority is always actively engaging with and listening to the people of District 2 to ensure that our voices are heard in Congress. And come March 5th, I’ll not only be asking the people of the 2nd Congressional District of Alabama to vote for me, but I’ll also be casting my own vote for myself as a proud member of this community.

Phyllis Harvey-Hall

Phyllis Harvey-Hall grew up in Evergreen and taught in Montgomery Public Schools from 1985 to 2010, mostly teaching sixth grade. She was the Democratic nominee in the 2nd District in 2020 and 2022.

The key word in this question is “adequately.” Hence, the simple answer is no. The person who does not live in the district cannot adequately represent the constituents.

As someone born and raised in District 2, I embody the essence of our community. My life’s journey – from birth in Conecuh County to Alabama State University, to the classrooms in Montgomery Public Schools, to raising my family to starting a business and to community involvement – has been intrinsically linked to the district. I’ve been here, with our residents, fighting for justice, women’s rights, and gun safety reform. I’ve protested with my brothers and sisters in the LGBTQIA community. Likewise, as the Democratic nominee in 2020 and 2022, I built lasting relationships within the district.

Legally, a person from outside the district could attempt to serve if elected. Nonetheless, with that said, living in the district enables the representative to establish a direct and tangible connection with the constituents they will serve. This isn’t about bandwagon politics; it’s about authentic representation by someone who has lived and breathed District 2. Living in the district fosters a deeper understanding of local issues and the unique needs of the community, ensuring authentic and effective representation in the halls of Congress.

The people who fought to get this district redrawn wanted true representation from within, someone they knew who would fight for their area – and I am ready to represent.

Willie J. Lenard

Willie J. Lenard, who lives in Pike Road, which is in the district, is a Tuskegee University graduate, Air Force veteran, and businessman. He worked for the South Carolina Department of Corrections for 10 years.

I absolutely feel that a person should live in the district with the people they represent.

I think there is a greater connection between the constituents and the representative when the representative lives near the people because the people know the representative sees the same going-on issues in their communities as the constituents.

There is a greater commitment by the district representative to fulfill the demands of his/her constituents if they live nearby. Thereby resulting in less outside district interference and less campaign expense. Also, the constituents can keep an eye on the representative’s home site.

Vimal Patel

Vimal Patel lives in Troy, which is in the district, and manages his family’s hotels in Troy, Montgomery, and Dothan and a laundromat in Eufaula. Patel ran for the Democratic nomination in the district in 2022, losing to Harvey-Hall.

A person needs to spend a lion’s share of their time inside the district they are representing. They must have vested interest. The prosperity or decline of the District should heavily weigh on their personal outcomes. If the above is not the case, they can not and should not represent the District.

Read more: Republicans running for Congress: What is biggest challenge in Alabama’s new 2nd District?

Democrats running for Congress: What is biggest challenge in Alabama’s new 2nd District?

Race for Congress in District 2: Democratic candidates on healthcare, rural hospital closures

Race for Congress in District 2: Republican candidates on healthcare, rural hospital closures

AL.com staff writers Roy S. Johnson and John Sharp contributed to this report.