Alabama’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District spans 13 counties from the Georgia to the Mississippi line, covering the farmlands of the Black Belt and south Alabama, along with urban Montgomery and Mobile.

Eighteen candidates are on the ballot in Tuesday’s primary, 11 Democrats and seven Republicans.

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

AL.com asked the candidates about their priorities and goals. This story is about the Democrats’ responses to one of those questions. Ten of the 11 sent answers.

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

The Republican responses will come in a separate story.

Question: What do you see as the biggest challenge for the district and what would you – or could you – do in Congress to combat it?

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.

There are a myriad of issues afflicting the district. One of the main challenges that is being faced is labor and economic development. I understand that the U.S. labor force is the pillar of our nation’s strength. We must protect and advance the rights and benefits that our labor force needs to work with dignity and create better lives for themselves and their families.

As a member of Congress, I will support policies designed to strengthen the middle class, increase the minimum wage, provide continuous job training programs, provide resources to support small businesses and expand paid family leave.

Napoleon Bracy Jr.

Napoleon Bracy Jr. has represented a Mobile County district in the Legislature since 2010. He previously served on the Prichard City Council.

The biggest challenge I’ve heard from traveling across the district is the lack of livable wages. Inflation is hitting us all, and as a member of Congress, addressing it will remain at the top of my priority list, but despite the inflation, the federal minimum wage has not increased since 2009.

To address this directly, I believe the best avenue is for the federal minimum wage to align with the minimum wage for federal contractors.

Secondly, to ensure our communities have access to more economic opportunities, I will fight for suppliers to be located in smaller, rural areas to expand economic opportunities.

(Bracy said he would be taking to a federal level) the work I’ve done over the last decade, creating avenues for job training to prepare people to get high-paying jobs that will help them support their families.

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.

It really depends on where you are in the district to what the major issue is, and throughout my listening sessions I heard issues such as gun violence, water issues, broadband, healthcare and access to hospitals, expanding the Farm Act, education, mental health, economic development and jobs.

I did find though that there was one common theme that came up throughout the sessions. The common theme was access to technical assistance and access to money and resources. As the Congresswoman, I intend to not only pass meaningful legislation but to also make sure that Congressional District 2 gets all of the financial assistance and projects that she deserves.

My signature project will be to provide a one-stop-shop or technical assistance clearinghouse of information, grants and resources for entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and faith based organizations. I believe that many of the problems that our communities face, we can solve ourselves, if we have the resources to do the work.

Anthony Daniels

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

Advancing economic opportunities across the state is always at the forefront of my work. When I introduced and led the passage of a new law that eliminates the state’s five percent income tax on overtime pay, it was because I saw Alabamians working harder to make ends meet and saw this legislation as a way to provide real-time relief for these families.

I strongly believe that investing in Alabama workers is how we nurture sustainable long-term growth, whether that means bolstering workforce training or incentivizing employer-provided childcare.

Four in 10 Alabama kids lack access to childcare, impacting the ability of families to prosper and provide a brighter future to their children. I’m working to establish an employer tax credit and a childcare provider tax credit, and will work with current members of Congress to explore solutions to paid parental, caregiving, and personal medical leave for all Americans, so that parents in the second district can pursue their career dreams while ensuring their children are on a path to success.

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.

As we travel across this district, it is abundantly clear that there is not a universal “biggest challenge” for this district. We face a variety of challenges and, at the end of the day, the majority of the problems District 2 residents want addressed relate to education, finances, health, and safety.

We hear from parents who want their children to be educated in modernized schools by teachers who are paid their value and treated as the critical professionals they are. We hear from retirees and grandparents who worry if they get sick, it may take too long for an ambulance to arrive or take too long to get to a hospital because of the lack of resources in their towns. We hear from families who are falling behind because their wages simply cannot keep up with the high costs of goods and childcare.

We hear from citizens who are concerned because the state makes it harder to vote and tries to limit the impact of their vote. We hear from mothers and fathers who pray that when their phone rings at night, it’s not a call telling them their child is a victim of gun violence. These are real problems. Problems faced by hard-working people across this District everyday.

As Congressman for District 2, I would work to bring resources to Alabama to modernize our educational infrastructure, support our teachers, and enhance emergency care and response services in our rural areas. As a small business owner, I will support efforts to incentivize companies to bring more jobs to this District and pay workers more.

I would advocate for more childcare tax credits and fight to lower the cost of childcare for hard working mothers and fathers. I would work to strengthen our voting laws and push back on state efforts to limit voter participation, and I would make sure that we are going after every dollar possible to fund local programs and efforts that make our communities stronger, safer and reduce the likelihood of children and young people from going down the wrong path.

Juandalynn Givan

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

The issues and obstacles in Congressional District 2 are the same issues that we continue to fight each and every day. The issues in District 2 are no different than issues in other districts.

You have counties that are rural Black Belt counties, you have counties in which there are still issues of having clean, fresh running water. You’re still dealing with issues of environmental justice. You’re still dealing with issues of lack of proper transportation, lack of infrastructure. Some roads have still not been paved and we received billions of dollars last year from the federal government but we still have counties that can’t get adequate internet service and broadband. Healthcare and adequate access to healthcare remains an issue.

Education, some counties still only have just one or two high schools, or elementary or middle schools per 20 to 30 miles. If we want our educational system in the state to grow we must grow our schools.

Voting rights remains an issue. Our most fundamental right is under attack, human rights, social justice, civil justice, and or injustice is an issue. Crime is at an all-time high even if you’re in rural Alabama, you’re still dealing with issues of gun control, kids with access to guns here in the state of Alabama.

Reproductive rights, a woman’s right to choose what’s right for her body even in times of a health crisis. If a woman chooses to have an abortion and they live in District 2, they fear for their lives or their freedom because they cannot get access or they feel that there’s not enough access that allows them to choose what’s right for their bodies here in the state of Alabama.

Lastly, our government workers that live in District 2, every 2 to 3 months, they are faced with whether or not the government will shut down, whether they will be able to make ends meet. This becomes a becomes a huge obstacle because each month to 2 to 3 months the federal government and members of Congress are having to deal with stopgap measures in order to stop a government shut down.

When I am elected to Congress, I want to be at the forefront of these fights, addressing these key issues of the debt ceiling, making sure that all voices are heard, making sure that the people of district know that I am in Washington, and I am not only advocating and fighting for them, but I am a warrior for these issues that impact them on a daily basis.

Jeremy Gray

Jeremy Gray was elected to the Alabama House in 2018 and represents a district in Lee and Russell counties.

The biggest challenge facing District 2 is the need for economic revitalization and job creation. We must address the economic disparities in our district by investing in infrastructure projects, supporting small businesses, and expanding access to quality education and vocational training programs.

In Congress, I would work to secure federal funding for infrastructure projects that can provide job opportunities and stimulate economic growth in our communities. I would also advocate for policies that promote economic development, such as tax incentives for businesses that create jobs in our district.

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 challenges facing District 2 are multi-faceted and require immediate attention. However, the biggest challenge for the district, as a whole, is education. Of the 13 counties I seek to represent, not one county public school system demonstrated 50% proficiency in reading nor math on assessments; Russell County had a 48.9% proficiency in reading, but 18% proficiency in math. Unbelievably, one county achieved less than 10% proficiency in math. Science proficiency was just as low throughout the newly drawn lines.

We must have an educated young workforce if we wish to be competitive to corporations looking to expand. Innovation is a by-product of educated minds. An educated Alabama would truly change our district and state. As a member of Congress, I will be committed to leveraging my position to address the education deficits and problems throughout the district.

I intend to advocate for substantial federal investment in public education through my Comprehensive Education Investment Act (CEIA), which would require partnerships throughout the district. The CEIA would provide funding for teacher raises, building renovations or rebuilds, hiring redefined parental liaisons and paying math and reading tutors.

By securing the funding investment for education, we could bolster academic performance, increase workforce development, stir economic growth and innovation, and improve the quality of life for citizens in District 2. My goal is to bring tangible and positive change to our district by effectively utilizing the resources and networks available to me as a member of Congress.

Willie J. Lenard

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

The biggest challenge in District 2 and the state of Alabama is white male domination of all economic resources and political power. All of the political power of government in the state of Alabama is concentrated in the hands of one population group, white men. White men, as indicated from past experiences, are not attuned to solving the problems and issues of Black and poor people of Alabama. The Supreme Court of the United States in its recent decision said, “The Alabama State Legislature and the State Government of Alabama is damaging its own citizens.”

Black communities, cities, and towns across the State of Alabama are disaster zones. The larger cities and towns in our district, such as Mobile, Montgomery, and Phenix City are old slave port river towns with infrastructures that are crumbling, dilapidated housing that is an eyesore for all who look, and boarded-up businesses that serve only the egos of the deranged.

Proposal: We will submit a congressional proposal to obtain an $8 billion grant from U. S. government sources for small cities and towns in Alabama Congressional District 2 (Montgomery, Mobile, Tuskegee, Eufaula, Troy, Phenix City, etc.).

Create rural, suburban, and urban affordable home construction and reclamation projects. Create rural mental and medical health initiatives.

Create technical training, (software/hardware development, artificial intelligence programming and technology, computer network security, cable installers, 3D manufacturing, internet/Wi-Fi service providers, manufacturing technology, heavy equipment and road construction, etc.)

Vimal Patel

Vimal Patel 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.

Our biggest challenge as D2 will be economical in nature and as a multi-generational small business owner, I know how money works and if elected, I will make it work for us.

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

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

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