For the first time in 16 years, an Alabama Democratic congressional hopeful has been added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program.

For Shomari Figures, the hope is he can become the first Alabama Democratic candidate to win a general election for a congressional seat after being named to a program that helps candidates with fundraising and organizational support.

Figures joins 20 other Democratic congressional hopefuls throughout the U.S. who the DCCC is adding to a program that illustrates the political group’s interest in providing financial and staff assistance through the campaign cycle. The reason for that is because the DCCC views Figures and its other Red to Blue members as having a good chance of unseating a Republican.

“Shomari Figures is a trusted leader who will usher in a new era of representation for Alabamans from Mobile to Montgomery,” DCCC Chair U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington. “A public servant and community leader, Shomari has worked to expand quality, affordable healthcare and create safer communities.”

Figures, of Mobile, faces off against Republican attorney Caroleene Dobson of Montgomery during the Nov. 5 General Election for the 2nd congressional district seat that groups like Cook Political Report have labeled as “likely Democratic.”

The seat is an open contest after the U.S. Supreme Court, approximately one year ago, ruled Alabama’s congressional map violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It was redrawn to give Black voters a better opportunity to elect a candidate of their choosing.

In October, a federal court approved the newly drawn congressional map for Alabama that changed the 2nd District from one that was solidly Republican to one where a Democrat can win. The Black voting age population of the district is 49%, and analysis submitted to the court showed that Black-preferred candidates – who are Democrats – received more votes in the district than their Republican opponents in 16 of 17 recent elections.

The redrawn district, which takes in all or part of 13 counties from Montgomery to Mobile, from the Georgia line to the Mississippi line.

The current 2nd district congressman – Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Moore of Enterprise – opted to run for the 1st district seat held by Republican U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl of Mobile. Moore defeated Carl during the March primary and has a good shot of winning the general election to a district that is among the 10 most conservative in the country.

Figures is the first Alabama Democratic congressional hopeful to get placed on the Red to Blue program since Josh Segall, a Montgomery Democrat. In 2008, Segall ran a surprisingly competitive race against Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers of Saks for the state’s 3rd congressional seat in the year in which Barack Obama won the presidency. Rogers ultimately won the race with 53 percent of the vote.

The Red to Blue program began in 2006 under then-DCCC Chair Rahm Emanuel.

The DCCC already has added six California Democrats, three New Yorkers and two Iowans to the Red to Blue program. They have also included Democratic candidates in Arizona, Virgnia, Michigan, Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, Oregon, and Texas.

The DCCC is hoping its targeted seats will flip the U.S. House. Republicans hold a narrow 218 to 213 majority in the current Congress. They are starting with a financial advantage over their Republican counterparts. The DCCC raised a record-breaking $12.4 million in April and has hauled in $57.8 million so far in 2024. That is the most for the committee during a presidential election year, according to media reports.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) raised just more than $10 million during April, according to reports.

Figures is the son of longtime state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures and the late Michael Figures, who served 18 years as a state senator until his death in 1996. Shomari Figures worked on Obama’s campaign and has recently served as a deputy chief of staff and counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland while working in the Justice Department.

Figures handily rolled to victories during the March 5, Democratic primary and the April 16, runoff election against Alabama State House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels of Huntsville.

According to the DCCC, Figures is running “for Congress to continue prioritizing the issues he has long championed: expanding healthcare and lowering costs; making communities safer, smarter and more vibrant; and creating good-paying jobs.