State Sen. Kirk Hatcher of Montgomery said Monday he will run for Congress in Alabama’s redrawn 2nd District, a decision that he said came after discussions with Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, a longtime friend.

Hatcher said Reed decided not to run and said he expects Reed to support his candidacy.

Reed, Montgomery’s first Black mayor, was elected to a second term in August. Reed had recently told AL.com he was weighing a decision on whether to run for Congress.

Hatcher said his decision was difficult.

“People use that expression, after much deliberation and prayer. Let me tell you, it is absolutely the case for me,” Hatcher said. “Because of course, it continues to be my view that Mayor Reed is a far, far better choice for us. But I understand why (Reed is not running). He has a mandate given to him only two months and some change ago. So, he needs to carry that through.”

Hatcher, 58, a Montgomery native who has served in the Legislature since 2018, said he talks with the mayor regularly.

“For the sake of transparency, the mayor and I are pretty much like family folk and have been for almost 40 years,” Hatcher said. “We talk about things related to this city and otherwise on a daily basis. And this has certainly been at the top of the list for us.

“I didn’t come to this conclusion without the two of us having conversations about the priorities as it relates to not only his role as mayor of the city but mine as currently the senator for District 26 representing easily 80% or more of the city.”

A new map drawn by a federal court changed District 2 from a safe Republican district to one that favors Democrats. District 2 now includes all of Montgomery County, which previous maps divided into more than one district. Hatcher said that makes Montgomery County the anchor of the district.

“Since it’s anchored here in Montgomery, we need to have someone from Montgomery, a strong candidate running,” Hatcher said. “So here we are. We’re out here hopefully doing just that.”

State Rep Napoleon Bracy, Jr., D-Mobile, has also announced he is running for the 2nd District Congressional seat.

Several potential candidates have stated they are considering a run for District 2, though not yet confirmed their intent to do so. They include Shomari Figures, son of Alabama state Sen. Vivian Figures and former Department of Justice official; House Minority leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville; Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson; State Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Birmingham, and state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham.

Alabama Political Reporter first reported that Hatcher was running and Reed was not.

District 2 is now represented by Congressman Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. The redrawn map moved Moore’s hometown into District 1, now represented by Congressman Jerry Carl, R-Mobile. Moore has announced he will challenge Carl in District 1.

Battle of the GOP congressmen: It’s Moore-Carl in race for AL01

This story will be updated.