Alabama’s 2nd congressional district is poised to flip from a Republican stronghold to a likely Democratic seat after a long and surprising judicial battle wrapped up earlier this month over congressional redistricting.

Only one vexing question remains: Where are the candidates?

Nearly one month since qualifying began for the Alabama Democratic Party to run for a 2024 office, no one has offered up their candidacy for the new District 2 seat, despite public interest expressed by potential candidates from Huntsville to the Gulf of Mexico. No Republican has qualified either, making the race a mystery 20 days before the qualifying deadline ends for both political parties.

“I know there are candidates who have publicly expressed interest to run in the reconfigured District 2,” said Deuel Ross, a civil rights attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, who was one of the attorneys to argue Allen v. Milligan before the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in the new district lines. “Candidates often wait until the last minute to apply.”

Indeed, all eyes are on the rush after Halloween to see who will toss their names out first to run for the congressional seat. The deadline to qualify is 5 p.m. on Nov. 10, for both Democrats and Republicans.

The prospects for a Democratic pick-up in Alabama are high after the district was redrawn by a Special Master and solidified earlier this month by federal judges. The new District 2′s voting-age population is 47.6% Black-45% white.

The end result is that the new map, instead of six safe Republican districts and one safe Democratic district, will now have two districts where Democrats have a realistic chance to win — Districts 2 and 7. Incumbent U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham has filed to run again for the District 7 seat.

Alabama, since 1992, has only had one majority Black congressional district since Reconstruction and only three Black members of Congress have been elected from the state, all from Alabama’s 7th congressional district – Earl Hilliard, Artur Davis, and Terri Sewell.

Cook Political Report rated the newly drawn 2nd District a +4 Democratic advantage, according to its latest Partisan Voting Index analysis provided to AL.com. That new score, based on past presidential race outcomes, represents a dramatic shift from a congressional district that was rated a +17 advantage for Republicans under the previous congressional map.

“In my opinion, there’s a little bit of fear of jumping out first and certain candidates are feeling out the public sentiment by throwing their names out and seeing what the public response is,” said Sheena Gamble, spokeswoman for the Alabama Democratic Party.

Gamble said the candidates are “in the process of qualifying” to run for the congressional seat. She said there is no surprise that no one has come forward as a candidate. The party is keeping its slate of qualified candidates for the 2024 elections updated on its website.

“There is a lot of interest and certain candidates are trying to get their ducks in a row,” Gamble said, adding that two candidates are imminent and could be known soon.

Brent Buchanan, a GOP pollster based in Montgomery, said the qualifying period is only paid attention by political insiders. He said that most primary voters will not pay any attention to the races until just weeks before the primary elections on March 5, 2024.

“I would expect (Congressional District 2) to draw a number of Democratic candidates, but my guess is many of them are waiting for Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed to make a move,” Buchanan said.

Indeed, Reed is viewed as one of the favorites for the seat if he decides to run. Reed, the city’s first Black mayor who was re-elected to a four-year term in August, told AL.com’s Mike Cason recently that he was deliberating on the decision “very intentionally.”

State Rep. Sam Jones, D-Mobile, who served as the Port City’s first Black mayor from 2005-2013, said he does not think candidates are waiting on Reed to make a splash first. He said that candidates who are seriously considering the race are “testing support bases” and “looking at where they can get contributions from.”

Jones said he anticipates the race to be expensive with campaigns having to dive into media markets in both Mobile and Montgomery, and perhaps beyond. The district now stretches into most of Mobile and northeast into Montgomery and to the Alabama-Georgia border in Russell and Barbour counties.

The contest is drawing interest from candidates who do not live within the House district’s boundaries including Birmingham area politicians like Rep. Juandalynn Givan, Sen. Merika Coleman, and Jefferson County Sheila Tyson. The U.S. Constitution does not have residency requirements to run for Congress other than someone has to live within the state.

Also considering a run is Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, a Democratic state lawmaker from Huntsville who grew up in Bullock County, which is in the 2nd district.

“Bullock County is my home and many from the district have been reaching out to me,” Daniels told AL.com on Thursday. “It’s very encouraging and I am humble that folks are reaching out.”

U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise, who is the incumbent congressman for District 2, could also run for the seat. He has said he is praying over his future political decisions and has not committed to whether he will run in District 2 or battle incumbent U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Mobile, in the redrawn and much more conservative Alabama Congressional District 1. Moore now lives in District 1.

Jones said he believes there are at least “seven or eight” candidates kicking the tires to see if a run for the congressional seat makes sense.

Alabama State Senator Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, is also seriously considering a run. State Rep. Napoleon Bracy, D-Prichard, has also expressed interest.

“A lot of people are interested,” Jones said. “Congressional seats don’t come up a lot for Democrats. The opportunity doesn’t present itself to Democrats. When you see something like this happen, naturally, you will have a number of people interested.”