Shomari Figures AL-02

Shomari Figures

Summary

Shomari Coleman Figures (born September 3, 1985) is an American politician from Mobile, Alabama. A member of the Democratic Party, Figures is the member-elect for the United States House of Representatives in Alabama’s 2nd congressional district.

Figures is the son of Michael Figures, a civil rights attorney and member of the Alabama Senate, and Vivian Davis Figures, who succeeded her husband in the Alabama Senate after his death. His father was the attorney of Beulah Mae Donald whose son was lynched by members of the United Klans of America. Donald was awarded $7 million dollars, which bankrupted the organization.

OnAir Post: Shomari Figures AL-02

About

Shomari Figures 1Alabama is home. It is where I was raised in my grandfather’s church and where I was educated from kindergarten to degree in law. The people and places of the state made me who I am today. Inspired by parents Michael and Vivian Figures, who devoted their careers to public service and instilled in me the values of service and community, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to advocate for the people and places that have always been at the core of who I am: the people of Alabama.

My father, Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer. For over two decades, he fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. My mother served on the Mobile City Council at the time of my father’s sudden death, and she was elected to fill his seat in the State Senate. She still serves as a State Senator and has worked to protect women’s rights and improve health and education in Alabama.

meet Shomari

Alabama is home. It is where I was raised in my grandfather’s church and where I was educated from kindergarten to degree in law. The people and places of the state made me who I am today. Inspired by parents Michael and Vivian Figures, who devoted their careers to public service and instilled in me the values of service and community, I’ve dedicated my life’s work to advocate for the people and places that have always been at the core of who I am: the people of Alabama.

 

My father, Michael Figures, was a state senator and lawyer. For over two decades, he fought to expand rights for Black people in Mobile and across Black Belt Alabama. He worked to protect property rights and ensure fair representation for Black people and successfully brought the lawsuit that bankrupted the Klan after they lynched a Black teenager in Mobile in 1981. My mother served on the Mobile City Council at the time of my father’s sudden death, and she was elected to fill his seat in the State Senate. She still serves as a State Senator and has worked to protect women’s rights and improve health and education in Alabama.

After graduating from John L. LeFlore High School, I went on to the University of Alabama and then followed in my father’s footsteps and went to law school at the University of Alabama. Keeping the values of service and community formed in my childhood at the forefront, I immediately went to work in public service, ultimately serving in all three branches of the federal government.

After serving as a law clerk on the federal court, I worked on President Barack Obama’s campaign, and then went to work in the White House with President Obama, serving as the Domestic Director of Presidential Personnel. In the White House, I worked to build the teams at agencies critical to implementing President Obama’s policies. I worked closely with senior leadership at agencies that touch the daily lives of people in Alabama, including the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and Justice. I was proud to be able to support, from the ground up, the implementation of policies and legislation like the Affordable Care Act, which has improved the lives of thousands in Alabama.

I went on to serve as the White House Liaison at the Department of Justice, and then as a Counsel in Congress, where I served as an advisor on issues including civil rights, immigration, homeland security, child welfare, and policing. After leaving Congress, I worked on the  Biden-Harris Transition Team, and then returned to the Department of Justice where I most recently served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor Attorney General Merrick Garland. The time I spent in the federal government was dedicated to advising leaders on issues that impact families across Alabama and throughout the nation. I worked on issues that supported students and teachers, expanded access to quality healthcare, increased job and workforce opportunities, and building stronger, safer communities.

 

Now, as the proud husband of a former school teacher and strong advocate for our communities, Dr. Kalisha Dessources Figures, and father of three – Micah, Novah, and Zorah – I came  home to run for Congress so that I can put my experience to use for the people and communities that mean the most to me. People across the newly formed District 2 deserve to have a leader in Congress who will prioritize them and can effectively fight to get things done. For too long, too many communities in this District have not been a priority in Washington and have had to do more with less. In this election, we can change our story..

I have the experience to get the job done in Washington. I know how the federal government works. I’ve built the relationships needed to work across party lines and do the most good. I understand the challenges we are up against. With your support, I’ll go to Washington to keep fighting for a stronger, more resilient District 2 so that we can move forward – forward, together.

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More Information

Wikipedia

Alabama’s 2nd congressional district since 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Figures was first elected in 2024.

Early life and education

Shomari Coleman Figures was born in Mobile, Alabama, on September 3, 1985.[1] Figures is the son of Michael Figures, a civil rights attorney and member of the Alabama Senate, and Vivian Davis Figures, who succeeded her husband in the Alabama Senate after his death. His father was the attorney of Beulah Mae Donald whose son, Michael, was lynched by members of the United Klans of America. Donald was awarded $7 million dollars, which bankrupted the organization.[2][3]

Figures was raised in Mobile, where he attended Council Elementary School and Phillips Middle School before graduating from LeFlore Magnet High School.[4] He attended the University of Alabama and earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice and history in 2006 and the University of Alabama School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor in 2010.[5]

Career

After law school, Figures served as a law clerk for Nannette A. Baker of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.[4] He next worked for Barack Obama‘s 2012 reelection campaign as a field organizer in Akron, Ohio.[6][7] He subsequently served as domestic director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office in the Obama administration before becoming the White House liaison to Loretta Lynch, the attorney general of the United States.[8] Figures later became legislative counsel for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (OH) and worked on the presidential transition of Joe Biden.[6] He subsequently served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland until resigning in October 2023.[4]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Alabama’s 2nd congressional district (2025–2027)

Following Allen v. Milligan, the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s previous map violated the Voting Rights Act, because it dispersed the Black population, preventing voters from electing their choice of representative. To reflect the demograhics of the state, the Court ordered Alabama to redraw its congressional maps to have an additional Black district. Alabama’s 2nd congressional district was redrawn to reflect a contiguous Black majority.[9]

In November 2023, Figures declared his candidacy to represent Alabama’s 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.[10] In the Democratic primary, he led the 11-candidate field with 44% of the vote and advanced to a mid-April runoff election against Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels.[11][12] In the primary race, cryptocurrency political action committees spent millions to elect him and months after the primary, Figures asked the Democratic National Committee to adopt more pro-crypto policies in addition to encouraging Kamala Harris to select a “pro-innovation” Securities and Exchange Commission chair and a vice presidential candidate “sophisticated in digital asset policy”.[13]

Figures defeated Daniels with 61% of the vote in the April runoff election.[14] Figures spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.[15] He defeated Republican Caroleene Dobson to win election to Congress[16] and was sworn into office on January 3, 2025.[17] Upon taking office on January 3, 2025; Figures became the first Democrat since 1963 to represent a significant portion of Mobile, and only the fourth since then to represent a significant portion of Montgomery.

Tenure

In 2025, Figures introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Stabilization Act, which would provide federal grants to support rural hospitals.[18] He also co-introduced the Bridge to Medicaid Act with Representative Terri Sewell, legislation that would provide temporary health care subsidies for individuals in the Medicaid coverage gap in states that have not expanded Medicaid.[19] He later co-introduced that year the bipartisan Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, which would establish a federal framework governing college athletes’ compensation from their name, image, and likeness.[20]

In 2026, Figures introduced the Affordable Youth Enrichment Opportunities Act, legislation that would create a federal tax deduction for eligible parents’ out-of-pocket expenses for children’s extracurricular activities, including sports, arts programs, and academic enrichment activities.[21] Later that year, he introduced the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Act, legislation that would authorize the construction of a memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, with funding provided by the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. rather than federal funds. The bill received bipartisan support from the other members of Alabama’s congressional delegation, who joined as cosponsors.[22]

Committee assignments

Figures on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 2025

For the 119th Congress:[23][24]

Caucus memberships

Davis’s caucus memberships include:[24]

Political positions

Education

On December 9, 2025, Figures voted in favor of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025. The act passed overwhelmingly in the chamber, passing in a vote of 399–5.[25] The act extends federal payments to rural counties to support schools, roads, and local services.[26][27]

Healthcare

Figures supports expanding Medicaid in Alabama and has advocated federal assistance for rural hospitals, arguing that access to local hospitals is important for both health care and economic development.[28][19]

Personal life

Figures met Kalisha Dessources in 2014 while they both worked at the White House. They married on December 2, 2018,[29] and have three children.[4] They live in Mobile, Alabama.[24] He is a Protestant.[30]

Electoral history

[31]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticShomari Figures 24,980 43.4
DemocraticAnthony Daniels 12,879 22.4
DemocraticNapoleon Bracy Jr.9,01015.7
DemocraticMerika Coleman3,4456.0
DemocraticPhyllis Harvey-Hall2,0073.5
DemocraticJames Averhart1,6232.8
DemocraticJeremy Gray1,5802.7
DemocraticJuandalynn Givan1,2612.2
DemocraticVimal Patel2890.5
DemocraticLarry Darnell Simpson2470.4
DemocraticWillie Lenard1990.3
Total votes57,520 100.0
[32]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticShomari Figures 21,926 61.0
DemocraticAnthony Daniels13,99039.0
Total votes35,916 100.0
[33]
PartyCandidateVotes%
DemocraticShomari Figures 158,041 54.56%
RepublicanCaroleene Dobson131,41445.37%
Write-in2190.07%
Total votes289,674 100.00
Democratic gain from Republican

References

  1. Sharp, John (April 17, 2024). “Who are Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson? 5 things to know about Alabama’s competitive District 2 race”. AL.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  2. Tensley, Brandon (January 22, 2024). “His Father Bankrupted the Klan. He Wants to Keep Fighting for Racial Justice in Congress”. Capital B News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  3. Wright, David; Shelton, Shania (April 17, 2024). “General election matchup set in potentially historic race for new Alabama district, CNN projects”. CNN. Archived from the original on June 14, 2024. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Roy S. (October 24, 2023). “Member of Figures political family exploring congressional District 2 race; which one?”. AL.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  5. “2nd Congressional District: Shomari Figures wants to leverage federal experience”. News From The States.
  6. 1 2 “Figures in AL-2 race: ‘I know how government works’. Alabama Daily News. January 4, 2024. Archived from the original on March 3, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  7. Jacobs, Samuel P. (January 7, 2013). “For Obama’s second inauguration, a subdued, less crowded Washington”. Reuters. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  8. “Shomari Figures: Serving the Nation”. University of Alabama School of Law. December 9, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  9. “Alabama gets a court-ordered congressional map with a second Black district”. NBC News. October 5, 2023. Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  10. Johnson, Roy S. (November 9, 2023). “Ex-Obama aide, DOJ official qualifies for crowded field of district 2 hopefuls”. AL.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  11. Booker, Brakkton (March 12, 2024). “Shomari Figures on making Alabama history”. Politico.
  12. Cason, Mike (March 6, 2024). “Figures, Daniels make Democratic runoff in 2nd District”. AL.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  13. Phillips, Chance (July 29, 2024). “Shomari Figures asks DNC to go easy on crypto”. Alabama Political Reporter. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  14. Hagan, Victor. “Shomari Figures wins Democratic nomination in Alabama’s newly drawn 2nd Congressional District”. Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  15. Cason, Mike (August 19, 2024). “Alabama congressional candidate Shomari Figures will speak at Democratic convention”. AL.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  16. “Shomari Figures wins bid to represent Alabama district embroiled in Supreme Court case”. NBC News. November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  17. Angle, Alex (January 4, 2025). “Figures sworn in as Alabama’s newest congressman”. Alabama Daily News.
  18. Angle, Alex (May 5, 2025). “Figures aims to support struggling rural hospitals with a new bill”. Alabama Daily News. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Staff (May 9, 2025). “Reps. Sewell, Figures introduce Bridge to Medicaid Act to cover uninsured Alabamians”. Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  20. Angle, Alex (July 15, 2025). “Figures leads a bipartisan bill on national NIL guidelines”. Alabama Daily News. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  21. Moon, Josh (June 24, 2026). “Figures introduces legislation to help working families afford youth sports, arts programs”. Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  22. Angle, Alex (July 24, 2026). “Figures, Alabama delegation push to build Tuskegee Airmen memorial in DC”. Decatur Daily. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  23. “List of Standing Committees and Select Committees of the House of Representatives” (PDF). Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  24. 1 2 3 “Rep. Shomari Figures – D Alabama, 2nd, In Office – Biography | LegiStorm”. www.legistorm.com. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
  25. GovTrack (December 9, 2025). “S. 356 Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025”. GovTrack. Retrieved December 16, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. “Congress passes Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 in victory for counties | National Association of Counties”. www.naco.org. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  27. “Congress approves Secure Rural Schools funding critical to rural Northwest counties”. opb. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  28. Duggins, Pat. “APR Notebook: Making every moment count in the U.S. House of Representatives”. Alabama Public Radio. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  29. “Kalisha Dessources, Shomari Figures”. The New York Times. December 2, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  30. “Religious affiliation of members of the 119th Congress” (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  31. “Democratic Party Official 2024 Primary Election Results” (XLS). alabama.sos.gov. Alabama Secretary of State. March 14, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  32. “Alabama 2nd Congressional District Primary Runoff Election Results”. The New York Times. June 26, 2024. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  33. Alabama State Canvassing Board (November 26, 2024). “State Certification of 2024 General Election” (PDF). sos.alabama.gov. Montgomery: Secretary of State of Alabama. p. 17. Retrieved December 31, 2024.

Alabama’s 2nd congressional district
2025–present


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