Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed endorses Shomari Figures

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed endorses Democratic 2nd Congressional District candidate Shomari Figures on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024 in Montgomery. Figures faces Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson in the November election. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed endorsed Shomari Figures for U.S. House 2nd Congressional District during a press conference on Tuesday in Montgomery.

Reed, a Democrat like Figures, said it was important to elect leaders who would advance equality, justice, and economic opportunity, particularly in the face of challenges to the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.

“The progress has to continue, and so for that, we believe we need someone who is ready to stand for the people of our great city, ready to stand for the people of this great district, and so this is not a time to sit on the sidelines,” said Reed, the first Black mayor of Montgomery.

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He said Figures is a candidate who understands the needs of central and south Alabama and who is prepared to represent the district in Washington, D.C.

“What we’ve seen is a leader who may be new to the scene but is not new to service. He has shown a dedication to doing just that,” Reed said, referencing his time in the Department of Justice under the Obama administration.

Figures, who spoke after Reed, discussed the history of civil rights in Montgomery and the broader district.  He called Montgomery “the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement” and stressed the importance of federal representation that reflects the district’s history.

“Montgomery is the single most important American city in the 20th century because of the movement that was birthed out of here. That is a sentiment that I know Mayor Reed has expressed in the past before. It’s something that I genuinely believe,” Figures said.

Figures also addressed concerns about recent state-level efforts to restrict voting rights by passing a law that restricts absentee voting assistance and said the campaign would fight against disenfranchisement and will promote voter participation. He said that voters will “have to pop out and show America that we’re not going back. We are going forward.”

“We have faced much worse in terms of disenfranchisement efforts in this state and in this country. People risk their lives to vote in the past. So, we’ll get around this bill. We’ll continue to work and organize around it and educate voters about it — about the do’s and don’ts under this new bill,” Figures said.

Figures faces Republican nominee Caroleene Dobson in the November election. The 2nd Congressional District, redrawn last year , includes Montgomery and stretches from Mobile County in the southwest corner of the state across the southern Black Belt to the Georgia border.

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