Carl, Figures Hold Commanding Fundraising Leads in South Alabama Congressional Races

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl and incumbent Democratic Congressman Shomari Figures are holding significant financial advantages in their respective races for Alabama’s redrawn congressional districts, according to the latest fundraising figures.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Figures maintains roughly a $200,000 cash advantage over his leading Republican challenger, state Rep. Rhett Marques. The incumbent Democrat raised approximately $468,000 between May and June, building a war chest of about $656,000. Marques, who has secured endorsements from President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, raised $168,000 over the same period and holds roughly $450,000 on hand.

Democratic leadership has backed Figures’ reelection bid with contributions from Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, and several Democratic political action committees. PAC contributions make up just over half of his recent fundraising haul.

In the 1st Congressional District, Carl has built a commanding lead among Republican primary contenders. The former congressman raised nearly $309,000 in May and June through his campaign committee, with his joint fundraising committee bringing in an additional $189,000, for total available funds of approximately $438,000.

Carl’s closest primary opponent, Air Force veteran Austin Sidwell, raised just $15,000 and has $10,000 remaining on hand. Other Republican candidates, Lucas Burger and John Mills, reported no fundraising activity during the period.

Democrat Clyde Jones faces no primary opposition in the 1st District and has raised $18,000, with $15,000 currently on hand.

Both special primaries are scheduled for August 11, with the general election set for November 3.

Full Election-Cycle Totals

Looking at cumulative fundraising for the entire campaign cycle rather than just the most recent reporting period, Carl’s advantage widens further. Federal Election Commission filings show Carl has raised $1.065 million overall in his bid to reclaim the 1st Congressional District seat he held from 2021 to 2025 before losing the March 2024 Republican primary to U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, R-Enterprise. Carl has not loaned his campaign any personal money; instead, the Jerry Carl Victory Committee contributed $82,000 and the Republican fundraising platform WinRed added another $101,000. He has spent $696,785 to date and carries a full endorsement from President Donald Trump, who has called Carl a steadfast supporter of his agenda.

Sidwell’s cumulative total stands at $190,248, which includes a $124,000 loan he made to his own campaign plus family contributions; his largest outside donation, $3,500, came from a backer in Mississippi. He has spent roughly $180,000 so far. Mills, who ran for a Florida congressional seat in 2025 before relocating to a rented home in Seminole, Alabama, near the Styx River, has raised just $14,162 cumulatively, almost all of it self-funded, and has spent $15,191.

Democrat Clyde Jones’ cumulative total stands at $55,423 raised and $40,075.67 spent, with no personal loans to his campaign. Lucas Burger, who qualified for the Republican ballot, announced on Facebook in June that he is not actively campaigning, citing a chaotic, last-minute reopening of candidate qualifying amid the ongoing redistricting fight.

Behind the Special Election

The special primary was triggered after the U.S. Supreme Court intervened in Alabama’s long-running redistricting dispute, allowing the state to use a 2023 congressional map rather than a court-ordered version that had split Mobile and Baldwin counties. That court-ordered map, stemming from the Allen v. Milligan case, had combined the city of Mobile with the Black Belt and Montgomery to form a second district with a Black voting-age majority, while shifting the remainder of Mobile County into a 1st District alongside Baldwin County and the Wiregrass. Alabama’s successful appeal, bolstered by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, led the high court to lift a renewed injunction that a three-judge panel had issued in late May. Voters can check their registration status at myinfo.alabamavotes.gov ahead of the August 11 special primary.