Figures Tops $1 Million in Third-Quarter Fundraising, Triple Marques’ Haul in 2nd District

WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures raised roughly three times as much money as Republican challenger Rhett Marques in third-quarter fundraising, new campaign finance reports show, giving the incumbent a significant cash advantage heading into the final weeks of the race for Alabama’s redrawn 2nd Congressional District.

Reports filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission show Figures brought in more than $1 million from the last week of July through the end of September. Marques, a state representative from Enterprise, raised about $317,000 over the same stretch.

The new third-quarter fundraising numbers arrive as both parties pour resources into a district that Republicans redrew earlier this year to improve their odds. Nonpartisan forecasters still rate the seat as favoring Republicans, but the money gap shows how hard Democrats are fighting to hold it.

Figures tops $1 million for the quarter

Nearly $500,000 of Figures’ third-quarter contributions came from individual donors, according to the filings, while about $269,000 came from political action committees.

National Democrats have also stepped in. A Democratic joint fundraising committee dedicated to helping vulnerable House incumbents transferred $219,500 to Figures’ campaign committee during the quarter. Joint fundraising committees allow several campaigns or party committees to raise money together and then divide the proceeds among participants.

Among Figures’ contributors during the period:

• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, now speaker emerita, and her leadership PAC, which together gave $7,000.
• Several other House Democrats, including fellow Alabama Democrat U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell of Birmingham.
• Coinbase Innovation PAC, a pro-cryptocurrency group, which gave $2,500.
• PACs tied to Uber, L3Harris Technologies and New York Life Insurance Company, each of which gave $5,000.

The Pelosi contributions have already become a campaign issue. Earlier this month, the Marques campaign called on Figures to return donations from political committees tied to the former speaker. Read more about that exchange.

Figures’ campaign spent about $338,000 during the third quarter, mostly on travel, lodging and catering, according to the filings. He entered October with $1.38 million in cash on hand.

For the full election cycle, Figures has raised a total of $2.4 million and spent about $1.4 million.

Marques leans on Alabama business PACs

Of the roughly $317,000 Marques raised during the quarter, about $191,000, a little more than half, came from individual donors. Political action committees contributed about $106,000 from the last week of July through September.

Several Alabama-based business and agriculture PACs were among his contributors:

• Drummond Company of Birmingham gave $5,000, bringing its total for the cycle to $10,000.
• The Alabama Farmers Federation PAC, which has endorsed Marques, gave $5,000, also bringing its cycle total to $10,000.
• PACs for Birmingham law firm Maynard Nexsen, Protective Life and Regions Financial each gave $5,000.

Marques also drew support from House Republican leaders. The leadership PAC of U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio gave $5,000, and Jordan’s campaign committee added $2,000. House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan also contributed.

Marques’ campaign spent about $177,000 during the period on expenses including media buys, travel and direct mail. He began October with about $328,000 in cash on hand.

Over the full cycle, Marques has raised about $1.6 million and spent about $1.3 million. His total includes money raised during a competitive Republican primary that he won in August.

How the numbers have changed since summer

The new reports show the fundraising gap widening over the past three months. At the end of July, Figures had raised just under $1.4 million for the cycle and reported $662,600 in cash on hand. Marques had raised slightly more than $1.3 million and reported $187,718 in the bank. Read our earlier look at the race’s fundraising and polls.

At that time, the two campaigns’ donor bases looked quite different. Marques had drawn most of his money, roughly $1.13 million, from individual donors, while Figures had relied more heavily on PACs, which had given him roughly $830,000. In the third quarter, individual donors made up the largest share of contributions for both candidates.

Cash on hand matters because it determines how much a campaign can spend on television, digital advertising, mail and get-out-the-vote operations in the closing stretch. With a little over two weeks remaining, Figures holds roughly four times as much money as Marques.

Outside money and the national picture

Candidate fundraising is only part of the spending in the race. Outside groups, which can raise and spend unlimited sums as long as they do not coordinate with campaigns, have invested millions of dollars in advertising.

Democratic-aligned groups have spent heavily to try to keep the seat in their party’s hands. On the Republican side, a super PAC aligned with President Donald Trump increased its ad spending in the race this week, pushing its total past $2 million in support of Marques.

Both parties view the 2nd District as one of the races that could help decide which party controls the U.S. House after the midterm elections. Republicans hold a narrow majority, and analysts have described the Alabama seat as one of a handful of districts that will signal how the national environment is playing out.

Nonpartisan election forecasters rate the race as likely Republican. Trump would have carried the district by about 14 points in 2024, according to analyses of the new lines.

A district reshaped by redistricting

Figures, a first-term congressman from Mobile, won the seat in 2024 under a map drawn after years of litigation over whether Alabama’s congressional districts diluted the voting power of Black residents. That version of the 2nd District was designed as a second district in which Black voters would have an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Alabama Republicans redrew the map earlier this year in a special legislative session. The new 2nd District, which includes Montgomery, Dothan and much of the Wiregrass, is whiter and more rural than before and no longer includes Mobile County, Figures’ home base.

Before he was elected to Congress, Figures served as deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Marques has served in the Alabama House since 2018 and is backed by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, an Enterprise native, along with a list of business and agriculture groups.

The candidates have clashed over taxes, tariffs, federal spending, farm policy and debates. Figures has accepted three debate invitations; Marques has said he will not debate.

Endorsements and polling

Marques’ endorsements include the Alabama Farmers Federation, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Alabama Forestry Association, the Home Builders Association of Alabama and Manufacture Alabama. Figures has been endorsed by Democratic-aligned organizations including the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund and the League of Conservation Voters.

Public polling in the race has been limited. An average of the few public surveys has shown Marques with about a 4-point edge. The most recent public poll, released last month by House Majority PAC, a Democratic group, and conducted by Tulchin Research, found the candidates tied at 47% each. Polls sponsored by partisan organizations should be viewed with caution.

Analysts have said turnout is likely to decide the race. Democrats are counting on strong participation in Montgomery County, the district’s largest population center, along with smaller Black Belt communities, while Republicans are relying on heavy margins in Wiregrass counties such as Houston, Coffee, Dale and Geneva. Both campaigns’ cash will largely go toward reaching and mobilizing those voters.

What comes next

Federal candidates must file a pre-general election report with the FEC 12 days before Election Day, covering activity through the 20th day before the election. That means voters will get one more look at the candidates’ finances before Nov. 3. Large contributions received in the final weeks before the election must also be reported within 48 hours. All of the filings are public and searchable on the FEC’s website, fec.gov.

Key dates for voters in the district:

• Voter registration deadline: Monday, Oct. 19.
• Absentee ballot applications: Mailed applications must be received by Oct. 27; in-person applications are due Oct. 29.
• Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Because district lines changed this year, voters can confirm which congressional district they live in and where they vote through AlabamaVotes.gov or their county board of registrars.