Mighty Alabama Strike Force Makes First In-State Deployment, Canvassing Dothan Area for Rhett Marques

DOTHAN, Ala. — For the first time in its 18-year history, the Mighty Alabama Strike Force is working a campaign inside its home state. About 50 volunteers with the Republican get-out-the-vote group fanned out across the greater Dothan area this week to support state Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, the Republican nominee in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.

Until now, the group had deployed only for critical races in battleground states. Its decision to stay home this year reflects how closely watched the 2nd District contest has become, with national Republicans viewing the seat as one that could help decide which party controls the next Congress.

Marques faces U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, the Democratic incumbent, in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Marques: ‘This race is bigger than me’

Before the volunteers headed out to knock on doors, Marques stopped by to thank them. He spoke about the significance of the deployment and the importance to Republicans of flipping the seat.

“This race is bigger than me,” Marques told the group. “It’s about craziness versus common sense, and we have a country to save each other.”

Marques represents Enterprise, in Coffee County, in the Alabama House of Representatives. The Wiregrass, the agricultural region of southeast Alabama that includes Dothan and Enterprise, now forms a core part of the 2nd District.

A call from the RNC

Joan Reynolds, the founder of the Mighty Alabama Strike Force and vice chair of the Alabama Republican Party, said the request to deploy in Alabama came from the national party.

“I had a call from the RNC [Republican National Committee] that this one with district two is very important. We know now, because it’s closer than it has been,” Reynolds said.

Speaking about what the race could mean nationally, she added, “This very well could be the turning point.”

The volunteers will continue getting out the vote for Marques in and around Dothan for the rest of the week leading up to Tuesday’s election. Get-out-the-vote efforts like this one typically focus on door-to-door canvassing and contacting likely supporters to remind them when and where to vote, rather than on persuading undecided voters.

A redrawn district and a competitive race

The 2nd District has been at the center of Alabama’s long-running redistricting fight. Figures won the seat in 2024 under a court-drawn map that stretched from Mobile through Montgomery to the Georgia line and was designed to give Black voters an opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

After U.S. Supreme Court rulings this year allowed Alabama to return to congressional lines the Legislature approved in 2023, the 2nd District was redrawn to take in southeast Alabama, including the Wiregrass counties of Houston, Dale, Coffee, Geneva and Henry, along with Montgomery and other counties. The change made the district more favorable to Republicans. Figures, a Mobile native, has since moved to Montgomery and has argued that the new lines were drawn to defeat him.

Forecasters disagree on how close the race is. A University of Virginia forecasting group recently moved the race to “toss-up,” while other organizations that rate congressional races continue to call it “Leans Republican.”

Both campaigns have drawn heavy outside attention in the final weeks:

• President Donald Trump has renewed his endorsement of Marques.
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise held a rally for Marques earlier this month.
• Figures raised more than $1 million in the third quarter, roughly three times what Marques raised over the same period, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
• A pro-Israel Democratic political action committee has announced plans to spend about $2 million in the district in support of Figures.

What voters in the Wiregrass should know

Polls across Alabama will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters must cast ballots at their assigned precinct and must show a valid photo ID. Voters can confirm their polling place and view a sample ballot through the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.

In addition to the 2nd District race, the ballot includes the race for governor between Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, Democrat Doug Jones and independent Ronald Brunette Jr., along with other statewide offices, legislative seats, local races and proposed constitutional amendments.