Figures Calls Out ‘Santa Claus’ in Victory Speech; Enterprise Pastor Who Plays Him Replies, ‘Bless His Heart’

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures used his victory speech Tuesday to call out those who opposed his re-election, from members of Alabama’s congressional delegation to business interests across the state. One opponent stood out: Santa Claus.

“I’ve seen a video earlier today that damn Santa Claus down in Enterprise was against us,” Figures told supporters at a rally in Montgomery after defeating Republican state Rep. Rhett Marques in the 2nd Congressional District. “Santa Claus. Here’s the thing, those elected officials that went against us, my hand is still extended to you.”

The Santa in question is Donnie Uptain, 72, of Enterprise, a pastor at Victoria Baptist Church in the unincorporated community of Jack in Coffee County. He has portrayed Santa in the Enterprise area since the late 1990s.

“Bless his heart,” Uptain said Thursday, when told Figures had mentioned him.

Faith and the ballot

Uptain had said in the earlier video, “We need to keep our conservative values, especially our Christian values and if you follow God’s word, you will vote the right way.”

A minister throughout his adult life, he said his faith guides his vote. He described himself as an “open book” and said he is willing to talk with anyone about his faith and values.

“If the Holy Spirit told me to vote straight Democratic, I would have done that. But he didn’t tell me to do that,” Uptain said. “When you have your Christian values and you fine-tune them with God, and you don’t do what he has told you to do, you become disobedient.”

“My hand is extended”

Figures said he would still work on behalf of those who opposed him.

“Those members of our delegation in Washington, D.C., who actively campaigned openly and behind the scenes against us, my hand is extended to you,” he said. “Those businesses … they switched up. I still need to represent you. The people who work for you make this economy go in this district and they need job security so we’ll be there for you, too.”

He added: “And Santa Claus needs his Social Security. So, I’ll still be with Santa so he can get Social Security and go to a doctor when he needs to go to a doctor. That’s what representation looks like.”

Figures, first elected in 2024, won re-election in a district redrawn to favor Republicans. He won by about 7.5 percentage points in a district President Donald Trump carried by 14 points in 2024, with heavy Democratic turnout in Montgomery County outweighing Marques’ support in the rural Wiregrass.

The busy season

Uptain, meanwhile, is entering his busy season, booking photo shoots and appearances. He said he was not sure whether Figures “believed in Santa Claus,” adding that “a lot of Americans don’t believe in Santa Claus.”

“The way I look at life, and I got this from God, my job is to put a smile on your face, make you forget about your problems and be a happier person when you leave me,” Uptain said. “That’s my motto in life. If I cannot take a child away from their problems for a brief moment, then I’m not doing my job.”

The role has had hard moments. In 2020, a child asked him to “make COVID go away.” He encouraged her to pray.

“I told her, Santa probably cannot do that, but that I know someone that can and I’ll pray to him to see what he would,” he said.

He also meets with children facing serious illness. This season, he said, he is looking forward to seeing a girl who is fed through a feeding tube and is learning to play the violin.

A message for the congressman

Uptain’s message for Figures is to “do the right thing,” guided by Christian principles. Figures also comes from a Christian family and has said he was raised in his grandfather’s church. The Rev. Coleman Figures, his paternal grandfather, was pastor of Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Mobile for more than 36 years before his death in 2004.

“Any politician should understand that the government does not belong to them,” Uptain said. “They hold an office, and if you open the book of Isaiah, it tells you the government rests on Christ’s shoulders. You can hold office, and there is nothing wrong to do what is right, but you have to realize, you don’t own it. Christ does.”

Uptain said he addressed the election in his All Saints Day sermon on Sunday, telling his congregation he “did not care who you vote for, but just make sure as Christians, your principles line up with … who you vote for.”

“Nobody is going to agree with everyone 100 percent of the time,” he said. “If someone always agrees with you, you better watch out. They’ll stick a knife in your back eventually.”