In one of the first test runs for redistricting contests, Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) won the Republican primary in the 1st Congressional District, defeating incumbent and fellow Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL).
The Associated Press called the Super Tuesday race in Moore’s favor at 11:49 p.m., 51.8% to Carl’s 48.2%, with 95% of the vote counted. Moore will go on to face Democrat Tom Holmes, who ran unopposed, in November.
“Thank you everyone! We appreciate your support and prayers,” Moore said in a post on X on Tuesday night. “We couldn’t have done it without you. God is good!”
Under the state’s new congressional maps, Moore’s hometown shifted from the 2nd District to Carl’s district, setting up a career-ending contest between two GOP members of Congress.
Both have represented their districts since 2021 and boasted their stances on loyalty to former President Donald Trump during their campaigns. They competed in a solidly red district that Trump would have won by over 50 percentage points in 2020.
Carl had earned support from establishment Republicans and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), while Moore had secured endorsements and donations from hard-line House Freedom Caucus members. Trump did not endorse either candidate in the race, but he supported both in their 2022 midterm races.
Moore’s shift into Carl’s district ushered in an opportunity for Democrats to take control of the 2nd District, which could possibly give the party seven House seats from the Alabama delegation thanks to redistricting.
The general election in the 2nd District, a longtime Republican stronghold, will be its most competitive contest in years. In Tuesday’s primary election, 11 Democrats and eight Republicans ran to represent the newly drawn 2nd District after the state court selected Remedial Plan 3 as a solution to the state’s previous maps discriminating against black voters under the Voting Rights Act.
Two Democrats and two Republicans are heading to a runoff election on April 16 to determine who will face each other in the general election for the 2nd District. On the Democratic side, former Justice Department official Shomari Figures and Democratic state Rep. Anthony Daniels will face each other. The Associated Press called the race with Figures leading with 43.5% of the vote, followed by Daniels with 22.4%.
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Daniels and Figures’s runoff will be significant in a district that was redrawn to be nearly 50% black. Given that both of the Democratic candidates are black, Alabama could end up electing two black representatives to the U.S. House for the first time in its history. Rep. Terri Sewell (R-AL), who faces a comfortable reelection campaign, has been the state’s only black representative since 2011.
On the Republican side, Dick Brewbaker and Caroleene Dobson will advance to a runoff election. The Associated Press called the race with Brewbaker leading with 39.6% of the vote, followed by Dobson with 26.5%.
