A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
There's a special primary election in Alabama today for several congressional districts that were reconfigured midcycle. That comes after the U.S. Supreme Court removed race as a consideration for drawing district lines, but allowed for partisan gerrymandering. NPR's Debbie Elliott joins us now to talk about the new political landscape there. So, Debbie, Alabama was one of the several Republican-controlled southern states to rush to redistrict after the Supreme Court ruling. What changed?
DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: Well, the lines for four of Alabama's seven congressional districts changed. And that leaves a more difficult path to reelection for the two Black Democrats in Alabama's congressional delegation. The other five congressmen are all White Republicans. Alabama's population, by the way, is just a little over a quarter Black. The legislature changed the maps less than two weeks before the regular May primary, so it was too late to change the ballots. People cast votes back in May, but those are now voided. Hence the new special primary today.
MARTÍNEZ: So voting twice. OK. Sounds like it could be a bit confusing. How are voters reacting?
ELLIOTT: There is confusion...
MARTÍNEZ: OK.
ELLIOTT: ...A. Joseph Spraggins of Hope Hull is a voter I spoke with. His congressional district changed, and he's skeptical about the new map and thinks it will likely dilute the Black vote in Alabama.
JOSEPH SPRAGGINS: It has been crazy. And this just seems so unfair because with the representation, you - the congressional district should be equal to the percentage of the people in that state. With this, it throws everything out of whack.
ELLIOTT: Candidates acknowledge this confusion, and they fear this is going to be a low-turnout affair. Hampton Harris is running in the District 2 Republican primary.
HAMPTON HARRIS: We have school starting back, people going on final vacations. It's 100 degrees outside. Nobody wants to be out there. Just the plain confusion of seeing stuff and being told - it's now. It's then. It's here. It's there - is really going to play into voter turnout.
ELLIOTT: So voters have a little bit of work to do if they...
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah.
ELLIOTT: ...Want to vote here today.
MARTÍNEZ: It sounds like it. It sounds like it. Now, what race is being most closely watched after the redistricting?
ELLIOTT: You know, the most vulnerable seat is the 2nd Congressional District. It's represented by Democrat Shomari Figures. He's new to the office, first elected in 2024 after federal courts ruled that Alabama's congressional map was discriminatory and created a new largely Black district. Now that the Supreme Court has said that's unconstitutional, Republican lawmakers reconfigured the district to favor their party. Still, Figures is putting on a good face. And he rejects the idea that somehow this new 2nd District is a lost cause.
SHOMARI FIGURES: We have a record of producing in this district, a record of delivering for this district, a record of working on behalf of all people in this district. And we're confident that come November, we'll be able to take that record to people.
ELLIOTT: So, A, to be clear, figures will not be on the ballot today because he's uncontested in the Democratic nomination.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. So the action, then, is in the Republican primary. What's happening there?
ELLIOTT: Well, this newfound opportunity has some excitement. Six Republicans are in the race. Before redistricting, there was only one. The frontrunner in the contest is state Representative Rhett Marques. He's a businessman from Enterprise, Alabama, and he has President Trump's endorsement. Here's his pitch.
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RHETT MARQUES: This is not only going to be an important race for the state of Alabama, but it is for this country. We have a chance to flip a Democrat seat back to the Republicans.
ELLIOTT: He says the stakes are high, with control of Congress in the balance.
MARTÍNEZ: All right. That's NPR's Debbie Elliott speaking to us from Orange Beach, Alabama. Debbie, thanks.
ELLIOTT: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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