On Tuesday, Alabama voters head to the polls for special congressional primaries in four districts that will test the state’s new electoral map; the map increased the number of Republican-leaning districts from five to six and reduced Democratic-leaning districts from two to one.
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The redistricting plan was approved by the state legislature in 2023 and reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court last June following a legal battle; this makes it difficult for Democrats to retain District 2, one of the four districts—along with Districts 1, 6, and 7—holding special elections today.
Currently, Republicans control the U.S. House of Representatives with 218 seats compared to the Democrats’ 212; Democrats need to gain at least four seats to wrest the majority from Republicans in next November’s midterm elections.
Alabama’s District 6 is the only one of the four districts voting today that could jeopardize the Republican advantage in the upcoming legislative elections, as the new map made it less solidly Republican. Republican incumbent Gary Palmer, in office since 2015, is seeking the nomination against newcomer Case Dixon. Competing for the Democratic nomination are Jacob Bouma-Sims, Ashtyn Kennedy, Maurice Mercer, and Keith Pilkington, with no clear frontrunner according to polls.
District 7, represented by Democrat Terri Sewell since 2011, is the only district that retains a majority African American population, a demographic that typically aligns with the Democratic Party. Sewell is seeking a ninth term without facing a primary challenger. On the Republican side, Ammie Akin and David Perry are vying for the nomination.
Election Day is here.
Voters in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Connecticut, Vermont, Alabama, and South Carolina are heading to the polls today for primaries and special elections.
Whatever your party, show up. Pay attention. Vote. Democracy only works when we participate.
Your… pic.twitter.com/UvI7JztujT
— Weston Riley (@WestonRileyNV) August 11, 2026
In District 2—which Democrat Shomari Figures won in 2024—the new boundaries strip away the city of Mobile, his electoral base. Figures faces no challengers within her own party but is up against six Republican rivals, including the frontrunner—state legislator Rhett Marques, who is backed by President Donald Trump and leads in fundraising. Also competing is David Matthews, a former Department of Agriculture official who served during both of Trump’s terms.
District 1 is an open seat because the incumbent, Barry Moore, is running for the U.S. Senate. Trump has endorsed Jerry Carl—who held the seat from 2021 to 2025—over Lucas Burger, John Mills, and Austin Sidwell. Clyde W. Jones Jr. is the sole Democratic contender.
Alabama is part of an unusual wave of states that have redrawn their electoral maps outside the standard decennial census cycle, following a controversial process in Texas driven by Trump.
Heading into the midterm elections
Six states are holding primary elections ahead of the fast-approaching U.S. midterm elections in November, where Democrats and Republicans will vie for control of Congress.
Recent polls revealed that Democrats led in voting intentions for Congress by an overwhelming 10-point margin—an advantage that analysts say represents an increase from the eight-point lead seen in March and could signal what is to come in less than three months.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | United States: A high-stakes legal battle over voting rights is unfolding in Boston. The League of Women Voters is asking a federal court to block a White House executive order that would restrict mail-in ballots ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. pic.twitter.com/OEWIb2GUD3
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