THE RULING — 2023 MAP RESTORED
On the evening of June 2, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use its 2023 legislature-approved congressional map for the 2026 elections. The chain: Louisiana v. Callais on April 29 weakened Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act; Alabama filed emergency motions April 30; the Supreme Court vacated and remanded May 11; a three-judge panel re-blocked the 2023 map May 26; Attorney General Marshall appealed; and on June 2 the Supreme Court ruled for the state. Effect: the August 11 special primary in Congressional Districts 1, 2, 6 and 7 proceeds on the 2023 map, with no runoff. Winners advance to the November 3 general election. The May 19 primary results in the affected districts are superseded by the special election.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR DISTRICT 2
The Second District no longer includes Mobile. Its Black voting-age population drops from about 49% to under 40%. The district reverts to Republican-leaning ground — described in reporting as significantly harder for Figures to win. This is the district as drawn in 2023, the seat Hampton has been running to take back.
THE FIELD — AUGUST 11 GOP SPECIAL PRIMARY
Six Republicans qualified by the June 2 deadline: Hampton Harris; State Rep. Rhett Marques of Enterprise, who moved from the First District to the Second after the ruling; Christian Horn; David Matthews; Joshua McKee; and James Richardson. Shomari Figures qualified on the Democratic side. There is no runoff — a plurality wins the nomination on August 11. In a six-way field, the math rewards a consolidated, clearly identifiable base.
WHERE HAMPTON HARRIS STANDS
Hampton was first to qualify, on May 20, and was the Republican standard-bearer for this seat before the map turned. He stayed in when the seat looked unwinnable under the court-drawn map; five others entered once the 2023 map made it a live opportunity. Commitment, not convenience. The opportunity is a now-winnable seat, a crowded field, and a candidate who can credibly say he was here first and never left.
FIGURES — THE NEW MATH
Figures won AL-02 in 2024 under the court-drawn map with a second majority-Black district. That map is gone for 2026. He now seeks reelection in a district redrawn to favor Republicans — a structural problem bigger than any single issue. On the record: his office's bipartisan Made in America Jobs Act, with Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado, passed the U.S. House on March 25 and awaits the Senate.
WHAT'S NEXT
Overnight, the Second District went from a long shot under a Democratic-leaning court map to a genuine Republican pickup opportunity under the 2023 map. The seat is competitive again. The live dynamic is the six-way primary, and Hampton's case is straightforward: first in, stayed in, knows the district. The plaintiffs' underlying Voting Rights Act challenge continues, but the 2026 election will be run on the 2023 map.
KEY DATES
August 11 — AL-02 special primary, no runoff. November 3 — general election.
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