A poll conducted in December ahead of the 2nd Congressional District primary in March could provide some interesting findings on what voters' concerns are.
A poll released last month by the SPLC Action Fund showed that more than 80% of 450 likely voters polled cared whether a candidate lived in their district. This is notable because several candidates in the race are not residents of the 2nd Congressional District.
Brandon Jones, political director for the SPLC Action Fund, told APR that he doesn't think the poll necessarily breaks new ground because voters tend to care about whether a candidate lives in their district. No, he said. But Jones said he doesn't think the high percentage of voters concerned about this issue should be ignored, even if it's a snapshot from four months before the primary.
“So I think this poll is kind of like who we can expect to show up in the Democratic primary,” Jones said. “Generally speaking, we don't know if there's going to be much of a change, but we do recognize that polls published more than 60 days before an election give an indication of how things are going. I think it's worth it. People are in this moment right now. And that can change. But this is a pretty good indication of where Democratic primary voters are likely to be at the moment. I think that’s an indicator.”
Since the 2nd District was redrawn and a federal judge decided on the new map, candidates have arrived en masse to decide who will represent the next district. Alabama's voting is racially polarized, and Democrats currently hold an advantage in House districts as districts are redrawn to make black voters older to vote. . As a result, more than a dozen Democrats will participate in the primary, but some of the leading candidates either live outside the district or have just returned to the district.
House Majority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville), Rep. Juandalyn Givhan (D-Birmingham), and Sen. Merica Coleman (D-Birmingham) are all considered key players, but they do not have official districts. Not a resident of Shomali Figures, son of Vivian Davis Figures, is a Mobile native who only recently returned from his post in Washington, D.C., as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Jones also said that the motivation for voting is to gauge how voters feel, as many of them are likely to be participating in a competitive election for the first time, so it is likely that voters will This particular concern from voters may fade as they learn more about the issue. In addition, many candidates have not started campaigning in earnest or have not spread their names to the public.
According to the poll, 47% of voters were undecided about who they would vote for, but Napoleon Bracey (D-Prichard) was favored by 15% over traditional candidates. This may be because Bracey lives in the area and his name is well known.
Another interesting detail is that 41 percent of voters said they believe abortion should be legal in all cases. This is notable because most Democrats in Alabama are typically moderate to conservative, especially on the issue of abortion. Jones said he believes this response is because the issue of abortion has recently been at the forefront of the public's conscience.
“I think the Dobbs Supreme Court decision really brought this issue into focus for people,” Jones said. “And I think when you take away medical options and realize the real life and death issues surrounding this issue, it becomes more important in people's minds.”
Alabama has a near-total ban on abortion, even in cases of rape or incest. The only exception is if the pregnant woman's life is at risk.However, this may still be posable delay As a result, women remain at risk and at risk of death.
As the 2nd Congressional District primary approaches, candidates are sure to turn their attention to campaigning, but only time will tell whether that attention will translate to voting in March.
