On Tuesday night, Democrats selected their candidate for Alabama's newly created 2nd Congressional District in a runoff election between state Rep. Anthony Daniels and Shomali Figures, a civil rights attorney and the son of former state Sen. Michael Figures and current state Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile).

Shomali Figures defeated House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, receiving about 60% of the vote in most counties, according to unofficial results from the Alabama Secretary of State's office. Daniels was defeated by Figures as of 9 p.m. Tuesday night. Figures said: winner Carolyn Dobson is running in the Republican runoff election in November's general election.

Figures graduated from the University of Alabama and its law school before working on Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008. Since taking office, Figures has served in the Obama Administration, holding various positions within the Administration, including at the Departments of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Justice.

RELATED: Anthony Daniels, Shomali Figures compete for Democratic-backed seat

“My campaign so far has been focused on combining old-school campaigning with modern campaigning. I mean, my parents have been campaigning in Alabama my whole life, and there's never been a day in my life that one of my parents didn't run for office, so I had a childhood that was all about campaigning,” Figure told Yellow Hammer News on Monday.

His connection to the new district and its legal basis goes back a long way.

“My father is one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging current Rep. Sewell's seat, and in fact the case Figures v. Hunt, which allowed for the creation of the district, was cited in the federal court decision that created the district, so I think there's a historical perspective to this case and it's personal to me,” Figures said.

RELATED: Brewbaker, Dobson in runoff for new Republican district

“I'm not portrayed as a Democrat. [district]Not portrayed as a Republican [district] “This election was held to give African-Americans living in this state a fair opportunity to choose the candidate of their choice. Given the overall demographics of the state, I think this is a good thing. I think fair representation is essential and a hallmark of our democratic process.”

While national political issues are expected to take center stage between Tuesday's runoff elections and the Nov. 5, 2024 general election, Figures said he also believes it is a member of Congress's responsibility “to leverage the entire federal government for the benefit of the people and communities in my district,” especially now that there is no member representing Mobile in the House.

“I think my experience in the federal government has been extremely helpful,” Figures said.

“So I have a very unique perspective here. Whether it's a new water source that we have to utilize in Greenville, whether it's the port, whether it's dredging, whether it's Mobile with its inland port, whether it's Montgomery, people in every community want their issues to be prioritized. And they want to vote for someone who's going to listen to those priorities. And I'm going to work with them to strategize and secure the funding that's needed.”

As of update, more than 105,000 votes had been cast, a turnout rate of 7.51%, making the primary runoff in the 2nd Congressional District effectively the only race in the state. In November, Figures and Dobson will appear on the general election ballot alongside President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

“I want to thank the people of District 2,” Figures said Tuesday night.

“At the end of the day, this election has not been about me. This election has always been about the people and places that call our community home — our teachers, public servants, those in uniform, seniors and the children of our district. I thank all those who placed their trust and confidence in me. Now, we move forward together, united in party and mission, toward victory in November.”

Updated to reflect the latest unofficial vote totals and victory statements from Shomari Figures.

Grayson Everett is the state and politics editor for Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. Grayson