Republican candidate Caroleene Dobson (left) debates Democratic candidate Shomari Figures (right) in a forum hosted by the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery on Oct. 2, 2024. Former U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, stands between them. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector)
Republican candidate Caroleene Dobson and Democratic candidate Shomari Figures offered differing visions for Alabama’s newly-drawn 2nd Congressional District in a debate Wednesday.
Dobson and Figures sparred over national security, health care and economic policy in a debate hosted by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and moderated by former U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery. The two candidates also attacked each other’s background and experience outside of Alabama.
Dobson, who repeatedly called Figures a “Washington insider,” is a Harvard graduate and attended law school in Texas, where she practiced until moving back to Alabama several years ago. Figures, who moved to Washington D.C. after completing law school in Alabama and moved back to Alabama in late 2023, attacked Dobson over a deal involving a Mexican company that a Texas-based law firm she worked for helped broker. Both candidates are originally from Alabama.