2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama


The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the seven U.S. representatives from the state of Alabama, one from each of the state's seven congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as 2024 [United States House of Representatives elections|other elections] to the House of Representatives, 2024 [United States Senate elections|elections] to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections.
Candidate qualifying for both major parties ended on November 10, 2023. Primary elections were held on March 5, 2024, as Alabama was a Super Tuesday state in the presidential election calendar. In races where no candidate received over 50% in a primary, runoff elections occurred on April 16, 2024; this occurred in both the Democratic and Republican primaries in Alabama's 2nd congressional district.

Background

''Allen v. Milligan & State''

During the 2020 redistricting cycle, Alabama's congressional map faced legal challenges for alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 27% of Alabama's population is African American, but only one of Alabama's seven districts was drawn with a Black majority. A federal panel initially blocked the 2022 map, finding that the state illegally discriminated against Black voters by not drawing a second majority-Black district. However, on February 7, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States granted a stay on the case that had been requested by the state of Alabama, allowing the map to remain in place for the 2022 [United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama|2022 elections], but signaled it would fully review the case at a later date.
On June 8, 2023, the Supreme Court affirmed the previous finding that the map discriminated against Black Alabamians. In a 5–4 decision in Allen v. Milligan, Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts joined the Supreme Court's liberal wing and ruled in favor of Milligan. The decision, considered an unexpected victory for voting rights activists in Alabama, upheld the federal panel's ruling that Alabama had illegally diluted the power of Black voters. The decision forced Alabama to reconfigure its congressional districts in advance of the 2024 elections, including drawing a second predominantly Black district. The Alabama Legislature was required to convene a special legislative session in order to draw a new map. John Wahl, chair of the Alabama Republican Party, published a statement in reaction to the ruling, stating that the party would "work hard to win all seven congressional seats".

Redistricting process

A special session of the Alabama Legislature was called to approve a new congressional map in July 2023, with a deadline of July 21. The Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama Senate passed two different congressional maps separately, neither of which included a second majority-minority district. The Alabama House of Representatives passed a map proposed by Republican Representative Chris Pringle that increased the Black voting age population in Alabama's 2nd congressional district to 42%, but still below the majority-minority threshold. The Alabama Senate passed a map proposed by Republican Senator Steve Livingston that increased it to only 38%. A special conference committee consisting of six members from both wings of the Alabama Legislature passed a new map with additional changes on July 21. The new congressional map was signed into law by Governor Kay Ivey the same day. In the legislature's map, the Black voting age population in Alabama's 7th congressional district was reduced from 55.6% to 50.6%, while Alabama's 2nd congressional district's Black voting age population was increased to 39.9%.
The map enacted by the state was struck down on September 5, confirming speculation by Black lawmakers in the state that it failed to comply with the requirement for a second majority Black district. The panel of judges ruling on the maps wrote that they were "deeply troubled that the State enacted a map that the State readily admits does not provide the remedy we said federal law requires". The judges appointed a special master, Richard Allen, to take control of the mapmaking process following Alabama lawmakers' defiance. Three proposed maps from the special master were released on September 25. In all of the maps, Coffee County, which was represented by and home to Barry Moore, was moved to Alabama's 1st congressional district, which set up a primary in which Jerry Carl and Moore were both incumbents pitted against each other.

Finalization of special master map

The state of Alabama, under Attorney General of Alabama Steve Marshall, requested a stay on the federal panel's decision to not allow the legislature's new map. On September 26, 2023, the Supreme Court again denied Alabama's request, meaning that the special master's map was to be used in the 2024 elections. All three of the proposed remedial maps raised the Black voting-age population in the second congressional district in ranges from 48.5% to 50.1%. The Alabama Democratic Conference, the Black caucus of the Alabama Democratic Party, also announced the same day that it planned to file an objection to the special master's maps, saying that they did not go far enough to create a majority-minority district. The conference offered its own redistricting map in the objection, but it was denied by the federal panel.
Following another hearing on the case, the federal panel issued an opinion on October 5, 2023, ordering Alabama to implement the congressional map known as Remedial Plan 3, as drawn by the special master. Secretary of State of Alabama Wes Allen said his office would implement the new map for the 2024 elections. In Remedial Plan 3, Alabama's 2nd congressional district has a Black voting-age population of 48.7%, and a Black-preferred candidate was found to have won in 16 of 17 simulated elections.

Overview

Republicans won five districts, while Democrats won two: the newly created second one and the existing seventh one. Both those districts are plurality Black, whereas the ones by Republicans are predominantly white. Such a correlation is consistent with a preference towards Democrats among Alabama's Black voters. Democrats fielded their candidates in four districts out of seven, with Republicans securing almost unchallenged victories in the third, fourth and fifth districts. Outside of those, Republicans earned their best result in the first district, with 78.4% of the vote.
Republicans improved on their 2022 result, earning 3.5% of the vote more. However, this election became the first since 2008 United States [House of Representatives elections in Alabama|2008] when Democrats held more than a single seat in Alabama. Furthermore, this marked the first time when two Black Representatives were simultaneously elected from the state.
DistrictRep., #Rep., %Dem., #Dem., %Elected
258,61978.4%70,92921.5%Barry Moore
131,41445.4%158,041 54.6%Shomari Figures
243,84897.9%N/AN/AMike Rogers
274,49898.8%N/AN/ARobert Aderholt
250,32295.4%N/AN/ADale Strong
243,74170.3%102,50429.6%Gary Palmer
106,16836.3%186,40763.7%Terri Sewell

District 1

In the new congressional map, the 1st congressional district encompasses the southernmost parts of the state, including majority white sections of the Wiregrass Region and the city of Mobile. It includes the entirety of Baldwin, Coffee, Covington, Dale, and Escambia counties, including the cities of Bay Minette, Daphne, Enterprise and Ozark. The incumbent is Republican Jerry Carl, who was re-elected with 84.2% of the vote in 2022 against a Libertarian candidate.
The final congressional map for 2024 placed Jerry Carl and Barry Moore into the 1st district, setting up a primary in which Carl and Moore are both incumbents pitted against each other in the same district. On October 30, 2023, Moore confirmed to 1819 News that he would run in the first congressional district, challenging Carl in the Republican primary.

Republican primary

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Results

Moore won the six counties in the eastern part of the district, recording his best performance in his home Coffee County. Meanwhile, Carl won Escambia and Baldwin counties, as well as his home Mobile County.

Democratic primary

Nominee

  • Tom Holmes, nonprofit executive

General election

By county


District 2

In the new congressional map, the 2nd district encompasses all of Montgomery County and the capital city of Montgomery, as well as majority Black sections of the Wiregrass Region and the city of Mobile. It also includes the entirety of Butler, Macon, Monroe, Pike, and Russell counties, including the cities of Greenville, Monroeville, Troy, and Tuskegee. The district is currently represented by Republican Barry Moore, who was re-elected with 69.12% of the vote in 2022; however, Moore's home county of Coffee was drawn out of the 2nd district and into the first. This left the district with no incumbent, as Moore instead chose to run in the 1st district.

Republican primary

Nominee

  • Caroleene Dobson, real estate attorney

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Runoff

Endorsements

Fundraising

Results

Democratic primary

Nominee

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Results

Figures won eight counties, performing best in the two westernmost counties of the district: Mobile and Washington. Daniels won four counties in the eastern part, securing his best result in Bullock County, where he graduated from high school. Bracy likewise performed well in the western portion of the district, carrying Clarke County.

Runoff

Endorsements

Polling

Results

General election

By county


District 3

The 3rd district is based in eastern Alabama, taking in Calhoun, Etowah, Lee, and Talladega counties, including the cities of Anniston, Auburn, Gadsden, and Talladega. The incumbent is Republican Mike Rogers, who was re-elected with 71.3% of the vote in 2022.
Rogers has qualified to run for reelection. Rogers faced criticism from conservative colleagues over his initial refusal to support Jim Jordan in the October 2023 [Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election], as well as his stated willingness to compromise with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to elect a different candidate. In response, members of the Alabama Republican Party state executive committee, including members from the 3rd district, threatened to file a challenge against Rogers' ballot access in the 2024 election. On October 16, 2023, Rogers issued a statement endorsing Jordan for Speaker of the House, reversing his position and establishing his support for Jordan.
No Democratic candidates qualified to run in this district, though Rogers faced two unsuccessful primary challengers.

Republican primary

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Barron Rae Bevels, personal trainer
  • Bryan Newell, service technician

Declined

  • Robert McCollum, businessman ''''

General election

Results


District 4

The 4th district is located in rural north-central Alabama, including Colbert, Cullman, Fayette, and Marion counties, as well as half of Lauderdale and Tuscaloosa counties. Blount County was also re-added to the district with the new map. It includes the cities of Cullman, Haleyville, Jasper, and Muscle Shoals. In 2022, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, it was the most Republican district in the country, with an index rating of R+33. The incumbent is Republican Robert Aderholt, who was re-elected with 84.2% of the vote in 2022.
No Democratic candidates qualified to run in this district, though Aderholt faced one unsuccessful primary challenger, Justin Holcomb.

Republican primary

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Justin Holcomb, businessman

General election

Results


District 5

The 5th district is based in northern Alabama, including the city of Huntsville, as well as Athens, Decatur, Madison, and Scottsboro, as well as half of Lauderdale County. The incumbent is first-term Republican Dale Strong, who was elected with 67.2% of the vote in 2022.
No Democratic candidates qualified to run in this district. Strong initially faced one primary challenger, former state representative Daniel Boman, who was a member of the Democratic Party during most of his tenure, but switched back to the Republican Party after leaving office. Boman faced a challenge to his candidacy from within the Alabama Republican Party; he was officially removed from the ballot in December 2023. This effectively left Strong unopposed in 2024.

Republican primary

Nominee

Removed from ballot

General election

Results


District 6

The 6th district encompasses the central part of the state near Greater Birmingham, taking in the northeastern parts of the city of Birmingham and Jefferson County, as well as the surrounding suburbs, including Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, and Shelby counties. Other cities include Alabaster, Hoover and Montevallo. The incumbent is Republican Gary Palmer, who was re-elected with 84.7% of the vote in 2022 against a Libertarian candidate.
Palmer's re-election campaign gained attention due to his 2014 signing of the U.S. Term Limits Pledge and campaign promise to not run for more than five terms to Congress. Palmer's previous statements meant that he would have retired in 2024, however, Palmer chose to seek a sixth term in this election. Palmer cited his reasons for seeking re-election, including recent high turnover in Alabama's congressional delegation, his rise to Republican leadership within the House of Representatives, and personal prayer, saying that he had "prayed for God to give me clarity on it". He disputed media reports that characterized his five-term limit as being part of the U.S. Term Limits pledge, when in fact, the pledge only applied to sponsoring legislation. However, Palmer acknowledged that he did claim during his 2014 campaign that he would serve no more than five terms, and said he would "own that", regarding breaking that campaign promise.

Republican primary

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Ken McFeeters, insurance agent
  • Gerrick Wilkins, automotive businessman

Declined

Democratic primary

Nominee

  • Elizabeth Anderson, businesswoman

General election

By county


District 7

The 7th district encompasses the west-central part of the state in the Black Belt, including the cities of Demopolis, Greensboro, and Selma, as well as taking in majority-black areas of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. The incumbent is Democrat Terri Sewell, who was re-elected with 63.6% of the vote in 2022.
Sewell is running for reelection to an eighth term. State senator and Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton formed an exploratory committee to run against Sewell, but ultimately did not enter the race. However, Sewell did face one unsuccessful Democratic primary challenger, Chris Davis.
In the Republican primary, candidate Christian Horn officially withdrew from the race on February 25, 2024, leaving Robin Litaker as the only active candidate seeking the Republican nomination. 1819 News reported that votes for Horn would not be certified, and that the Alabama Republican Party had been notified of Horn's withdrawal. However, Horn won the primary on March 5 despite his withdrawal. The Alabama Republican Party later published a press release clarifying that Horn had dropped out of the race and Litaker would be the party's nominee in 2024.

Democratic primary

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

  • Chris Davis, business development director

Republican primary

Nominee

  • Robin Litaker, retired teacher and perennial candidate

Withdrew

General election

By county