These States May Have Their First Black Elected Officials on Capitol Hill

For Shomari Figures, it’s virtually impossible to separate this political moment from the long, winding arc of civil rights history.

The Democrat and former White House staffer is facing off against his Republican opponent, Caroleene Dobson, to represent Alabama’s newly drawn, majority-Black 2nd Congressional District following a major U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2023.

This race is one of many, beyond the presidential election, that could have huge ramifications for Black voters. These contests could alter the makeup of Congress — Democrats have a slim majority in the upper chamber, and Republicans enjoy a majority in the lower chamber — and affect whether crucial legislation is passed.

“When your father was known for having risked his life to bring down the Klan in the name of general public safety, and in the name of Black Americans being able to live their lives free of the threat of violence, then you have to find a way to make people’s lives better as well,” Figures told Capital B earlier this year.

Democrat Shomari Figures, seen speaking on stage during the final day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, is running to represent Alabama’s newly drawn, majority-Black 2nd Congressional District. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

He was referring to the work of his late father, Michael Figures, an Alabama legislator who in the 1980s filed a lawsuit against the United Klans of America that ultimately bankrupted the hate group.

Figures underscored that he’s centering his campaign on such issues as health care, reproductive rights protections, education, and voting rights — all of which have an especially big impact on Black communities.

“People are very excited about the possibility of being able to put another person in Congress who will actually prioritize the many communities and places that have been overlooked by leadership in the past, certainly in the recent past,” he said.

Louisiana is another state to pay attention to this election season. Like Alabama, it recently secured a new majority-Black congressional district.

“[The new map] will give a sense of importance to our parish. Our demographics — usually Black and brown people — face the most detriments and injustices, and we don’t have access to any of the things that will help us solve our problems without representation,” Shauna Sias, a resident of Opelousas, a community in the redrawn district, told Capital B earlier this year.

Louisiana uses what’s called a “jungle primary” system. On Nov. 5, all five candidates — regardless of their party affiliation — will compete to represent Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District. Democratic state Sen. Cleo Fields is heavily favored to win. But if no one receives a simple majority, the top two finishers will compete in a runoff election in December.

The stakes of the 2024 races are sky-high. Read on to learn about other congressional contests we’re keeping an eye on. This story will be updated as results come in.

Maryland

Maryland Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks speaks to the media following a campaign stop this month in Kettering, Maryland. Alsobrooks is in a tight race with Republican former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Abortion access is on the ballot in Maryland, as is a U.S. Senate seat. The candidates include Prince George’s County Executive and Democratic nominee Angela Alsobrooks, former two-term Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Libertarian Mike Scott, and five write-in candidates. 

Libertarian Mike Scott is also seeking the U.S. Senate seat for Maryland. (Courtesy of Mike Scott)

Incumbent Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, has been in office since 2006 and is not seeking reelection. He has endorsed Alsobrooks.

This race has been close since Hogan entered in February. As governor, Hogan has been revered by most Maryland residents as the Republican governor who distanced himself from the party and former President Donald Trump during the height of the pandemic. 

But, once out of office, Hogan, 68, has been known to flip-flop on his stance on abortion access. Scott, 52, told the Baltimore Sun that “reproductive decisions should not be legislated.” And Alsobrooks says her first agenda item, if elected, would be to co-sponsor a bill dedicated to providing federal legal protections for women’s right to access abortion care. 

Despite Hogan’s campaign raising $10 million, a poll from The Washington Post and University of Maryland shows Alsobrooks with a strong path to victory. Alsobrooks, 53, has raised more than $35 million and has garnered endorsements from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, at least four labor unions, and several local and federal officials, including Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

A win for Alsobrooks would make her the first Black person to represent Maryland in the U.S. Senate. This would be the second time Alsobrooks broke a barrier; she was the first Black woman county executive in the state. 

Texas

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred has made abortion a key component in his campaign to unseat incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas. (Courtesy of Colin Allred)

In Texas, abortion access is in jeopardy. Incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz, who is seeking reelection, voted against a 2022 bill to legalize abortion access before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Democrat who represents Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, which covers parts of Dallas, is challenging Cruz by putting abortion at the center of his campaign. 

Allred, 41, has accused Cruz of backing the state’s near-total abortion ban, which ignores exceptions for cases like incest or rape following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In a U.S. Senate debate last month, Cruz, 53, avoided taking a clear stance on abortion, instead passing the buck to the state legislature and the governor to enact laws.

Cruz had a slim lead over Allred as of Oct. 28, The Hill reported.

A win for Allred would be historic, as he would become the first Black person to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. He is also facing Libertarian Ted Brown and two write-in independent candidates, including Tracy Andrus, director of criminal justice at Wiley College.

Jasmine Crockett is running for reelection to represent Texas’ 30th Congressional District. (Courtesy of Jasmine Crockett)

Over in the U.S. House of Representatives, Jasmine Crockett is running for reelection to represent Texas’ 30th Congressional District, which covers parts of Dallas, against Jrmar Jefferson, a Libertarian, who was once an independent and a Democrat. 

Crockett, 43, became a household name for several of her viral moments while in session on Capitol Hill, during which she has sponsored 23 pieces of legislation and co-sponsored more than 600. During her first year as a representative, Crockett delivered clever clapbacks, including one referring to Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene as a “bleach blonde bad built butch body” without naming her directly.

On a serious note, Crockett’s leading issues include abortion access, and as a former defense attorney she favors criminal justice reform. Jefferson’s current position on abortion access isn’t clear. From a 2022 social media post, Jefferson seems to lean toward anti-abortion ideologies

With Jefferson, 44, as Crockett’s only opponent, it’s expected that she has this campaign in the bag.

Georgia

Democrat Shawn Harris is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. (Courtesy of Shawn Harris)

Greene, 50, who was the subject of Crockett’s “bleach blonde” retort, is also up for reelection to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, which covers the northwest corner of the state, including Rome. 

Shawn Harris, a Democrat from Blakely, Georgia, is running to unseat Greene, who openly supports Trump and has made national headlines for spreading false narratives and conspiracy theories to serve the Republican nominee’s interests.

Harris, a retired veteran, is not the first Democrat to raise millions to challenge Greene. In 2022, Marcus Flowers raised $15 million to take down Greene and lost with 34.1% of the district’s vote

Greene is expected to win in a landslide, according to polls. Harris, 58, has raised more than  $2.7 million compared to Greene’s $7.2 million, according to OpenSecrets.

Delaware

U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester would become the fourth Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate if she wins her contest. (Courtesy of Lisa Blunt Rochester)

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat who represents Delaware’s at-large congressional seat, is running for the U.S. Senate seat that Tom Carper has held since 2001. Carper — who is retiring — has endorsed Rochester, who served as a congressional intern in his office in the 1980s, as his successor. 

In 2017, Rochester was the first Black person and first woman elected as Delaware’s sole representative to the U.S. House. If she were to win in November, she would become the fourth Black woman elected into the U.S. Senate. 

Rochester is running against Eric Hansen, a Republican who is a former Walmart executive. Hansen campaigns as a self-described “common sense” candidate who opposes a national abortion ban that would override Delaware state law. He “supports reasonable limits on late-term abortions and will always support exceptions for the terrible cases of rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother,” according to Hansen’s campaign website.

Rochester, who’s leading in the polls, has been “a proud co-sponsor of legislation that would restore the right to an abortion in the U.S.,” according to her campaign website.

In Delaware, Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate race since 1994 or a U.S. House seat since 2008. 

Another candidate is state Sen. Michael Katz, a Democrat representing District 4, who is running as an independent. Katz says that he wants to shift health care’s focus toward “prevention rather than treating the illness.”

Indiana

Valerie McCray is seeking to become the first Black woman to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. (Javonte Anderson/Capital B)

Valerie McCray is running to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate against Rep. Jim Banks, a Republican who currently represents Indiana’s 3rd Congressional District. 

McCray, a former prison psychologist, is also facing Libertarian Andy Horning, and independent write-in candidates Antonio Alvarez, and Phillip Beachy. However, her biggest challenge is Banks, who has support from high-profile Republicans such as Trump. 

Banks currently holds a significant lead over McCray, according to a recent Emerson College poll, and has opted not to engage in debates with her leading up to the election.

While Banks, 45, and McCray, 65, have differing visions for Indiana, their most notable disagreements revolve around abortion. Banks, an advocate for abortion restrictions, introduced legislation this year mandating states submit annual reports to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services detailing federal funding for abortions, which must also be made publicly available on state websites. Banks introduced a similar bill in 2021.

If elected, McCray would be the first Black woman to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate. 

Minnesota

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar is running for reelection in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. (Courtesy of Ilhan Omar)

Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, is running for reelection in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, which mostly covers Minneapolis. In a rematch from 2022, she defeated former City Council member Don Samuels in the primaries. Following this victory, polling from Decision Desk HQ and the Hill indicates that Omar is positioned to reclaim her seat for another term.

Omar, 42, is running against Dalia al-Aqidi, a 56-year-old Republican Iraqi American journalist who has accused the incumbent of being pro-Hamas. 

As one of the first two Muslim women, along with Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, to serve in Congress, they’re both members of a progressive group of lawmakers who have been nicknamed “the Squad.” 

During this election cycle, two Squad members, U.S. Reps. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, lost their primaries after pro-Israel groups, unhappy with their criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of Gaza War, took a leading role in supporting their challengers. 

A victory by Omar is essential for Democrats if they hope to regain control of the U.S. House. 

New York

Mondaire Jones is hoping to return to Congress after leaving Congress in January 2023. (Courtesy of Mondaire Jones)

Mondaire Jones represented New York’s 17th Congressional District for one term. After redistricting put Jones against another high-ranking Democrat for reelection, he decided to run in another district — unsuccessfully. After leaving Congress in January 2023, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Jones as a commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

While Jones’ term as commissioner doesn’t end until 2028, he is running against Mike Lawler, the 38-year-old incumbent and Republican who represents Jones’ former district covering Putnam, Rockland, Westchester, and southern parts of Dutchess counties. Anthony Frascone, of the Working Families Party, is also running.

Jones’ reentry into the race aims to help Democrats reclaim the U.S. House seats lost in the 2022 midterms. He says he also hopes to send a message to the Republican Party, which he says is “responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.”

“The only way we restore the protections that were taken away from women is to elect a Democratic Congress that will pass something called the Women’s Health Protection Act,” Jones, 37, said during a campaign rally NBC News reported.
Lawler has an average lead of 1.5 percentage points, according to five polls analyzed by The Hill.

The post These States May Have Their First Black Elected Officials on Capitol Hill appeared first on Capital B News.

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