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Shomari Figures for Congress

“I know how Washington works, and I know how to make it work for the people who raised me.”

Alabama is home for Shomari Figures – from his grandfather’s church in Mobile to the classrooms that carried him through law school at the University of Alabama. Raised by public servants Michael and Vivian Figures, Shomari learned that service and community are not slogans; they are responsibilities. That belief drives his campaign to represent the newly drawn District 2 with the urgency and experience it deserves.

Biography

Shomari’s father, State Senator Michael Figures, spent more than two decades defending civil rights, protecting property ownership in the Black Belt, and successfully bankrupting the Ku Klux Klan after the 1981 lynching of Michael Donald in Mobile. When Michael passed away suddenly, Shomari’s mother, Senator Vivian Davis Figures, stepped forward to continue his work and has championed women’s health, education, and economic opportunity ever since.

Following graduation from John L. LeFlore High School, Shomari earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of Alabama. He clerked on the federal district court, helped elect President Barack Obama, and served in the White House as Domestic Director of Presidential Personnel, staffing agencies such as Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Justice. He later became White House Liaison at the Department of Justice, advised Congress on civil rights, immigration, and public safety, and returned to DOJ as Deputy Chief of Staff and Counselor to Attorney General Merrick Garland. He also worked on the Biden-Harris Transition Team coordinating critical appointments across the federal government.

Today Shomari lives in Alabama with his wife, Dr. Kalisha Dessources Figures – a former teacher and community advocate – and their three children, Micah, Novah, and Zorah. He is running for Congress to bring results home: better healthcare, stronger schools, safer neighborhoods, and a government that finally prioritizes District 2.

Issues

Accessible Healthcare

Shomari helped build the teams that implemented the Affordable Care Act, and he knows policy only matters if people can actually see a doctor.

Priorities

  • Protect and strengthen the ACA so families keep coverage and critical patient protections.
  • Expand rural healthcare networks with incentives for clinics, hospitals, and providers to serve underserved communities.
  • Address health disparities by investing in preventative care, maternal health, and mental health services across the Black Belt.
  • Fight cuts to Medicaid and Medicare that would close hospitals or reduce care for seniors, veterans, and working families.

Economic Opportunity and Education

Families in District 2 deserve the chance to earn a good living without leaving the communities they love.

Priorities

  • Bring federal workforce and infrastructure investments to small towns and urban neighborhoods that have been overlooked.
  • Grow apprenticeship, trade, and college pathways so students and workers can access high-quality jobs close to home.
  • Support small businesses and entrepreneurs with capital, broadband expansion, and technical assistance.
  • Secure funding for safe, modern school facilities, and support educators with resources that raise student achievement.

Safer, Fairer Communities

Shomari has shaped national policy on public safety, policing reform, voting rights, and civil rights. He will keep working to ensure every community is both safe and free.

Priorities

  • Invest in community-based violence prevention, youth programs, and reentry services that reduce crime and recidivism.
  • Deliver federal resources for local law enforcement training, modern equipment, and recruitment while building trust through accountability.
  • Defend voting rights, fair representation, and equal access to the ballot for every eligible voter in Alabama.
  • Tackle environmental justice challenges – from clean water to disaster resilience – that disproportionately impact District 2.

Forward Together

Shomari knows how to navigate Washington and get results, but he also knows who he answers to: the people of District 2. With your support, he will fight for a stronger, more resilient Alabama – moving forward, together.