AL-02: Alabama state Rep. Jeremy Gray announces bid for Congress in new Democratic-leaning district

Source: Associated Press

Alabama state Rep. Jeremy Gray announces bid for Congress in new Democratic-leaning district

Updated 7:13 AM EDT, November 2, 2023

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama state Rep. Jeremy Gray announced Thursday that he is running for Congress, joining what is becoming an increasingly crowded primary field in the new Democratic-leaning district in the Deep South state.

Gray, of Opelika, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Congressional District. Two other Alabama lawmakers — state Rep. Napoleon Bracy of Prichard and state Sen. Kirk Hatcher of Montgomery — have announced they intend to run. A number of other legislators are considering bids.

“It’s been a long time since people in that area had hope and had someone that really understood the issues in that area,” Gray said. “I’ve been a part of bringing resources to that community through legislation and through funding.”

Federal judges last month selected new congressional district lines in Alabama after ruling the previous map likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act. The new map sets the stage for potentially flipping one U.S. House of Representatives seat from Republican to Democratic control and could lead to the election of two Black Congressional representatives to the state’s delegation for the first time.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/alabama-redistricting-jeremy-gray-d54d562fb6a617bccaf4252882c205b1