Wikipedia

Draft:Shomari Figures

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Shomari Figures
Personal details
Born
Shomari Coleman Figures

1985 or 1986 (age 38–39)[1]
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Kalisha
​
(m. 2018)​
RelationsThomas Figures (uncle)
Parent(s)Michael Figures
Vivian Davis Figures
EducationUniversity of Alabama (BA, JD)

Shomari Coleman Figures (born 1985/1986) is an American politician from Mobile, Alabama.

Early life and education

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Figures is the son of the late Michael Figures, a civil rights attorney and member of the Alabama Senate, and Vivian Davis Figures, who succeeded her husband in the Alabama Senate after his death. His father was the attorney of Beulah Mae Donald whose son was lynched by Klan Members of the United Klans of America. She was awarded $7 million dollars which made United Klans of America bankrupt.[2][3]

Figures graduated from LeFlore Magnet High School in Mobile, Alabama.[4] He attended the University of Alabama and earned a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice and history in 2006 and the University of Alabama School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor in 2010.[5]

Career

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After law school, Figures served as a law clerk for Nannette A. Baker in the Eastern District of Missouri.[4] He worked for Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign as a field organizer in Akron, Ohio.[6][7] He then worked in the Obama administration as the domestic director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He then served as the White House liaison to Loretta Lynch, the attorney general of the United States.[8] Figures became legislative counsel for U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and then worked on the presidential transition of Joe Biden.[9] Figures served as deputy chief of staff for Merrick Garland while he was attorney general until resigning in October 2023.[4]

Congressional bid

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Following Allen v. Milligan, the Supreme Court ruled that Alabama's previous map violated the Voting Rights Amendment, the Court ordered Alabama to redraw it's congressional maps to have an extra black district which made Alabama's 2nd congressional district majority black.[10]

In November 2023, Figures declared his candidacy to represent Alabama's 2nd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.[11] In the Democratic primary, he led the 11-candidate field with 44% of the vote and advanced to a mid-April runoff election against Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels.[12][13]

Figures defeated Daniel with 61% of the vote in the April runoff election.[14]

Personal life

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Figures met Kalisha Dessources in 2014 while they both worked at the White House. They married on December 2, 2018, in East Brunswick, New Jersey,[15] and have three children.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Sharp, John (April 17, 2024). "Who are Shomari Figures and Caroleene Dobson? 5 things to know about Alabama's competitive District 2 race". AL.com. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Tensley, Brandon (January 22, 2024). "His Father Bankrupted the Klan. He Wants to Keep Fighting for Racial Justice in Congress". Capital B News.
  3. ^ Wright, Shania Shelton, David (2024-04-17). "General election matchup set in potentially historic race for new Alabama district, CNN projects | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved 2024-06-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Johnson, Roy S. (October 24, 2023). "Member of Figures political family exploring congressional District 2 race; which one?". AL.com. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  5. ^ "2nd Congressional District: Shomari Figures wants to leverage federal experience". News From The States.
  6. ^ Jacobs, Samuel P. (January 7, 2013). "For Obama's second inauguration, a subdued, less crowded Washington". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  7. ^ Willis, Andrew (January 4, 2024). "Figures in AL-2 race: 'I know how government works'". Alabama Daily News. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Shomari Figures: Serving the Nation". University of Alabama School of Law. December 9, 2016.
  9. ^ "Figures in AL-2 race: 'I know how government works'". 4 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Alabama gets a court-ordered congressional map with a second Black district". NBC News. 2023-10-05. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  11. ^ Johnson, Roy S. (November 9, 2023). "Ex-Obama aide, DOJ official qualifies for crowded field of district 2 hopefuls". AL.com.
  12. ^ https://www.politico.com/newsletters/the-recast/2024/03/12/shomari-figures-alabama-second-district-00146515
  13. ^ Cason, Mike (March 6, 2024). "Figures, Daniels make Democratic runoff in 2nd District". AL.com.
  14. ^ "Alabama 2nd Congressional District Primary Runoff Election Results". The New York Times. 2024-04-16. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-10.
  15. ^ "Kalisha Dessources, Shomari Figures". The New York Times. December 2, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.


Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:21st-century American politicians Category:Alabama Democrats Category:Candidates in the 2024 United States elections Category:Living people Category:1980s births Category:Politicians from Mobile, Alabama Category:University of Alabama School of Law alumni

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