Ozark native and former Trump administration official David Matthews recently announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Alabama’s Second Congressional District ahead of August’s special elections.
Matthews, who worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture under both Trump presidencies, touted his experience in an official statement launching his campaign.
“I was raised in Ozark. I know rural Alabama because I lived it, and I know Washington because I’ve worked there,” Matthews said. “I’m running for Congress because this district needs a conservative who will fight for our farmers, our small businesses, and our military families. We are building a serious campaign with the experience, relationships, and discipline to deliver results from day one.”
According to his campaign, Matthews’ platform is focused on “delivering serious conservative representation for the communities, families, farmers, small businesses, and military households that keep Alabama running.”
Outside Washington, Matthews also has experience working in private-sector finance for Huntington National Bank’s USDA Lending Team. He holds a degree in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Alabama and self-published an autobiography in 2024 entitled “My Trail to the White House, Part One: Trials & Tribulations.”
“People across this district share the same priorities,” Matthews continued. “They want safe neighborhoods, good schools, respect for their faith and values, strong local economies, and a government that answers to the people, not the other way around. I’ll fight to strengthen agriculture, support small businesses, secure the border, defend our freedoms, and stand up for the communities that keep this state running.”
In his campaign announcement, Matthews also noted the “special” nature of the August 11 primaries, established by Governor Kay Ivey after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling and its overturning of a 2023 injunction that had previously blocked the state from using state-drawn congressional maps that the Court had found to be illegal racial gerrymanders.
“August 11th is not the usual election day, and turnout will matter,” Matthews said. “If voters want conservative representation rooted in local knowledge and real-world experience, I would be honored to earn their vote.”
The special elections are currently set to employ the previously-rejected 2023 maps despite backlash from members of the public and civil rights groups who are arguing that the maps should remain blocked as illegal racial gerrymanders in ongoing litigation.
The Second District’s current incumbent, U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, D-Alabama, was first elected in 2024 after the 2023 maps were replaced with new maps drawn by a court-appointed special master. Those maps increased Black voting power in the district and were used as recently as the May 19 primaries, though those results will be invalidated if the 2023 maps are ruled lawful. If the state succeeds in redrawing CD-2 to fit the 2023 maps, the district’s Black Voting Age Population, BVAP, will drop from about 49 percent to under 40 percent, making it significantly harder for Figures to win reelection.
In addition to Matthews, five other Republicans are currently running for the GOP nomination in CD-2 with hopes of flipping the seat: State Representative Rhett Marques, Hampton Harris, Christian Horn, Joshua McKee and James Richardson.
