Alabama House Races 2026: SCOTUS-Ordered Redistricting
7 seats total · Allen v. Milligan SCOTUS ruling created 2nd majority-Black district · Terri Sewell (AL-7) safe D · All other seats safe R · R+25 state
Alabama Full House Delegation
Key Stories in Alabama's House Delegation
Terri Sewell: Alabama's Sole Democrat Since 2011
Terri Sewell (D) has represented Alabama's 7th district since 2011, making her the longest-serving Black congresswoman from Alabama and a reliable progressive voice on the House Ways and Means Committee. The district covers the west side of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and the historic Black Belt — named for its soil but reflecting the concentration of Black residents across Alabama's rural heartland. Sewell's district includes Selma and the Edmund Pettus Bridge, a site of historic civil rights significance. She has championed the Voting Rights Act reauthorization bearing John Lewis's name. Her district is majority-Black and has a partisan index of D+30. No credible Republican has ever come close to challenging her. She is one of only a handful of Democrats representing any part of the Deep South, and her continued presence in Congress reflects the Voting Rights Act's structural guarantees rather than Alabama's broader partisan makeup.
SCOTUS Forces 2nd Majority-Black District
The most significant development in Alabama congressional politics in decades came from the Supreme Court's 2023 Allen v. Milligan decision. In a 5-4 ruling written by Chief Justice Roberts and joined by the Court's liberal justices, the Court held that Alabama's post-2020 congressional map violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act by packing Black voters into a single district (AL-7) while diluting their influence elsewhere. Alabama was ordered to draw a second opportunity district — a majority-Black or near-majority-Black seat. Alabama's Republican legislature initially drew a defiant replacement map that courts rejected as still non-compliant. A court-imposed remedial map ultimately took effect, creating the reshaped AL-2 stretching from Montgomery through the Black Belt. Shomari Figures (D), son of Alabama's former attorney general, won the redrawn AL-2 in 2024, expanding Alabama's Democratic House representation to two seats for the first time in decades.
Five Safe R Seats: Aderholt, Rogers, Palmer Lead
Alabama's five safe Republican seats span the state's diverse economic regions. Robert Aderholt (AL-4) is Alabama's longest-serving Republican in the House, first elected in 1996, representing the northwest corridor including Gadsden, Cullman, and Jasper. Mike Rogers (AL-3) chairs the House Armed Services Committee, reflecting Alabama's significant defense presence — Redstone Arsenal and Maxwell Air Force Base generate billions in federal spending. Gary Palmer (AL-6) represents the wealthy Birmingham suburbs of Shelby County and serves in House majority leadership. Barry Moore (AL-1) covers Mobile and the Gulf Coast. Dale Strong (AL-5) represents Huntsville, home to the nation's largest NASA facility outside Cape Canaveral and a booming defense and aerospace corridor. None of these seats face meaningful challenge — Alabama's R+25 presidential lean makes Democratic organizing in these districts a resource misallocation.
