Democratic nominee Shomari Figures and Republican Caroleene Dobson sparred over the economy, health care, immigration and gun violence a debate Thursday
The debate, hosted by al.com and moderated by reporter Ivana Hrynkiw, highlighted sharp policy differences between the candidates for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District.
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Dobson, a real estate attorney, focused her discussions on reducing inflation and government spending. Figures, a former Obama administration aide and deputy chief of staff for Merrick Garland in the Biden administration, emphasized his experience in Washington and argued for stronger health care access and economic reforms.
Economy and inflation
Dobson criticized the Biden administration’s economic policies, blaming government spending for high inflation and rising living costs in Alabama. She promised to fight for lower taxes and reduce energy costs and advocated for more energy independence through domestic production.
“Inflation is killing us, and we are never going to truly curb inflation until we can stop the reckless government spending that this administration, [which] my opponent worked for, has participated in,” Dobson said.
Caroleene Dobson, Shomari Figures clash on health care, economy in Montgomery debate
Figures attributed economic struggles to issues that predate the Biden administration, including Alabama’s Republican leadership at the state level. He argued that Biden’s policies had prevented a deeper economic crisis following the pandemic.
“This administration has done very good work — very good work — in making sure that we did not fall off of a fiscal cliff into a depression or a recession,” Figures responded. “We’re seeing the product of that now. We’re seeing strong job reports. We’re seeing the stock market performing at all-time highs.”
Health care
On health care, Figures criticized Alabama’s refusal to expand Medicaid, saying it was leading to the closure of rural hospitals across the state. If the federal government reauthorizes full reimbursement for the cost of expansion and Alabama still refuses, he said he would support approving funding directly to counties for preventative services.
“We need to be able to provide that level of preventative screening, but Republicans at the state level and at the federal level have to get serious about providing health care if they truly care about life,” Figures said.
Dobson said that “the question of Medicaid expansion is for the states,” and encouraged Alabama to look at it as part of a solution. She then shifted focus to economic growth as the way of improving access, suggesting that Medicaid expansion alone would not solve the problem.
“Medicare reimbursements are not enough alone to continue to support our hospitals at the level that they need that. We have got to ensure that we have good paying jobs, that we have folks with private insurance, that can reimburse at a higher level, and that we have an economic base,” she said.
Immigration, gun violence and personal attacks
Immigration also became a contested issue. Dobson attacked the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border, claiming it had allowed criminals to enter the country. She accused Figures of supporting policies that had worsened the crisis. She said she would have voted against the bipartisan border bill, which Republicans supported before former President Donald Trump signaled he was against it.
“We can come up with a solution if we just enforce the law, if this administration would just enforce the law,” she said.
Figures responded by pointing out that most undocumented immigrants overstay visas rather than crossing the southern border illegally and said that immigration reform “has to be grounded in facts.”
“It cannot just be as simple as saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to blame everything on the people coming across the Southern border,’ with no reality, with no understanding of the true causes of immigration problems that we have here in the country,” Figures said.
The candidates also clashed over gun control, with Figures criticizing Alabama’s recent law allowing concealed carry without a permit, arguing it undermined public safety, especially when law enforcement came out against the measure. Dobson, on the other hand, advocated for supporting law enforcement and addressing mental health issues to curb gun violence.
The debate became personal at times, with Figures calling Dobson a billionaire who doesn’t understand “the struggles of everyday people” and Dobson calling him a “Washington insider” throughout the debate while reminding the audience he owns a property near D.C., which she claimed was worth $1.5 million.
Those claims prompted fact-checks from al.com. According to Dobson’s financial disclosure, Dobson’s worth is between $580,000 and $1.85 million. Figures’ property in Maryland is valued between $500,000 and $1 million, according to his financial disclosure, and he receives between $15,000 and $50,000 in rental income from it. His net worth is between $2 million and $6.8 million.
The election will take place on Nov. 5.
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