by Sharelle Burt
March 1, 2024
So many Black conservatives on the GOP ticket….
Out of seven Republican candidates running in Alabama’s District 2 congressional race, three are Black women.
Karla DuPriest, a businesswoman from Mobile, Stacey Shepperson, a McIntosh educator and Newton City Council member Belinda Thomas are proud of the values and historical context they bring to the state’s GOP party.
As the only African-American female public officer in the state, Thomas feels she is more than qualified to hold the position as she has proven herself. “I won my election in 2020 – the first African-American ever elected to the Newton City Council,” she said.
“I was the first African-American to ever be chair of our water authority in an all-white voting district, a Republican district, and I won as an African-American. So I’ve proven myself.”
One of Thomas’ main issues is border security. Her plan is to help farmers with ways to improve the economy by restoring conservative values and prayer in the community.
“We need prayer and strong, strong, strong conservative leaders to restore our country,” Thomas said. “We need to go back to the fundamentals on what America was built for.”
Shepperson shares those same viewpoints. The mathematics instructor at Bishop State Community College is in support of more border control. Following former president Donald Trump’s migrant laws, she supports the crackdown on illegal immigration.
“I would definitely support more stringent border patrol,” Shepperson said.
“I think Trump was definitely on to something about this, and this is something we have to fix.”
Her main focus is affordable housing, something the 2nd Congressional District struggles with, according to the Alabama Reflector. Without a housing authority in her region, urban areas are landlocked. While meeting with developers for projects, Shepperson hopes to work with the state for funding and housing grants. “I would definitely look to build on the current industry that’s there and see how we can get some subcontracting opportunities or other, inviting more sustainable energy into our areas that are willing to be good corporate citizens, working hand-in-hand with the government,” she said.
Lack of opportunity is why DuPriest was in favor of Alabama’s controversial redistricting concept. The owner and founder of Christ & Carla Heavenly Ribs believe redrawing the congressional district will give Black voters a better opportunity to choose a better representative, favoring red in a district that is Democratic-leaning. “It’s a good thing that they did redistrict, and the people of that district can elect a person who can reflect their values,” the Mobile resident said.
DuPriest says having someone who can sympathize with voters shouldn’t be limited to just the Democratic Party. Just because her views – low taxes, being pro-life and pro-gun – are GOP leaning, she doesn’t think her affiliation will fail her in the polls. “It’s not necessarily someone who looks like them, but it’s an advantage to having someone who can sympathize with the challenges of jobs, education, and health care,” she said.
“People need people who stand for their values and the values are not unique to the Democratic Party, but which are unique for the people in the 2nd congressional district.”
According to a study from Pew Research, approximately one in ten African-American voters identify as Republican.
