Cory Booker Rallies Birmingham Against Alabama Map Push

Cory Booker traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, to speak at a redistricting town hall as Alabama Republicans push a new congressional map that could reduce Democratic representation. He joined Rep. Terri Sewell at the event, where Booker argued that voting rights are on the ballot.

Birmingham Town Hall

Booker told the crowd, “We are in a storm right now — the question is, where will you stand, will you hold up your light.” The visit put a New Jersey senator into the middle of an Alabama map fight that has already shifted the state’s delegation from a 6-1 Republican split to 5-2 after a court-imposed redraw.

That redraw followed the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan, which forced Alabama to redraw its congressional map. The court-imposed plan created districts with 55% and 40% minority representation, and it helped produce a Democratic seat for Shomari Figures of Mobile.

Ledbetter’s Response

Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter pushed back on Booker’s appearance. “Well, I'm probably guessing that's first time Cory Booker's ever been in Alabama,” he said. Ledbetter added, “The thing about it is the people that we represent have lived here most of all of their lives and they're the ones that ask us to do something for them — not the Cory Bookers.”

He also said, “And he can nationalize it all he wants to, but it's not going to change facts.”

Redistricting Fight Ahead

The clash now centers on whether Republicans can force through a new map after the court-driven changes already altered Alabama’s balance in Congress. The Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s 2-Democrat congressional map last month, adding more pressure to redistricting fights across the South and leaving Alabama’s delegation as the key prize in the state battle.