Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order
Voters in four districts choose nominees under new map that reduces majority-Black districts from two to one
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order
Photograph: Washington Top News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Voters in Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th districts choose nominees on 11 August 2026 under new congressional boundaries.
- The new map, effective January 2027, reduces the state’s majority-Black districts from two to one, as reported by the Associated Press.
- Governor Kay Ivey postponed the primaries after a U.S. Supreme Court decision prompted redistricting in several Republican-led states.
- Polls close at 7 p.m. Central Time, with results expected to be reported by the Associated Press throughout the evening.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 17 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 3 of the 20 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
12/100
20 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
Only 1 of the 17 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Voters in four of Alabama’s seven congressional districts will select nominees for the U.S. House of Representatives on 11 August 2026. The contests were postponed from their original date of 19 May 2026 by Governor Kay Ivey after a U.S. Supreme Court decision led to the redrawing of the state’s congressional map. The new boundaries, which take effect in January 2027, eliminate one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts, both currently represented by Democrats.
The redistricting follows a broader effort by Republican-led states, including Louisiana and Tennessee, to adjust congressional maps mid-decade. The Associated Press reported that these changes were part of a national strategy to strengthen the Republican Party’s position ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Alabama’s current U.S. House members will continue serving in their existing districts until the end of 2026.
In the 2nd District, U.S. Representative Shomari Figures, a Democrat, is running unopposed in the primary. The district’s Black population will decrease from about half under the current lines to about 40% under the new map, according to the Associated Press. Six Republicans are competing to challenge Figures in the general election, including state Representative Rhett Marques, who has received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.
The 7th District, represented by Democrat Terri Sewell, will retain a slight Black majority under the new boundaries. Two Republicans are vying for the nomination to oppose Sewell in November. Polls close at 7 p.m. Central Time (8 p.m. Eastern Time), and the Associated Press will report results as they become available.
What the coverage left out
None of the digests from the right-rated outlet mentioned the shift in the 2nd District’s Black population from about half to about 40%. The centre-rated digests did not include the specific percentage change in the 2nd District’s Black population, though the Washington Top News full report carried the figure. The left-rated digests, including the Associated Press’s full report, did include this detail.
The right-rated digest did not mention the broader Republican strategy behind the redistricting, as described by the Associated Press. The centre-rated digests also omitted this context, though the Washington Top News full report included it.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 10 Aug 2026, 23:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
7 rated outlets
- The six left-rated digests led on the elimination of one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts. The Associated Press’s full report, carried by outlets including NPR and the Toronto Star, described the redistricting as part of a "nationwide Republican effort championed by President Donald Trump to maximize the party’s chances of holding its slim U.S. House majority." The Alabama Reflector’s digest included a voter guide and noted that the new map reduces the Black population in the 2nd District.
- The Associated Press’s full report quoted the shift in the 2nd District’s presidential voting patterns, stating that under the new boundaries, "Trump would have beaten Harris 57% to 42%" in the 2024 election. The report also named the Republican candidates challenging Democratic incumbents and noted Trump’s endorsement of Rhett Marques.
Centre
9 rated outlets
- All nine centre-rated digests led on the special primaries taking place under the new congressional map. The WVTM digest noted that the map eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. The Winnipeg Free Press and other centre-rated digests carried the Associated Press’s phrasing that the primaries were postponed following a "U.S. Supreme Court decision that prompted a handful of Republican-controlled Southern states to throw out their congressional maps."
- The Washington Top News full report, carried by several centre-rated outlets, included details on voter registration numbers and past turnout. It stated that as of 1 June 2026, Alabama had 3.8 million registered voters, with each congressional district containing about 718,000 people. The report also noted that about 409,000 ballots were cast in the May 2026 primaries, representing roughly 11% of registered voters.
Right
1 rated outlet
- The single right-rated digest, from The Daily Dispatch, led on the primaries taking place under the new map that "eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black districts currently represented by Democrats." The digest did not include additional context or details beyond the basic facts of the election.
Read it at the source
20 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
7- Alabama heads into a special election after redistricting (opens NPR in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens The Washington Post in a new tab)
The Washington Post — is The Washington Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens The Toronto Star in a new tab)
The Toronto Star — is The Toronto Star biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens The Seattle Times in a new tab)
The Seattle Times — is The Seattle Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens Associated Press News in a new tab)
Associated Press News — is Associated Press News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens The Hamilton Spectator in a new tab)
The Hamilton Spectator — is The Hamilton Spectator biased? Our profile of this outlet
- A voter guide to Alabama's special primary elections (opens alabamareflector.com in a new tab)
alabamareflector.com — is alabamareflector.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
9- Alabama's special primary election 2026: What to know about Tuesday’s congressional races (opens WVTM in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens Washington Top News in a new tab)
Washington Top News — is Washington Top News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama's special congressio (opens WBAL in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens KTBS in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens The Northern Virginia Daily in a new tab)
The Northern Virginia Daily — is The Northern Virginia Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens Local 3 News in a new tab)
Local 3 News — is Local 3 News biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens Audacy in a new tab)
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens WKMG in a new tab)
Right
1Not rated
3- Alabama Special Election Results 2026 Date & Time: When Will State Senate District 25 & 26 Results Be Announced? Check Poll Closing Time, Vote Counting Schedule & Latest Updates (opens The Sunday Guardian Live in a new tab)
The Sunday Guardian Live — is The Sunday Guardian Live biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Aug. 11 special primary in Mobile, Baldwin counties: How to vote and who is on the ballot (opens mobilebaynow.com in a new tab)
mobilebaynow.com — is mobilebaynow.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Alabama’s special congressional primaries (opens KXL in a new tab)
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order?
- Of the 17 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 41% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 6% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 20. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order left or right?
- Neither side dominates it. Of the 17 rated outlets on this story, 41% are rated left, 53% are rated centre, 6% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
- Is the coverage of Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order biased?
- Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order is one event reported by 20 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Alabama holds special primaries after Supreme Court redistricting order?
- 20 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- Why were Alabama’s special primaries postponed?
- Governor Kay Ivey postponed the primaries for Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th congressional districts after a U.S. Supreme Court decision led to the redrawing of the state’s congressional map. The new boundaries take effect in January 2027, as reported by the Associated Press.
- How does the new congressional map change Alabama’s districts?
- The new map eliminates one of Alabama’s two majority-Black districts, reducing them from two to one. In the 2nd District, the Black population decreases from about half to about 40%, according to the Associated Press’s full report.
- When do polls close in Alabama’s special primaries?
- Polls close at 7 p.m. Central Time (8 p.m. Eastern Time) on 11 August 2026. The Associated Press will report results as they become available, with past primaries typically seeing initial results within 30 minutes of poll closures.
- Which districts are holding special primaries in Alabama?
- Voters in Alabama’s 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 7th congressional districts are selecting nominees in the special primaries on 11 August 2026. The new map affects these districts, with the 2nd and 7th currently represented by Democrats.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
