Rhett Marques pledges business support in AL-02 race

The Republican nominee for Alabama’s 2nd  Congressional District pledged Thursday to reduce taxes and regulations for businesses shortly after he secured the endorsement of a business group.

Speaking at an Enterprise tire store he once owned, Republican Rep. Rhett Marques, R-Enterprise, cited his support for eliminating taxes on overtime pay and said he would pursue similar measures in Congress.

“As a state representative over the last eight years, I have worked hard to make sure that we have put more money into the hardworking people of this state,” he said at the news conference.

The campaign for U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, the incumbent and Marques’ opponent in the race, said in a statement Thursday that Marques is lying about the congressman to distract voters away from his own voting record.

“Instead of spinning up foolishness, Rhett should quit dodging debates and explain to voters why he’s voted to raise taxes more than 20 times,” the statement said. “I look forward to voting for myself in November and defeating Rhett’s unaffordable agenda.”

Marques received the endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) just as The Center for Politics from the University of Virginia shifted the rating for the election toward Figures, from likely Republican to leans Republican.

Rosemary Elebach, the Alabama state director of the organization, said Marques “was a voice for small business owners” in the Legislature.

The Alabama Legislature redrew the map last May by putting in a map the Legislature approved in 2023 that federal courts later deemed racially discriminatory against Black voters.

The U.S. Supreme Court in Louisiana v. Callais, a decision handed down in April, weakened a section of the Voting Rights Act that led to that decision, which the court formally overturned a few weeks later.

Marques won the Republican primary for the seat in August after a campaign in which he emphasized his endorsement by President Donald Trump.

The Alabama Legislature in 2023 approved  HB 217, sponsored by House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, which exempted hourly employees from state income taxes on overtime. The tax exemption expired in 2025 and was not renewed.

Marques said he would try to implement other Alabama business laws in Congress. One bill Marques and Elebash cited was SB 221, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, that excluded credit card transaction fees from sales and use taxes. According to the fiscal note, the bill decreased the sales and use tax receipts to the Educational Trust Fund budget as well as county and municipal funds.

Marques also echoed Republican concerns about turnout in the fall. GOP turnout in the May 19th primary fell over 2022, and just 5% of eligible voters cast ballots in the Aug. 11 special congressional primaries, which mainly featured Republican races.

“That is disappointing for a state that is heavily veteran, who have put their lives on the line for our right to come and vote,” Marques said. “It is very important for every member of this state to go vote and give their opinion because it is going to matter, not only for this state but for the direction of our country.”