Vivian Davis Figures

Infobox State Senator
imagesize = 150px
name=Vivian Davis Figures


caption=Alabama State Sen. Vivian Davis Figures
nominee1=U.S. Senator from Alabama
incumbent1=Jeff Sessions
opponent1=Jeff Sessions
election_date1 = November 4, 2008
state_senate2=Alabama
state2=Alabama
district2=33rd
term2=1997 -
preceded2=Michael Figures (D)
succeeded2=Incumbent
order3 = Mobile, Alabama City Council
term_start3 = 1993
term_end3 = 1997
succeeded3=Fred Richardson
party=Democratic
date of birth=birth date and age|1957|01|24
place of birth=flagicon|AlabamaMobile, Alabama
date of death=
place of death=
spouse=widow
children=3
residence=Mobile, Alabama
alma_mater=University of New Haven
occupation=businesswoman
religion=Baptist|

Vivian Davis Figures (born (January 24, 1957) is a Democratic member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 33rd District in Mobile County since she was elected on January 28, 1997 to serve the remaining term of her late husband, Senator Michael A. Figures, who was the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. She was re-elected without opposition in 1998 and 2002.

Figures graduated from Williamson High School in Mobile, and received her bachelor of science degree in Management Science from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. She put herself through college by working at Yale University, and in a family owned grocery. She was attending Jones School of Law in Montgomery when her husband's death forced her to discontinue her legal education. [http://figures2008.com/bio Vivian Figures for Senate: Her Story] ] Figures has three sons. Her youngest, Jelani, is on a basketball scholarship at Morehouse College. ["Colleges Sign Up Rattlers," "Mobile Press-Register", May 12, 2007, p. C6] His brother, Shomari, is a law student at the University of Alabama. Figures's oldest son, Akil, is serving a term in a federal penitentiary on drug charges. At her son's sentencing, Figures stated, "I also pray that other children and other families will learn from our experience." ["Senator's Son Gets 5 Years in Drug Case," "Mobile Press-Register", October 25, 2006, p. A5]

Figures is President/CEO of Figures Legacy Education Foundation and serves on the Board of Directors of the Mobile Area Education Foundation. She is a past at-large member of the Democratic National Committee. She was initiated in the Delta Theta Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in 2002. [http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senatebios/sd033.html Alabama State Senate: Vivian Davis Figures] ]

Before her service in the Alabama Senate, Figures was a member of the Mobile City Council. In that capacity, she was known as a staunch community advocate. Early in her council career, she led the opposition to a proposed facility for burning petroleum-contaminated oil near downtown Mobile. ["Dirt-burners Told Plant Won't Be OK'd," "Mobile Press-Register", September 7, 1995, p. A1] As a council member, Figures was also the initial proponent of naming Mobile's new minor league baseball park for home run legend Hank Aaron, a Mobile native. ["Bears' Stadium Officially Named for Hank Aaron," "Mobile Press-Register", August 8, 1996, p. A5] In Figures's 2008 U.S. Senate race, Aaron campaigned for Figures and hosted fundraisers in several Alabama cities. ["Aaron Helps Figures Swing for Fences," "The Birmingham News", June 27, 2008, p. B1]

In the Alabama Senate, Figures serves as the chairwoman of the Education and Mobile County Local Legislation Committees. In the legislature, Figures may be best known as the perennial sponsor of a bill to ban smoking in indoor, public places statewide in Alabama. In the 2008 general session, the bill passed the Senate, was believed to have sufficient support to pass the House, and Governor Bob Riley had indicated he would sign it. The bill died when legislative filibusters prevented a final vote in the House. ["Ban on Smoking Loses Steam," "Mobile Press-Register", May 20, 2008, p. A2] Figures was also instrumental in the passage of economic incentives that were critical in the location of a Thyssen-Krupp steel plant near Mobile. ["Economic Incentives Boost Passes," "Mobile Press-Register", March 1, 2007, p. A4]

Figures is the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat currently held by United States Republican
Republican Jeff Sessions in the 2008 election, after winning the June 2008 Democratic primary with 64% of the vote. ["Figures, Sessions fight for Senate," "Mobile Press-Register", June 4, 2008, p. A1] An August 28, 2007 poll showed Sessions defeating Figures 59% to 37%. [ [http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReportPopup.aspx?g=b59b0bf4-20f7-4e44-b99c-753d006fdf0b&q=42318/ Survey USA] ] A May 27, 2008 Rasmussen poll showed Sessions winning 62% to 29%. [ [http://www.electionprojection.com/premium/2008/al08.php Election Projection] ] A Rasmussen poll taken a month later indicated that Figures had closed the gap by several percent, to a 58% to 34% margin. [ [http://blog.al.com/sweethome/2008/06/sessions_still_leads_figures_b.html "The Birmingham News" Blogs: “New Poll Shows Sessions Still Leads Figures, but by a Slightly Smaller Margin," June 30, 2008] ] According to finance reports filed just prior to the June primaries, Sessions had raised $5.5 million over the last six years, compared to $199,000 Figures had raised since beginning her campaign. ["Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions Raises Money," "The Birmingham News", May 29, 2008, p. 3A]

ee also

*United States Senate election in Alabama, 2008

References

External links

* [http://www.legislature.state.al.us/senate/senators/senatebios/sd033.html Alabama State Legislature - Senator Vivian Davis Figures] "official government website"
* [http://figures2008.com/ Vivian Davis Figures] "official U.S. Senate campaign website"
*"Follow the Money" - Vivian Davis Figures
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=20062&c=419802 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=20022&c=18997 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=19982&c=673 1998] campaign contributions