Two months after state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures testified against ex-Circuit Court Judge Herman Thomas during his trial on charges he spanked and sexually assaulted prisoners, he has decided to run for her senate seat.

Surrounded by a gathering of about 30 friends and supporters, Thomas made his official announcement Wednesday morning outside St. James Catholic Church in Prichard. He offered “the importance of giving back to the community” as his major reason for deciding to challenge Figures.

He flatly dismissed questions asking if his run was vengeance for Figures’ testimony during his trial. Thomas was eventually acquitted of several of the charges against him, and Special Judge Claud Neilson then decided to throw out the remainder, rather than ordering a retrial on those counts.

Thomas said he is trying to instill in his daughters an understanding of the importance of public service.

“It should come as no surprise that I wish to continue my commitment to serve my community,” Thomas said at the announcement. “I wish to serve this community as the next senator from district 33.”

While no other elected officials appeared at Thomas’ announcement rally, he said he believes he will be widely supported by the people of the district, which encompasses north Mobile and areas of Prichard.

He listed high dropout rates and crime among the issues he intends to tackle if elected.

Thomas declined to comment on what things he thinks his opponent has not done during her time in office. He said he did call Figures and left a message on her cell phone on Tuesday expressing his thoughts upon the run. He would not elaborate upon his message. He also added that he has thought about serving in the Legislature for many years.

He also briefly acknowledged that the past two years have been difficult ones for his family.

Figures’ testimony during Thomas’ trial was one of the most dramatic events of the proceeding.

Figures’ son, Akil, was one of Thomas’ alleged victims. He testified during the trial that Thomas took him to his “secret office” off of his chambers and ordered him to pull his pants and underwear down for a “whoopin’” for being arrested on a drug offense.

“He told me before he picked me up, I had to take a whoopin’,” Akil Figures testified.

Figures recalled he had on black sweatpants and he dropped those partially but left his boxer shorts up. Figures said the judge told him to, “stop playing me, Mr. Figures.”

Akil Figures said Thomas hit him several times with a belt. Sen. Figures testified that she had a conversation with Thomas in early 2004, when Akil was 22-years-old, where he asked her for permission to paddle him. Thomas told her he had had success with this tactic with other young men. Since nothing else had seemingly worked with her eldest son, she granted the judge permission. Prosecutors asked her if she thought this would involve paddling his bare bottom and she said that was not what she thought he meant by it.

In attempting to take the district 33 senate seat, Thomas would seek to upend a politician who has held that seat since 1997. Figures took that seat after winning a special election to fill out the remainder of her husband Michael’s term. He died in 1997. She has won re-election in 1998, 2002 and 2006. She was also elected to a seat on the Mobile City Council in 1994, and ran successfully for six terms as a delegate to the Democratic National Committee.

Thomas was first appointed to the Mobile County District Court in 1990. He was appointed to the circuit court in 1999 and won election once.

Figures did not return Lagniappe’s phone calls in time for this story.