So we are still about a year and a half away from the 2010 primary election and you must be thinking I’m insane. However, I indicated about a week ago that I was going to make an announcement early in my 2010 endorsement for the Alabama 7th Congressional District seat. Not only am I making an endorsement, but I am announcing to going to be working with Shelia Smoot who just formed a committee to be a candidate for the seat to be vacated by Artur Davis.
I’m telling everyone now so that they will know where I am coming from when I talk about this race or my candidate. I have found that I like it when bloggers are candid in their affiliations with candidates. So I am practicing what I preach. Below the thread is more info on my candidate.
Why Smoot?
I have known Shelia since 2001 and believe that she would be an excellent representative for the constituents of the 7th Congressional District. I find her to be concerned about all people and always willing to lend a helping hand. I’ve talked to people throughout the country that have stories about how Shelia helped them in some capacity.
She also will surround herself with competent people who understand the issues important to those in her community. She knows that transportation and infrastructure, health care, senior housing and creation of jobs are the most pressing of those issues in the 7th Congressional District.
I know several other candidates will likely announce and I welcome all of those to enter the race. I believe that it will be a spirited campaign that will be about how to improve the quality of life in the 7th Congressional District.
I know some of the other potential candidates and I genuinely like them. I think this will be an election with good options. I also have friends who will be working with some of the other candidates.
While not a factor in my choice, I also think it is time that we send the first African American Female to Congress. Alabama needs a female representative in Congress and Shelia Smoot has been a trailblazer throughout her career as a journalist and as a politician.
Our website is under construction, so please let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Obviously there have been African American women in Congress – going back to when won Shirley Chisholm in 1968, and today including more than a dozen current Black Caucus female members – (Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Laura Richardson, Diane Watson, Corrine Brown, Donna Edwards, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Yvette Clarke, Marcia Fudge, Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Bernie Johnson, Gwen Moore, Donna Green — I might be forgetting someone in that list)
So I assume you’re talking about the African-American woman from Alabama… which would be no small milestone in an of itself.
Glad to see a candidate like Smoot out there early – she sounds like an impressive candidate (jn what is likely to be a very crowded Democratic primary). I imagine that with the largest portion of the district coming from Jefferson County/Birmingham being from there will be an advantage in the primary — although a split among multiple JeffCo candidates could allow a candidate from the more rural part of the district to slip through.
Would be nice to see a member who is a bit more progressive than Artur Davis – who isn’t bad, but a little disappointing representing such a safe Democratic district.
Good luck with your candidate.
I like seeing what everyone here is working at home. Some of my favorite threads are when they ask everyone to post something about themselves, where they live, a campaign they are working on, etc.
Good luck on the race! I haven’t worked on a race since I was on the Franken campaign (before I hated him) and oh how I miss it.