Shelia Smoot has formed her campaign committee for the AL 07 Congressional Seat that is being vacated by Artur Davis in 2010. Davis will be a Democratic candidate for Governor.
This election can be an historic election. Alabama has never elected an African American Female to Congress. It has never actually elected a female to a full term in Congress.
We started the Draft Smoot group about a month ago to encourage Shelia to run for this seat. While an official announcement has not been made, the campaigning for this seat has started.
What really impressed us is that teens have already become engaged in this movement and started their own facebook group - Teen 4 Shelia Smoot Congress 2010.
This campaign is going to be a grassroots campaign and it is efforts like these that are really encouraging.
Shelia wears many hats on a weekly basis. She's a County Commissioner, a businesswoman, a radio talk show host, a former investigative reporter and a mother of a teenage daughter.
We've known her for a long time and she has a way of engaging a lot of different kinds of people in the political process. Encouraging youth to get involved in the political process is very important to her and she has served as a mentor to several young people who have gotten involved.
It is really no surprised that some of our constituents would be encouraged to spend their time on facebook talking about her future Congressional Campaign.
We know this election is not until 2010 and we will have a long campaign. We did want to just share this info about how this has already engaged people and hope that you will follow us throughout this historic endeavor.
Here's something that one supporter, The Progressive Electorate, said about Shelia
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.