Photo courtesy of Terri Sewell
Terri Sewell is the representative for Alabama's Seventh Congressional District
Terri Sewell has been representing Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District since 2011 and now must overcome challenger Chris Davis in the March 5 Democratic primary.
Davis claims Sewell has done very little to take care of the people in their district, noting that the district has the worst life expectancy of any of the 435 Congressional districts in the country, according to data from Harvard University.
He cites a host of environmental problems, from environmental waste sites to air, water and soil pollution, as well as gun violence and health care issues. Read more about Davis here.
Sewell said she has a proven record of working to improve the quality of life for people in the district. She said she has secured more than $11.5 billion in federal grants since taking office in 2011, including $62.6 million for water and sewer improvements in the Black Belt, $50 million for affordable housing projects in Birmingham, $38 million to fight crime and make communities safer, $30 million for public transportation in Birmingham, $13 million to preserve historic civil rights sites, $8.8 million for a program to provide nurse practitioners to underserved areas and $4.1 million for a Rails to Trails project along Valley Creek.
Sewell said she was the only member of Congress from Alabama to vote in favor of a 2021 $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will provide $1.4 billion to expand broadband in Alabama, which she said is critical for commerce, education and health care delivery.
Broadband is no longer a “want,” Sewell said. People need it to do commerce and telehealth, she said.
She also will continue working to stop gun violence and provide access to quality health care, she said. One of the grants she helped secure was $1 million for a “Stop the Violence” program in Birmingham City Schools, she said.
She also has worked to fight opioid addiction and drug abuse prevention in schools and communities, she said.
“The challenges are daunting at times, but the opportunity to make a difference at the federal level is something I’ve been laser-focused on,” Sewell said.
Davis said Sewell has failed to bring a major federal project to the Seventh Congressional District, such as the FBI office for Huntsville (which is expected to grow to 5,000 jobs) or modernized docks in Mobile.
Sewell said she has a proven track record of working to bring jobs to the district, saying she worked with other federal and state officials to bring a $150 million Golden Dragon Copper of China plant to Wilcox County. There have been other significant economic development projects in the district, including the Amazon fulfillment center and Dollar General distribution center in Bessemer, she said. Just this past fall, the Birmingham metro area was designated as one of 31 federal technology hubs, putting the region in the running for significant federal investment dollars, she added.
She said she is eager to get to know people who have been added to her district in the latest Congressional redistricting, including many residents in Homewood.
Before getting elected to Congress, Sewell worked more than 15 years as a securities and public finance attorney, including working for Davis, Polk & Wardwell in New York City and Maynard, Cooper & Gale in Birmingham.
The 59-year-old is a Silver Star and life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and has served as chairwoman and treasurer of the St. Vincent’s Foundation’s board. She also has served on the board of the Girl Scouts of Cahaba Council and Alabama chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, as well as on the community advisory board for the UAB Minority Health and Research Center, governing board of the Alabama Council on Economic Education and corporate council for the Birmingham Art Museum.
Sewell was the first Black valedictorian from Selma High School, where she also was homecoming queen and student council president. With the help of federal student aid and academic scholarships, she obtained a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in 1986, master’s degree from Oxford University in 1988 and law degree from Harvard University in 1992.
Sewell sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as three subcommittees on health, trade, and work and welfare.
In the 118th Congress, Sewell was appointed to the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Administration, where she now is the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Elections.
Congresswoman Sewell previously sat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which is charged with oversight of national security. There, she served as chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Defense Intelligence and Warfighter Support, charged with the oversight of collection and timely dissemination of Department of Defense intelligence with respect to support of all military operations.
Sewell was Freshman Class President in the 112th Congress and now sits on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction of the Democratic Caucus. She also is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, for which she serves as co-chairwoman of the Voting Rights Task Force.
Learn more about Sewell at sewellforcongress.com. Read more about Davis here.
The winner of the Democratic primary in District 7 should face Republican Robin Litaker of Homewood in the Nov. 5 general election. The other Republican who qualified, Christian Horn, announced in February he was withdrawing from the race.
District 7 includes most of Birmingham, parts of Hoover, Homewood and western Jefferson County, parts of Clarke, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa counties and all of Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Pickens, Perry, Sumter and Wilcox counties.
