Birmingham, AL) -- Jefferson County Commissioner Shelia Smoot continues to break records in politics, now as the first woman to qualify to run for the U.S. House of Representatives for the 7th Congressional District.
And she continues to poll ahead of six other contenders who are also vying for the seat of U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D)-Birmingham. Davis left his seat and is now running to become the first black governor for the State of Alabama.
Smoot was the first woman to officially enter the race for Congress when she filed paperwork with the Alabama Democratic Party at its executive committee meeting on Jan. 19. That means her name will appear on the party's ballot in its June 1 primaries.
She also filed paperwork Thursday with the Alabama Secretary of State citing her intent to run for the 7th Congressional District. The district extends from Birmingham into western Black Belt counties including Greene, Pickens, Sumter, Dallas and Wilcox.
Smoot is no stranger to making history. She was the first black woman and the youngest person ever elected to the Jefferson County Commission when she won the District 2 seat in Nov. 2002. She won re-election in 2006.
Polls have shown Smoot leading the field of six candidates in the race since she announced her intent to run for Davis' seat in 2009. A poll released just last month by the Feldman Group -- commissioned by State Rep. Earl Hilliard, Jr., one of her opponents -- showed Smoot as the front-runner in the race.
