Thanks to your help we raised over $10K for Candidates in the 2008 Cycle.
Please help us reach our goal of $30K for 2010
No donation is too small $1 sends a message
Our Candidate List
Wow - Terri Sewell, just 48 hours from her AL-07 primary win, seems to be changing her tune from "I'll be a partner with Obama" to "By no means will I just rubber stamp any and all policies of the administration"
It's official, the 7th Congressional District of Alabama nominated Terri Sewell who is all but guaranteed of being the first African American Congresswoman from Alabama in this Dem +18 PVI district. Not the candidate I supported of course.
The real concern is the people of the 7th Congressional District. Will the least of these in one of the most impoverished districts in the country get the service that they so rightfully need. We don't know when the person that represents them is not beholden to them but rather Corporate interests, out of state money and the D.C. powerbrokers. So while my heart hurts for my friend Shelia Smoot, my heart weeps for those that need service. Terri Sewell made a lot of promises during this campaign on a thin record of previous community service. Let's hope that she can deliver and has the best interests of the people in this district in mind.
Terri Sewell raised over a million dollars in her bid to win the 7th Congressional District race. That being said, she obviously did not spend this money wisely. She loaned her campaign 20k yes twenty thousand on the eve of the election. Again, don't take my word for it. Check out the Federal Election Commission Website .
The median income for a family in Dallas County, Sewell's home county, is not much more than 20k.
If Terri Sewell mismanages one million dollars, then one can only wonder how she will spend her money. Shelia Smoot has raised essentially one tenth of the money that Sewell raised. Talking about stretching a dollar.
The diarist hits the nail on the head with his take on the Emily List emails regarding the urgency of helping Terri Sewell. Despite already having raised a million plus dollars, compared to Shelia Smoot's not even 200k, she's in trouble
Yesterday I received a fundraising e-mail from EMILY's LIST. It was an urgent request to help one of their candidates in dire distress, Terri Sewell in AL- 7. According to the e-mail Terri was being unfairly and baselessly attacked by her opponent and needed money immediately to prevent something terrible from happening.
EMILY's LIST did not explain what Terri Sewell stood for, what her opponent stood for, anything about the nature of the unfair attack, or the significance of AL-7
Today I got a follow-up e-mail from EMILY's LIST thanking those who sent money from yesterday's request.. Terri now had enough money to go on the air and answer "the baseless attacks launched by her opponent." Now EMILY's LIST asked their donors for MORE MONEY to make sure Sewell could fund an extensive "get out the vote drive" and overcome expected low turnout.
As a wise man in Arizona recently said, "Buyers Beware". Never give funds to anyone unless you know the candidates, the positions they hold and how they are running their campaign. After this two day e-mail campaign, I googled the candidates and found that EMILY's LIST e-mails had no basis in reality.
Yeah way to spend that first million wisely on overpriced DC consultants and out of state salaries. Let them tell you to ignore the New South Coalition after they endorse you. Then scratch your heads while the big boss (Emily's List) raises you some more money to waste. Excellent strategy.
Two key endorsements - Singleton was a Hilliard supporter and the Birmingham Firefighters endorsement shows Smoot's strength in the level of support coming from working people
On the Singleton Endorsement
Shelia Smoot gained yet another key endorsement this morning from State Senator Bobby Singleton. Senator Singleton represents Alabama Senate District 24, which includes parts or all of Bibb, Choctaw, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Perry, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties (in other words much of the Blackbelt and District 7).
Speaking on the Jim Lawson radio show in Tuscaloosa, Sen Singleton said, "The District badly needs someone who will fight for the citizens of the District 7 and will not turn their backs on the needs of this district. Shelia is a fighter and always has been. She is the one we need to represent us in Washington." Senator Singleton urged voters in the district to go to the polls on Tuesday and elect one of their own.
Senator Singleton also spoke to the controversy with Greentrack and the Governor's actions last week. The Senator said Shelia understands the economic ramifications of the Governor's actions. "That's exactly why we need someone who will fight for us. Shelia will do what's right for the hard working people of District 7."
On the Firefighters endorsement
The Birmingham Professional Firefighters Association has endorsed Shelia Smoot for Congress. In a letter from Sebastian Carillo, VP of the BPFA, they stated
"It is with distinct honor that we offer you the endorsement of the BPFA. Your service to your community has been "OUTSTANDING."
While it saddens us to lose you here at home we know your move to Washington will only broaden the impact you will have on the entire region."
Shelia was thrilled to once again receive the endorsement of another hard working group of people. "This campaign has been built on the grassroots efforts of its workers. I appreciate all the support I have received and they know that when I go to Washington the people of the 7th District are coming with me. I will never turn my back on working men and women for special interests or Wall Street. Once again this draws a distinction between me and my opponent, " Shelia remarked.
Much has been made recently over the million plus dollars Terri Sewell has raised in her bid to win the AL-07 Congressional seat. But where is that money being spent?
Mostly out of state to the peril of folks in Alabama's 7th Congressional District. Her campaign is obviously being run by out of state consultants who do not understand Alabama politics or the need to invest in the local economy.
This morning I just got an email that the Alabama New South Coalition has not received any support from Sewell in their GOTV efforts
TO: New South Members in the Seventh Congressional District
SUBJECT: GOTV Funds
Senator Hank Sanders has advised ANSC President and State Coordinator that the Terri Sewell Campaign has failed to provide any GOTV monies whatsoever to the Alabama New South Coalition. He has been working with them since June 22nd to no avail. They advised him that they had to put all their money in radio. Senator Sanders asked that you be advised of this development and that you should use this information as you see fit.
Interesting - all the money going into radio and none for the people in the district to feel a part of the campaign. Nothing unusual here for the Sewell campaign who is putting most of the big money into salaries from out of State and media consultants from outside Alabama. Just Another slap in the face similar to those made by Artur Davis in his failed gubernatorial run.
I just got passed along yet another email from Emily's List who is trying to drag Terri Sewell across the finish line in the AL-07 primary.
Here's part of the email
Terri Sewell's opponent is up on the air with a desperate attack ad filled with lies, and Terri has only seven days to fight back and get her voters to the polls. She is counting on EMILY's List members to ensure that she has the critical funds she needs to keep her message on TV. Can you help her out with an emergency contribution today?
Make an emergency contribution to Terri Sewell today and 100% of your contribution will go to making sure she has the resources she needs in these last seven days.
Terri is a fighter -- she finished first in a competitive primary, and now she has the momentum she needs to win. But in the next seven days, she is relying on us for the resources she needs to fight back against outright lies her opponent is launching. Terri must stay on TV and do an aggressive GOTV campaign in these final days to fight back against these misleading attacks.
With voter turnout expected to be very low, nothing can be left to chance -- Terri is one of our best chances to elect a new pro-choice Democratic woman to Congress, and needs our help today to win her July 13th run-off.
The claim about the car was refuted by facts provided by Jefferson County and an independent attorney. The car in question was used by the county staff and not Shelia Smoot and the audit referred to was determined to be inaccurate.
On the other hand Sewell claims that the Smoot ads are false, but she has failed to prove that is the case. In fact she outright lied about her voting record in the Selma Debate on Monday night. She also lied about this at a New South Endorsement screening a few weeks before based on accounts from several of people in attendance.
Emily's List claims this will be one of our best opportunities to put a pro-choice woman into Congress. But they fail to mention that either way we will have a pro-choice woman in Congress.
The voters in AL-07 need to know the truth and they need to know who is funding this outsider campaign. Shelia Smoot is the lifelong Democrat and the progressive in this race. Sewell's voting history is spotty and her involvement in the Alabama Democratic Party started in 2008 when she ran as a delegate in Alabama's 6th Congressional District, one of the most conservative districts in the country.
Shelia Smoot is on your side. Can the same be said about Terri Sewell when her supporters cannot even tell the truth?
Today is Shelia Smoot's (AL-07) 47th birthday. A week from today, voters in Alabama's 7th Congressional District will go to the polls and cast their historic vote for the first African American Congresswoman from Alabama. Shelia and her opponent are both African American females vying for the Democratic nomination in this PVI +18 Democratic seat. This seat is currently held by Artur Davis who was the only member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the member from the most Democratic district to vote against Health Care reform. With Smoot we have a chance to have a much better Dem.
If you saw the Alabama 7th CD Debate tonight, I'm sure you were able to pick up in the contrasts between Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot.
Take the representation of Artur Davis for example. Both candidates agree that Davis made the wrong decision in his vote against health care. However, when asked by the moderator, former Selma mayor James Perkins, about how they would grade Congressman Davis you got two ends of the spectrum. Sewell said she would give Davis a B whereas Smoot would give Davis a D.
I think where Sewell failed miserably though is when she drew a distinction between her and Smoot's leadership style. She said she would be non-confrontational and not seek an argument for arguments sake. People like Shelia Smoot because she is aggressive and will fight for the least of these as she says in her own words. Furthermore, at times during the debate Sewell came off as very combative and defensive although she wants to paint herself as someone who is more of a team player.
Smoot handled the difficult questions much better than Sewell and is clearly more comfortable in such a setting. Even critics of Smoot should be aware that she is much more comfortable answering the tough questions and talked about how the Jeff Co sewer debt was the most difficult situation she faced in politics.
Tonight was an opportunity for the voters to listen to the two candidates discuss the issues and their leadership styles. Although, I'm biased I think that Smoot remained more poised and was certainly more comfortable in her own skin.
Terri Sewell skipped out of an Alabama Democratic Conference event to attend an Alabama Federation of Republican Women Event. Again, why is Emily's List supporting Terri Sewell?
I know that they are reading this article. They read all of our articles related to the Alabama 7th Congressional District race between two pro choice women.
Sewell has raised $1 million dollars in this race. Emily's List has spent a lot of money on independent expenditures for Sewell. In fact they donated to her more than Smoot's cumulative amount raised in the May 13 to June 23rd period.
Her endorsement by Emily's List has brought in another $47,000 from donors who support female candidates who favor abortion rights. Smoot also favors abortion rights.
Smoot, a Jefferson County commissioner with roots in Sumter County, raised $36,000 and spent about $44,000 during that same time.
This doesn't even include the nearly 19k Emily's List dumped into this race on July 1.
So what's the reason they are supporting the more corporate candidate when there are two unequivocally pro-choice Women in this race. What's the reason that Emily's List is supporting the candidate that has failed to exercise her right to vote? Why are you so enthralled with this candidate and her spotty voting record when you criticize a similar spotty voting record of Carly Fiorina in California?
Why is Emily's List so concerned with taking this seat?
We know you are reading. Please give us an answer. The involvement of Emily's List in this race is a clear example that our so-called progressive Democratic groups care less about beating the Republicans than they do promoting their self-interests.
Shelia Smoot keeps on racking up the endorsements in her bid to become the next member of Congress from Alabama's 7th Congressional District. The United Food and Commercial Workers are the latest labor union to endorse Smoot.
"
Time and again, Sheila Smoot has shown her commitment to working men and women by supporting efforts to protect good jobs in Alabama," said Al Vincent, a UFCW Local 1657 leader. "Her resolve to stand by UFCW members during tough times has earned our support and we know that with Smoot, working families across the country will have an ardent advocate in Congress."
Commissioner Smoot has a proven track record of fighting side by side with working Alabamians to keep good paying jobs. She played a key role in making sure the livelihoods of Bruno's Supermarkets workers were protected during the sale last year of Bruno's Supermarkets to Birmingham-based Southern Family Markets.
Smoot's labor endorsements include the American Federation of Teachers, The Alabama Education Association, State of Alabama AFL-CIO, The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, The United Auto Workers and The United Steel Workers
For the second time in as many nights, Shelia Smoot sat next to an empty chair in what was intended to be a debate with her opponent. Terri Sewell first skips a debate sponsored by an organization, The Alabama New South Coalition, that endorses her just a week earlier. Tonight she slights her hometown of Selma in a radio debate on Z105.3. All candidates according to the Dallas County Democratic Executive committee, the event sponsor, were given adequate notice.
Sewell has yet to offer an explanation as to why she will not take her case directly to the voters of the district. The voters are not given the opportunity to ask Sewell about her plans for improving the District.
If a candidate for Congress chooses not to provide an open line of communication to the voters now then they can only imagine the type of service they will receive. A job applicant failing to attend an interview usually will not receive the position. Choosing to avoid a debate and taking your case to the voters should be met with resistance at the polls.
Where is Terri Sewell? Why is she avoiding the voters of the 7th Congressional District? Terri Sewell finds time to attend silly expensive shoe fundraisers , but she cannot find time to talk directly to those that she would serve.
If she only pays attention to her high dollar donors now what can we expect when the least of these need her attention. Terri Sewell left the 7th Congressional District after high school and it seems that she never looked back.
Shelia Smoot essentially debated an open chair tonight. Terri Sewell apparently had something more important to do than talk to the voters about issues that matter.
According to Sewell supporter Retired Federal Judge U.W. Clemon, she is a superior candidate because of degrees she earned decades ago . He concluded that her absence would not hurt her at the polls.
I don't think it hurts her chances in any way because she is so markedly superior to the other candidate," Clemon said.
He says with an undergrad degree from Princeton, a masters from Oxford and a law degree from Harvard, that should be all the proof constituents need to vote Sewell into office.
"Those degrees, in the first place, make her eminently qualified," Clemon said.
It doesn't hurt to fail to attend a forum sponsored by an organization that endorsed you? Yeah let's see how that goes over.
Clemon left before Shelia Smoot talked with the crowd for about an hour. The crowd was obviously impressed because they gave Smoot a standing ovation .
I also am not sure the voters will think that someone is markedly superior because of degrees. How many Ivy League educated voters are there in Alabama's 7th Congressional District?
We have nothing against Ivy League degrees, but these comments reeked of elitism. Terri Sewell accomplished a lot by achieving undergrad and law degrees from Ivy League institutions. However, it takes more than degrees to represent the voters of this district. Shelia Smoot respected the voters enough to come talk with them about the issues. That speaks volumes about who is really committed to representing the voters in this district.
We assumed we would be having an AL-07 debate/forum today. However, Terri Sewell will not be present. She does have supporters in the audience and signs outside the library. However, as I learned early in politics - signs do not vote.
Shelia will address the audience in just a few minutes on a number of issues. She will also have a chance to answer a number of questions.
Apparently Judge U.W. Clemon asked to represent Sewell although the New South Coalition decided that only candidates would be able to attend.
We are Progressive Democrats that discuss national, local and regional politics, politicians and issues. We support candidates that share our passion for improving government, ensuring equal rights and opportunity, social and economic justice and civil liberties. We strive to improve the economy, environment and the health of all Americans. We're also big sports fans. Please register and join us with your own posts and comments. If you can please donate to help us continue this service.
