Terri Sewell's Electoral Journey

The 2022 Elections: A Recap

During the 2022 election cycle, Rep. Sewell stood out once again securing her position with a substantial margin of victory of nearly 30 points. This margin was due in large part to Sewell not running against a "quality candidate". Her opponent, Beatrice Nichols, had never ran for office prior to the 2022 election, and her campaign Twitter account currently has 86 followers. Here is an example of the type of content that you would see if you were to inclined to visit her opponents Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicholsCongress/status/1585960210773864448. 

This isn't a one off example. It seems to me as if the GOP knew Alabama's 7th was an uncompetitive district and allocated their resources to quality candidates in districts that they thought they were more likely to win. Sewell never really had competition and Nichols campaign strategy seemed to be riding  Trump's coattails in a blue urban district.

Redistricting?

Redistricting is always a hot topic, given its potential to change the electoral landscape. Alabama's districts were supposed to be redrawn by a district court, however the Supreme Court stepped in and said that it was too close to the election to redraw. In 2023, the redistricting was done, however **Alabama's 7th district was unchanged.** According to the League of Women's Voters, "for the second time in two years, the Alabama legislature drew a map that included only one majority-Black district, ignoring explicit instructions from the federal courts."

Seeking Reelection?

Sewell has shown that she is running for reelection and wants to continue working in the House per her website. Her commitment to her constituents and her ongoing projects in the district also support this.

Here's a video where she delivers a speech to Princeton graduates where she goes over some of these things and explains to them what she did with her Princeton education: 

Terri shouldn't face much of a problem in the primary. She has an established reputation, having held the seat for over a decade. It's unlikely that the Democratic party will look to pivot and help push another candidate to take her spot. Facing a quality candidate in the primary would only hurt her chances in a general election, as it would divide the party, and potentially make them see flaws that they hadn't already.

In the general election, the Alabama's 7th district has a tendency to favor Democrats. As seen in 2022, the Republican's could not put up a quality candidate. The district strongly leans left and that may cause them to allocate their funds elsewhere. Sewell will have an easy time getting reelected as she is an incumbent in an uncompetitive district.

2020 Presidential Vote and Campaign Finances

In the 2020 presidential election, Sewell's district strongly supported the Democratic ticket. This was by a 42 point margin. Additionally, in 2020 Sewell ran unopposed gathering 97% of the vote.

In terms of campaign finance, Sewell has demonstrated a strong ability to fundraise. According to OpenSecrets, or this years election cycle she has raised $1.6 Million and has over $3 million cash on hand.