Smith for Congress
104 Rock Bridge Road
Dothan, AL 36303
(334) 699-8683
http://www.harrianne2008.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS

NOVEMBER 17,2008
By: Bob Johnson

State Senator Harri Anne Smith Running for 2nd District Seat

State Sen. Harri Anne Smith announced Thursday that she is seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat, a bid to become the first woman from Alabama to serve in Congress in her own right and not because of her husband's position.

The Slocomb Republican said her number one issue if elected to Congress will be to work to win the war in Iraq.

"I support our troops and I support winning this war," Smith said.

Other issues Smith said she will make priorities include helping farmers in the agriculture-rich southeast Alabama district overcome the drought that has gripped much of Alabama for more than a year and continuing efforts to bring industrial development into the area.

Smith is running for the Republican nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Terry Everett, R-Rehobeth, and held by the GOP since 1964.

If elected, Smith would make history.

Two women, Maryon Allen and Dixie Graves, served short terms in the U.S. Senate after being appointed, but were not elected. Allen was appointed to the Senate in 1978 by Gov. George Wallace after the death of her husband, Sen. Jim Allen. In 1937, Dixie Graves was appointed by her husband, Gov. Bibb Graves, to fill the unexpired term of Sen. Hugo Black after Black was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Elizabeth Bullock Andrews served briefly in the U.S. House in the early 1970s after winning a special election following the death of her husband, U.S. Rep. George William Andrews.

Smith said she had not given a lot of thought to becoming one of the first woman elected to Congress from Alabama.

"I will be the most qualified. The most important thing is electing the most qualified person," Smith said.

At a news confelrence on the statehouse steps, Smith made the announcement on a cool windy morning with her husband, Charlie Smith, at her side, and her mother, Marjorie Harris, standing nearby.

A banker, Smith said she is running because she believes she has the experience needed to help the people of the 2nd District, which stretches across central and southeast Alabama from Prattville to Dothan.

"I have always loved helping people. My sole goal is to help people of the area," Smith said.

The 45-year-old Smith is serving her third term in the state Senate. She is a former councilwoman and mayor of Slocomb in Geneva County. She considered running for governor in 2006, but instead supported Republican Gov. Bob Riley's bid for re-election.

She said she believes the greatest accomplishment of her political career was as mayor and later as a senator helping lure new businesses to Slocomb and Geneva County when textile plants began shutting down. ...

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