Terri Sewell is the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative for Alabama's 7th District, first elected in 2010 and now serving her eighth term. She sits on the House Ways and Means Committee and the Committee on House Administration, and has focused on voting rights, infrastructure, healthcare, and economic development. Sewell was unopposed in the Democratic primary and faces Republican nominee Ammie Akin in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Terri Sewell states that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act to expand access and lower costs. She has backed measures to cap insulin costs for seniors, enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices, expand telehealth, and permanently fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Terri Sewell prioritizes creating good-paying jobs and expanding economic opportunity in Alabama; she supports federal investments and policies to grow the economy through infrastructure, manufacturing, broadband expansion, and workforce development to close the digital divide and prepare workers for tomorrow’s jobs.
Terri Sewell supports strong federal action to address climate change through clean energy investments and domestic manufacturing. She backed the Inflation Reduction Act, which expands clean energy, lowers energy costs for households, and creates jobs in Alabama.
Terri Sewell supports common-sense gun safety measures to reduce gun violence, including universal background checks, raising the age for purchasing semi-automatic firearms to 21, reinstating an assault weapons ban, banning ghost guns and high-capacity magazines, and strengthening safe storage requirements.
Terri Sewell supports targeted local investments in infrastructure, affordable housing, and public safety in Alabama's 7th District, backed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and federal THUD funding. She has secured funding for projects across the district—such as water/sewer improvements, housing initiatives, and public safety facility upgrades—to strengthen local communities.
Terri Sewell supports congressional oversight of foreign military action and backed H.Con.Res.38 to end unauthorized hostilities in Iran; she also supported Ukraine security aid as part of a measured foreign policy.
Terri Sewell supports a world-class public-school system funded to invest in students, teachers, and early education. She advocates for local control and full funding for Head Start centers, has introduced legislation to close tax loopholes for private academies, and champions funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as part of a comprehensive education agenda; she serves as Vice Chair of the bipartisan HBCU Caucus to strengthen these institutions.
Terri Sewell supports robust federal civil rights protections, with a focus on voting rights. She introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act and has condemned Supreme Court rulings that weaken protections for Black and minority voters.
Terri Sewell supports robust voting rights protections to expand access to the ballot and guard against discrimination. She is the author and lead sponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, aimed at restoring the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and preventing modern barriers to voting.
Terri Sewell supports abortion rights and voted for the Women's Health Protection Act, which would enshrine Roe v. Wade in federal law, and for the Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act following the Supreme Court's Dobbs ruling. She opposed Alabama's Human Life Protection Act, calling it an unconstitutional attack on women's rights.
Terri Sewell supports comprehensive immigration reform with a lawful path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS/DED holders, reforms to agricultural worker programs, and strengthened protections for immigrant workers. She backed HR 6 (American Dream and Promise Act) and HR 1603 (Farm Workforce Modernization Act) to advance these goals.
Terri Sewell says she wants America to lead in AI innovation, but she cosponsored the AI Data Center Moratorium Act to temporarily pause new construction and major expansions of large AI data centers until Congress establishes federal safeguards on environmental impacts, energy and water use, labor standards, consumer privacy, community engagement, and equitable economic development.
Terri Sewell states that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act to expand access and lower costs. She has backed measures to cap insulin costs for seniors, enable Medicare to negotiate drug prices, expand telehealth, and permanently fund the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
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Background
Career History
U.S. Representative2011 – Present
U.S. House of Representatives
Representing Alabama's 7th Congressional District
Partner and Public Finance Attorney2004 – 2010
Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.
First Black woman partner at the firm's Birmingham office; public finance lawyer before her election to Congress.
Securities Attorney1994 – 2004
Davis Polk & Wardwell
Securities lawyer based in New York before returning to Alabama.
Judicial Law Clerk1992 – 1994
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama
Law clerk to Chief Judge U.W. Clemon in Birmingham, Alabama.
Education
Princeton UniversityBachelor of Arts in Political Science (1986)
University of OxfordMaster of Arts in Political Science (1988)
Harvard Law SchoolJuris Doctor in Law (1992)
Top Donors
Terri Sewell's campaign raised approximately $1.96 million and spent about $1.68 million as of the July 22, 2026 FEC filing for the 2026 cycle. Her fundraising reflects her long incumbency in a safely Democratic district, with support from a broad base of individual donors and political action committees.
Voted with the Democratic caucus nearly 100% of the time in the 118th Congress. Notable votes include voting against the Republican-led continuing resolution in March 2025 (H.R. 1968) and sponsoring voting rights legislation. Maintained a 0% conservative score from Heritage Action.