Times Staff Report
At least 19 African-American women are seeking elected office in Jefferson County in 2018. Here is a glimpse at candidates likely to run.
Name: Louise Alexander
Running for: House District 56 (re-election)
Background: Served for many years as a Bessemer City Council member; elected to Alabama House of Representatives in 2014
Name: Sandra Little Brown
Running for: Jefferson County Commission, District 2 (re-election)
Background: Served on the Birmingham City Council from 1997 to 2001; seeking a third term on the County Commission
Name: Merika Coleman
Running for: House District 57 (re-election)
Background: Elected to Alabama House of Representatives in 2002; member of the House financial services and judiciary committees
Name: Priscilla Dunn
Running for: Senate District 19 (re-election)
Background: First elected to the chamber in a special election on June 30, 2009, served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1998 to 2009.
Name: Cheri Gardner
Running for: Jefferson County Court Clerk
Background: Current member of Birmingham Board of Education, first elected to school board in 2013; director of funeral services at Smith and Gaston Funeral Services
Name: Juandalynn Givan
Running for: House District 60 (re-election)
Background: Elected to state legislature in 2010; attorney with a private practice, Givan and Associates Law Firm
Name: Marshell Jackson Hatcher
Running for: Jefferson County Circuit Court, Place 8
Background: Former sheriff’s deputy; has been a practicing attorney for 20 years
Name: Janine Hunt-Hilliard
Running for: Jefferson County Circuit Court, Place 18
Background: Attorney seeking her first political office
Name: Rolanda Hollis
Running for: House District 58 (re-election)
Background: Real estate broker; won Alabama House of Representatives District 58 seat during a special election following the retirement of Rep. Oliver Robinson (D-Birmingham)
Name: Linda Coleman-Madison
Running for: Senate District 20 (re-election)
Background: Served one term in the Alabama House of Representatives District 60; three terms on the Birmingham City Council; seeking her third term in the Senate.
Name: Jameria Moore
Running for: Jefferson County Probate Court, Place 2
Background: Birmingham native; graduate of West End High School, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham; attorney seeking her first political office
Name: Mary Moore
Running for: House District 59 (re-election)
Background: Served on the Birmingham City School Board from 1998 to 2002; first elected to Alabama House of Representatives in 2002
Name: Carnella Greene-Norman
Running for: Jefferson County District Court, Place 3 (re-election)
Background: Has practiced law for more than 25 years; state mediator registered with the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution
Name: Lorraine Pringle
Running for: Jefferson County District Court Judge, Place 12 (re-election)
Background: Bessemer resident; first elected to district court Place 12 in 2012
Name: Katrina Ross
Running for: Jefferson County District Court, Place 6 (re-election)
Background: Birmingham native; graduated from A.H. Parker High School, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Miles Law School; elected to district court in 2006
Name: Terri Sewell
Running for: U.S. House of Representatives, District 7 (re-election)
Background: Has served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee; an attorney in private practice before being elected
Name: Carole Smitherman
Running for: Jefferson County Circuit Court, Place 13 (re-election)
Background: Longtime Birmingham City Council member in District 6, who also served as the city’s acting mayor; first elected to Place 13 in 2012
Name: Patricia Stephens
Running for: Jefferson County Circuit Court, Place 15 (re-election)
Background: Former assistant district attorney in Jefferson County and an attorney in private practice; first elected to the bench in 2012
Name: Tracie Todd
Running for: Jefferson County Circuit Court, Place 7 (re-election)
Background: Former deputy district attorney in Jefferson County; first elected to the bench in 2012
