Rep. Terri Sewell Declines Run For U.S. Senate Seat

WASHINGTON, DC — Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) said Wednesday she will not run for the U.S> Senate seat currently held by Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL). Shelby, who has served Alabama in the Senate since 1988, announced in February he would not seek re-election.

Related: Sen. Richard Shelby Won't Seek Re-election In 2022

Alabama Democrats had urged Sewell to make a run at Shelby's soon-to-be-vacant seat in the 2022 election, but Sewell said in a statement Wednesday she wants to continue to represent Alabama's 7th Congressional District. Sewell is the only Democrat in Alabama's congressional delegation.

"After careful consideration and consultation with my family and closest advisors, I have decided that the unfinished business of my home district, Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, is far too important for me to seek higher office at this time," Sewell said in a statement.

"I will remain actively engaged in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama and will throw my full weight behind the Democrat candidate who emerges as the strongest advocate for protecting voting rights, expanding economic opportunity, and strengthening access to health care."

Sewell, a Birmingham resident, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, becoming the first Black woman to serve in Alabama's congressional delegation.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) announced earlier in March his intentions to run for Shelby's seat, joining Lynda Blanchard, the former U.S. ambassador to Slovenia in the race. More Republican candidates are expected to enter the race, but no Democrats have declared their candidacy.