Robin Litaker wants to bring about an "Alabama revival" in the seventh congressional district if elected in November.
Litaker, a retired educator from Homewood and Alabama’s Teacher of the Year in 1997, is the Republican challenger to incumbent U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham).
Despite a steep fundraising shortfall compared to Sewell of about $3.7 million, Litaker said she’s optimistic about the feedback she’s getting on the campaign trail so far.
“I’ve been looking into running for this since 2018. This district is one of the most impoverished areas in this country,” Litaker said. “The main reason I’m running for this is because of the neglect, because people in the district are tired of being ignored. There are some huge problems that are not being addressed. I feel like I’m being very warmly welcomed into these communities. There are 13 counties, three of them are partial counties: Clarke, Jefferson, and Tuscaloosa.”
Litaker told 1819 News in a recent interview she hopes to work with former President Donald Trump if they’re both elected in November to improve the infrastructure, health care, and education opportunities for the citizens of District 7.
“I’m feeling the excitement about the race because for the first time somebody is coming in and actually talking about the problems, how I’m going to set the district up and how we can come to some solutions,” Litaker said. “People are tired of being ignored in District 7. There is no systemic plan for anything and many things aren’t finished and we’ve got 34 hospitals in the Black Belt that are in danger of closing. We’ve got a good many in District 7 that have already closed. So for people to get even basic healthcare, it’s a struggle. An example I use a lot and I hate this one is on Christmas Day there were two little boys over in Pickens County that literally sat and watched their Daddy die because it literally took 45 minutes for an ambulance to get there. There are road issues. There’s sewage and water issues.
She continued, “I’m hoping that when I get in office and (Trump is) president I can get him to help us focus on this district. I call it an Alabama revival. A District 7 revival.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
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