Terri Sewell

Terrycina Andrea "Terri" Sewell (; born January 1, 1965) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for as member of the Democratic Party since 2011. The district includes most of the Black Belt, as well as most of the predominantly African American portions of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

A native of Huntsville, Sewell studied at Princeton University for a bachelor's, Harvard Law School for a Juris Doctor degree, and St Hilda's College, Oxford for a second bachelor's that was promoted by tradition to an MA. Before entering politics, she was a securities lawyer for Davis Polk & Wardwell and a public finance lawyer for Maynard, Cooper & Gale, where she was the first Black woman to make partner. She is the first African-American woman elected to Congress from Alabama and, along with Republican Martha Roby, was one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama in a regular election.

Early life and education

Terri Sewell was born in Huntsville, Alabama, to Andrew A. Sewell, a former high school basketball coach, and Nancy Gardner Sewell, a retired high school librarian and former Selma city council member. Her mother was the first Black woman elected to Selma's city council. As a child, Sewell wanted to be a star on Broadway. Because her mother had hoped for her to become a lawyer, Sewell joined the debate team in high school.

After graduating from high school, Sewell went to Princeton University. She was the first Selma High School graduate to attend an Ivy League school. She was recruited to attend Princeton by Julian L. McPhillips, who read about her in the local Selma newspaper. During her time at Princeton, she interned with Richard Shelby (then a Democrat) and Howell Heflin. It was there that she befriended Susan Rice. Sewell graduated from Oxford with a degree in political science in 1988. In New York, she worked at Davis Polk & Wardwell, alongside Kirsten Gillibrand, starting in 1994. In the runoff, she defeated Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Smoot with 55% of the vote. In the general election, Sewell defeated Republican opponent Don Chamberlain with 72.4% of the vote as expected.

2012

Sewell was the only candidate to file for the Democratic nomination in 2012 and defeated Chamberlain again in the general election. This was the last time Sewell had a Republican opponent until 2022.

2014

Sewell was challenged in the Democratic primary by Tamara Harris Johnson, a former Birmingham City Attorney. She defeated Johnson with 83.9% of the vote, effectively clinching a third term.

2016

Sewell won a fourth term against a write-in opponent.

2018

Sewell won a fifth term against a write-in opponent.

2020

Sewell won a sixth term against a write-in opponent.

2022

Sewell defeated Republican nominee Beatrice Nichols and Libertarian nominee Gavin Goodman in the general election, clinching her seventh term.

Tenure

For the 114th United States Congress, Sewell was ranked as the 94th most bipartisan member of the House (and the most bipartisan member of the House from Alabama) in the Bipartisan Index created by The Lugar Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy, which ranks members of Congress by their degree of bipartisanship (by measuring how often each member's bills attract co-sponsors from the opposite party and each member co-sponsors bills by members of the opposite party).

Sewell has established herself as a liberal with a focus on job creation, and arguably has the most left-wing voting record of any person to represent Alabama in Congress. She is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. In January 2020, Sewell endorsed Joe Biden for president. As of October 2021, Sewell had voted in line with Biden's stated position 100% of the time.

Committee assignments For the 119th Congress: Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Elections (Ranking Member) Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight Subcommittee on Trade Subcommittee on Social Security Joint Committee on Printing

Caucus memberships Congressional Arts Caucus Congressional Black Caucus Congressional Equality Caucus New Democrat Coalition Black Maternal Health Caucus Afterschool Caucuses

Political positions Sewell voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.

Abortion and women's issues Sewell supports abortion rights. Sewell opposed the Human Life Protection Act, which went into effect in 2019. She described the bill as "both blatantly unconstitutional and a brazen, extremist attack on women's rights." She also opposed the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "devastating" and expressing concern that "state legislatures across the country will now begin racing to criminalize reproductive health care."

In 2013, Sewell voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

Economic issues Sewell is a proponent of a $15 minimum wage. Sewell supported President Obama's plan to extend tax cuts for low- and middle-income Americans, but declined to discuss her stance on taxation for high-income Americans. In response to President Obama's Framework for Business Tax Reform, Sewell said: "I applaud the President for outlining a bold framework for reforming the U.S. business tax system." In 2019, Sewell worked with Ivanka Trump to develop policies related to paid parental leave. Sewell has voted against work requirements for welfare recipients. During the 2023 United States debt-ceiling crisis, Sewell voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

Voting rights

In 2019, Sewell sponsored the Voting Rights Advancement Act (which later became the John Lewis Voting Rights Act), which would update the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by providing increased oversight of voting changes, updating the pre-clearance formula to oversee contemporary discrimination patterns, and expanding the Attorney General's power to send federal observers to jurisdictions in areas at risk of voting discrimination. In 2019, Sewell co-sponsored the For the People Act of 2019.

Education Sewell co-sponsored the Student Non-Discrimination Act in 2013, which, if enacted, would have protected LGBT students from anti-gay bullying and discrimination in public schools. In 2025, she congratulated Veronica Pitts, a high school teacher in Selma, Alabama, on the House floor for winning the National Civics Teacher of the Year award presented by the Bill of Rights Institute. She stated, "Each year, only one teacher in the nation is selected to receive this prestigious honor, and I am thrilled that this year, the teacher hails from Alabama's 7th Congressional District."

Foreign policy Sewell supported President Obama's decisions on Afghanistan, citing "trust" of his policies. Sewell opposed removing armed forces from Afghanistan in 2011.

Government reform Sewell co-sponsored the STOCK Act in 2011 and the DISCLOSE Act in 2012. The same year, she also co-sponsored the SIMPLE Voting Act, to require a minimum of 15 days of nationwide early voting.

Gun policy In 2019, Sewell voted for the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, which required background checks for anyone seeking to buy a firearm. In March 2021, Sewell voted for the American Rescue Plan, which included $475 million in funding for Sewell's district, including support for vaccinations, city employee overtime pay, and hazard pay for COVID-19 response work.

Homeland security Sewell supported extending the PATRIOT Act's wiretapping. She voted against funding to support Trump's wall.

Kay Ivey When Alabama governor Kay Ivey shared that she had performed in a college skit in blackface, Sewell called Ivey's actions "reprehensible" and "deeply offensive", adding that "racism – in any of its forms – is never acceptable, not in the 1960s and not now."

Immigration In January 2025, Sewell was one of 48 Democrats to have voted for the Laken Riley Act, which requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain illegal immigrants charged with theft. She was one of seven House Democrats who had previously voted against the proposal in March 2024. Sewell later became one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for a Senate-amended version of the bill.

Impeachments of Donald Trump In both the first and second impeachments of Donald Trump, Sewell voted in favor of articles of impeachment against Trump, the only representative from Alabama to do so.

Rural funding On December 9, 2025, Sewell voted in favor of the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025. The act passed overwhelmingly in the chamber, passing in a vote of 399–5. The act extends federal payments to rural counties to support schools, roads, and local services.

Electoral history + Year Office Party Primary General Result Swing . Total % . Runoff % . Total % . 2010 U.S. Representative Democratic 31,531 36.80% 1st 32,366 55.00% 1st 136,696 72.48% 1st Hold 2012 Democratic 232,520 75.85% 1st Hold 2014 Democratic 74,953 83.91% 1st 133,687 98.37% 1st Hold 2016 Democratic 229,330 98.41% 1st Hold 2018 Democratic 185,010 97.80% 1st Hold 2020 Democratic 225,742 97.16% 1st Hold 2022 Democratic 123,233 63.54% 1st Hold 2024Democratic59,14392.6%1st 186,72363.681stHold

Personal life In 1998, Sewell married Theodore Dixie of Huntsville, Alabama. They are divorced. Sewell is a lifetime member of Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma, Alabama. She is the cousin of Briana Sewell, a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates.