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Merika Coleman

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Merika Coleman
Member of the Alabama Senate
from the 19th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 10, 2022
Preceded byPriscilla Dunn
Member of the Alabama House of Representatives
from the 57th district
In office
November 6, 2002 – November 10, 2022
Preceded byTommie Houston
Succeeded byPatrick Sellers
Personal details
Born (1973-09-06) September 6, 1973 (age 51)
RAF Lakenheath, England
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Alabama, Birmingham (BA, MPA)

Merika Coleman (born September 6, 1973) is a British-American politician who is a member of the Alabama Senate, representing the 19th district since 2022. She previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives, representing its 57th district from 2002 to 2022.

Early life

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Coleman was born at RAF Lakenheath near Suffolk, England, in 1973.[1]

Education and early career

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Coleman received a B.A. in mass communication in 1995 and a Master of Public Administration in 1997, both from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.[2]

Earlier in her career, Coleman worked as a public policy analyst and strategist in nonprofits. She became the Director of Community and Economic Development for Lawson State Community College, and later became Director of Economic and Community Development for the City of Bessemer, Alabama.[3]

Political career

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In 2002, Coleman was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives. In 2004 she was a Fleming Fellow with the Center for Policy Alternatives.[3]

In 2009, Coleman ran for a State Senate seat in a special election. She placed second among the eight candidates in the primary, and advanced to the runoff election. She lost the runoff to Priscilla Dunn.[4] She won her 2010 House reelection campaign with 68% of the vote.[5]

As of 2017, she was Chair of the Boards and Commissions Committee, and served on the Judiciary, Ways and Means General Fund, and Banking Committees. In February 2017, she became Assistant Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.[6] Coleman is also an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama.[3]

In 2022, Coleman announced that she would seek the open senate seat vacated by retiring senator Priscilla Dunn.[7] Coleman defeated fellow state representative Louise Alexander in the primary and was unopposed in the general election.[8]

Political positions

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Coleman cosponsored a bill criminalizing human trafficking in Alabama, which became law in 2010. At the time, Alabama was one of six states to not have a human trafficking law.[9] Coleman has also sponsored bills on parole reform[10] and adding restrictions to Alabama's Stand Your Ground law.[11]

In response to Governor Kay Ivey signing a near-total abortion ban in 2019, Coleman said "These men need to stay out of our wombs". She also said that the law would lead to more unsafe abortions and "abortions in back alleys".[12][13]

Coleman supported Roe v. Wade. Following it being overturned in 2022, she and most of her democratic colleagues in the Alabama Senate, particularly senator Vivian Davis Figures, would sponsor bills designed to protect abortion, although none of them were passed.[14]

Congressional race

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Main article: 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama § District 2

In November 2023, Coleman announced her candidacy to represent Alabama's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.[15] During her campaign, she said if she were elected to congress, she would focus on reform around voting rights and health care.[16] She lost the primary to Shomari Figures.[17] She received about 6% of the vote and got fourth place.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Alabama State Sen. Merika Coleman - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  2. ^ "Merika Coleman-Evans". Vote Smart. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Merika Coleman District/Biography". Alabama State Legislator. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  4. ^ Brooks, Staci B. (June 30, 2009). "Priscilla Dunn wins Democratic runoff for state Senate". AL.com. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Singleton III, William C. (June 1, 2010). "Merika Coleman wins House District 57 over Fred Plump, Carole Dobbs Marks". AL.com. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  6. ^ Brownlee, Chip (February 24, 2017). "Democrats Rep. Merika Coleman is House Assistant Minority Leader". Alabama Political Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  7. ^ Times, Birmingham (May 19, 2022). "Louise Alexander and Merika Coleman in hotly contested race for Senate District 19 seat". The Birmingham Times. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Cason, Mike (May 28, 2022). "Incumbents dominate in Alabama Senate races except for one that is too close to call". al. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  9. ^ "Alabama Lawmakers Make History with State Law on Human Trafficking Sending a Message to Criminals: "Not in Our State"". U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Alabama. April 23, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  10. ^ Crews, Stephen (May 16, 2017). "Rep. Merika Coleman: Alabama Needs Real Reform, Not More Prisons". Dothan First. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  11. ^ Edgemon, Erin (April 13, 2015). "Lawmaker seeks to restrict Alabama's Stand Your Ground law with Trayvon Martin Act". AL.com. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  12. ^ "Alabama governor invokes God in banning nearly all abortions". AP News. May 16, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  13. ^ "Alabama State Rep on abortion ban: These men need to stay out of our wombs". MSNBC.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  14. ^ Swetlik, Sarah (March 21, 2023). "Sen. Figures on abortion bills: 'Women are still crying out loudly'". al. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  15. ^ "Sen. Merika Coleman announces bid for Congress in new Alabama's district". WHNT.com. November 10, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  16. ^ Chapoco, Ralph (February 6, 2024). "2nd Congressional District: Merika Coleman aims to bring federal dollars to the area • Alabama Reflector". Alabama Reflector. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  17. ^ "Home". Figures For Congress. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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