Merika Coleman
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". Merika Coleman (born September 6, 1973) is an 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
Coleman was born at RAF Lakenheath near Suffolk, England, in 1973.[1]
Education and early career
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
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
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
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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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External links
- Alabama House of Representatives – Rep. Merika Coleman official AL House site
- Project Vote Smart – Representative Merika Coleman (AL) profile
- Follow the Money – Merika Coleman: 2008 2006 2002 campaign contributions
- Pages with script errors
- 1973 births
- 20th-century African-American women
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- 21st-century African-American women politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- African-American state legislators in Alabama
- Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
- Living people
- People from Lakenheath
- Politicians from Birmingham, Alabama
- University of Alabama at Birmingham alumni
- Women state legislators in Alabama
- 21st-century members of the Alabama Legislature
- Candidates in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections