Cheryl Ciamarra, one of Alabama’s foremost pro-life advocates, is considering running for the Alabama House District 43 seat, which will be open in 2014 when Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin retires.
[READ: Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin retiring, potential successors emerge]
Ciamarra held a meeting at her home yesterday with what she dubbed an “exploratory committee” to gauge the feasibility of her running for the seat.
Earlier in the week, she sent the following email to the roughly 25 people invited to the meeting:
Hello friends,
I have been encouraged by many to “toss my hat in the ring” to run for my local house representative’s seat as Mary Sue McClurkin is retiring next year.
You are invited to attend a “exploratory committee” meeting this Sunday at my home at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Regarding the feasibility of this campaign. The primary is June and final election Nov 2014.
Please pray for The Lord’s wisdom and guidance.
Blessings to you and your family.
Ciamarra is known in Alabama political circles as the leader of Alabama Citizens for Life, but she also runs Ciamarra Communication Consulting, a small business which offers a broad range of services including media relations and comprehensive speech language and hearing therapy.
Rep. McClurkin has held the HD 43 seat for the past 16 years, but announced last month that she will be retiring to spend more time with her family.
“I have family and I am a grandmother,” McClurkin told Yellowhammer after announcing her retirement. “Being in the legislature can be an all-consuming job. I will miss it, I know, but I’ve reached a time in my life when I would like to do other things.”
McClurkin said some of her proudest moments in the Alabama House were when pro-life bills she sponsored were passed into law.
Ciamarra would no doubt like to pick up McClurkin’s mantle, but she will have some stiff competition.
Candidates already gunning for the seat include Dr. Doug Clark, an eye doctor and past president of the Alabama Optometric Association, and Arnold Mooney, former Vice President of Colonial Properties Trust, currently with Southeast Commercial.
McClurkin said that both Clark and Mooney have played integral roles in her past campaigns.
Ciamarra was not immediately available for comment late Sunday night. We will update this article as soon as we hear from her.
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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