Jefferson County Commissioner Shelia Smoot has officially kicked off her campaign for the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s 7th District seat in Congress.

Smoot kicked off her campaign Saturday with rallies in Tuscaloosa and Bessemer. The Democrat plans to visit all 12 counties in the 7th District in the next two weeks.

Smoot is seeking the seat currently held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Birmingham. Davis is running for governor.

Smoot was first elected to the Jefferson County Commission in 2002. She is a former reporter for television station WBRC in Birmingham.

She says her top goals in Congress would be to improve rural health care and to build up the technology and transportation infrastructure in the poor rural district.