It seems the race to the political high road has already begun for an existing soon-to-be member

She has yet to fill up her office space. In fact, Congresswoman-elect Terri Sewell just went through the lottery Friday to decide what space she will receive in the Capitol. But already Sewell, who will represent this area in Congress, is settling in and drawing national attention.

The St. Petersburg Times lists Sewell as on of the 10 freshmen to watch in Congress. The piece notes she is the first African-American woman to serve Alabama in Congress, and continues to say, “Sewell, 45, comes from a family of barrier breakers. She’s the first black valedictorian of Selma High School. Her mother was the first African-American woman elected to the Selma City Council.”

Sewell already has appeared on the major television networks, including CNN to talk about her historic status.

The Democratic Party leadership in the House has noticed her, choosing Sewell to second the nomination of Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to be the minority whip.

She is the only Democrat in Alabama’s nine-member delegation. She takes all this in stride, saying her mission is to “represent the 7th District to the best of my ability.”

We have no doubt Sewell will do just that. She will make friends across the aisle and she’ll build relationships — that’s typical of Sewell’s personality. She’ll wield some influence, even as a freshman.

Remember, Sewell initially lacked name recognition when she began the race for the seat vacated by Cong. Artur Davis’ (D-Birmingham) unsuccessful bid for the governor’s office.

But she tapped into her connections, professionally and at home and focused on the issues, especially job creation and infrastructure.

If she does not become distracted with the Capitol Hill side games, Sewell can bring a great deal home to the 7th District, even being a minority in the House.