By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
State Representative Paul DeMarco (R) from Homewood has been building momentum for his campaign for Congress representing Alabama’s Sixth District. On April 4 leaders of Birmingham’s iron and steel industry and members of Manufacture Alabama held a fundraising luncheon at the U.S. Steel offices in Hoover.
Manufacture Alabama President George Clark said in a written statement, “Rep. DeMarco has been a leader and an advocate for manufacturing since being elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2005. Rep. DeMarco was the House sponsor of the Metal Coil Securement Act that made Alabama’s roads safer.”
Rep. DeMarco said, “The companies and people that make up Manufacture Alabama keep this State working. These companies and their workers deserve a federal government that does not strangle companies with punitive regulations. We must fight for conservative, common-sense support in Washington for Alabama manufacturers and their employees.”
Rep. DeMarco is also the sponsor of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights that established a separate tax judiciary known as the Tax Appeals Commission, removing the existing Administrative Law Judge from the Department of Revenue. Gov. Robert Bentley signed this bill into law March 4, 2014.
DeMarco was recently on the long list of candidates endorsed by the political arm of the powerful Alabama Retail Association, RetailPAC.
Alabama Retail Chairman George Wilder said, “The Alabama Retail Association believes these candidates understand the issues retailers face and that, if elected, these individuals will give retailers’ interests a fair hearing.
Rep. DeMarco’s campaign announced on Friday that it will report raising more than $484,000 in the first quarter of 2014, making his total contributions to date more than $850,000.
Rep. DeMarco said in a prepared statement, “The people of Alabama’s Sixth District have embraced our campaign for conservative, common sense leadership in Congress. The people standing with this campaign are not the special interests of Washington, but hard-working Alabamians looking for people of courage willing to fight for what we believe, no matter what.”
Rep. DeMarco is reporting that more than 1,200 individuals have contributed to the campaign. Contributions range from $5 to the maximum $2,600 allowed by an individual under federal elections law. Nearly 97-percent of the contributions have come from Alabama.
DeMarco is currently the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, co-chair of the Jefferson County Delegation and is on the Joint Oversight Committee for the Alabama Homeland Security Agency.
Manufacture Alabama is Alabama’s only trade association dedicated exclusively to the competitive, legislative, regulatory and operational interests and needs of manufacturers and their partner industries and businesses.
Rep. DeMarco is a two-term state representative. DeMarco is running for the Republican nomination for Alabama’s Sixth District. The seat is currently being represented by U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R) from Vestavia. Congressman Bachus is retiring after 11 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Alabama Policy Institute co-founder and former President Gary Palmer, longtime Harbert executive Will Brooke, prominent Pelham mattress manufacturer Tom Vigneulle, Indian Springs orthopedist Dr. Chad Mathis, Gardendale State Senator Scott Beason and Robert Shattuck are all running in Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District Republican Primary.
The winner of the June 3rd Republican Primary will face Democrat Avery Vise in the November general election. Longtime incumbent Spencer Bachus (R) from Vestavia is not seeking another term.
