31 Facts About Alma Adams

Alma Shealey Adams was born on May 27,1946 and is an American politician who represents North Carolina's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

Alma Adams won the 2014 special election in North Carolina's 12th congressional district to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Mel Watt, becoming the 100th woman serving in the 113th Congress.

Alma Adams won election to a full two-year term at the same time.

Alma Adams was born on May 27,1946, in High Point, North Carolina.

Alma Adams's parents were Benjamin Shealey and the former Mattie Stokes.

Alma Adams graduated from West Side High School in Newark, New Jersey, in 1964.

Alma Adams was a member of the Greensboro City School Board from 1984 to 1986 and a Greensboro City Council member from 1987 until her appointment to the House of Representatives in 1994.

Alma Adams was appointed to North Carolina House in 1994 to replace Herman Gist, who died in office.

Alma Adams had already announced that she was going to challenge Gist in the Democratic primary that year.

Alma Adams had challenged Gist as a Republican in the 1992 general election.

Alma Adams faced a rematch with Stafford in the general elections of 1996 and 1998 when Stafford ran as a Republican.

In 2000 Alma Adams did not have an opponent in the Democratic primary; she defeated Republican real estate broker Jim Rumley in the general election.

In 2002, after redistricting, Alma Adams's seat was changed from the 26th district to the 58th.

Alma Adams has been challenged for her seat for many years by Republican legal assistant and party activist Olga Morgan Wright.

In 2008, Alma Adams was elected to a second term as chair of the North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.

Alma Adams was vice-chair of the Government Committee in the state House.

In 2010, Adams was challenged in the Democratic primary by Ralph C Johnson.

Alma Adams was one of the first to announce that if Watt were confirmed, she would run in the ensuing special election.

Alma Adams formally filed paperwork to run in both the Democratic primary for a full two-year term in the 114th Congress and the special election held in November 2014 to fill the balance of Watt's 11th term.

Alma Adams was sworn in on November 12,2014, to complete the remaining seven weeks of Watt's term.

Analysts thought that Alma Adams was at a geographic disadvantage in the five-way primary for both the special and regular elections.

Alma Adams is from Greensboro, but the bulk of the district's population is in Charlotte.

Alma Adams faced Republican Vince Coakley, a former television and radio broadcaster from Matthews, in the general and special elections, which were held on the same day.

The 12th was a heavily Democratic district with a majority-black voting population and a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+26, and Alma Adams won both elections handily.

Alma Adams is the second woman of color to represent North Carolina in the House.

Alma Adams is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Arts Caucus.

Alma Adams decided not to attend the January 2017 Inauguration of Donald Trump.

Alma Adams had already filed for a second full term, but announced she would move to Charlotte.

WBTV reported that Alma Adams had scrubbed all references to her service as a local official in Greensboro from her campaign website, though her biography on her campaign's Facebook page still contained references to that service.

Alma Adams has been a professor of art at Bennett College in Greensboro, as well as the director of the Steel Hall Art Gallery.

Alma Adams is well known for her many distinctive hats.