Sneed rallies Democrats to close congressional "trust gap"
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Andrew Sneed, center, spoke alongside other candidates in Washington, D.C. Wednesday. Photo: Courtesy Pete Townsend
Andrew Sneed, Democratic candidate for Alabama's 5th Congressional District, is taking aim at Congress months ahead of Election Day.
Why it matters: Sneed is spearheading a growing national coalition of candidates focusing on congressional reforms to rebuild voters' trust.
Catch up quick: Sneed, a Huntsville native and small business owner, founded a coalition of candidates, BAC or Balance Accountability Candidates, now totaling around 70 candidates.
- The coalition wants to enact term limits for members of Congress, overturn Citizens United, prohibit members from trading stocks, impose a five-year moratorium on lobbying for former members and establish an enforceable code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court.
The latest: Alongside 18 other candidates from across the country, Sneed took to the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday morning to reaffirm their pledge.
- "Our goal is to un-stuck Congress," Sneed told Axios Huntsville Wednesday, referring to Maya Kornberg's book "Stuck."
Talking about Trump "doesn't re-earn trust," for Democrats, he said. "If we address the balance of power and accountability, that is the thing that can expand the map and turn this into a real wave election."
- "Yes, affordability, yes, health care, but we have to address the trust gap," he told Axios.
What they're saying: "No matter how many fixtures you change or hot water heaters you replace, if you don't do the hard work under the floor to fix the systemic problem, you'll never have the resolution or the outcome we all need," he said.
- Other coalition members who spoke at the event included High Point, N.C. Mayor Cyril Jefferson, a candidate for NC-06; Evan Hunt, a candidate in Texas' 3rd District just outside Dallas; and Julian Beaudion, a South Dakota Senate candidate.
- Sneed said the plan is to form a caucus post-election, introduce legislation and not let it go until it gets passed.
Zoom out: Sneed's got an uphill race to unseat Republican Rep. Dale Strong.
- Strong was elected to his second term in 2024, running unopposed. In 2022, he defeated Democratic challenger Kathy Warner-Stanton with 67.1% of the vote.
Context: The Cook Partisan Voting Index puts Alabama's 5th at R+15 as of 2025, a solid Republican lean.
- Sneed pushes back on that evaluation, noting that the ratings are based on the past three elections, and saying 2018 was the last time Democrats put up a serious competition.
- Sneed will face off against other local Democratic hopefuls in the May 19 primaries: Jeremy DeVito and Candice Duvieilh.