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Monroe County native Caroleene Dobson was one of the first Republican names to enter into the Republican primary race for the newly redrawn Congressional District 2, which will encompass all of Pike County. Dobson stopped by The Messenger this week to discuss her campaign.

Dobson grew up outside of Beatrice, in Monroe County, on her family’s cattle and timber farm. She graduated from high school in Monroeville and went on to attend both Harvard as an undergrad and Baylor to earn her law degree.

Dobson was a member of the Harvard Republican Club and after graduating from Baylor she began to practice real estate law in San Antonio, Texas. That’s also where she met her husband, Bobby Dobson, and as the pair decided to start a family they moved back to Alabama.

Dobson began to practice energy and natural resources law and commercial finance law at Maynard Nexsen in Birmingham before she and her husband moved to Montgomery. Dobson also spent two years as commissioner on the Alabama Forestry Commission.

Dobson said that she and her husband split time between Montgomery and her family’s farm in Monroe County, where she wants her two daughters to spend as much time.

“No one could have foreseen how the district would be drawn and I’ve always been interested in public service,” Dobson said of throwing her name in the Republican primary. “Both of my parents ran their own business and also put in a full day of work on the farm. Growing up in a small town you realize that the town sort of runs itself, everyone has a job and if you want a town to thrive it takes everyone contributing.

“So, when this seat came open, for awhile I was the only Republican to file. I decided to run because I want a better future for my daughters and want to ensure that they have the freedom to worship God and the freedom to continue farming the land that my great grandfather farmed. I just want more opportunities here in Alabama for our young people.”

When addressing what she wants to do for the people of Pike County, Dobson pointed to a big picture item and a more localized effort.

“We are on the precipice of a potential third World War and we have to increase our defense spending,” she said. “Lockheed Martin here in Troy is a huge opportunity, we want to ensure that Pike County and Troy has the resources it needs to play a pivotal part in our military preparedness.

“On a more specific level, I have been made aware, by spending some time here in Troy, about the post office situation here. I would fight for earmarks for a new post office in Troy. Right before Christmas I spent some time here and I thought I would pop into the post office and mail some packages and spent about an hour and could not believe that the post office in Beatrice – with a population of 200 – is the same size as the post office here in Troy.”

Dobson said she also wanted the people of Pike County to feel seen and heard from by her.

“The common thread in this district is small towns and rural areas. I think we have too many folks in Washington – on both sides of the aisle – that have no concept of the impact that overregulating and some bad legislation that is passed has on small towns,” she continued. “Bad economic policies can hurt a city but they can really kill a small town.

“I’m running to fight for our small towns and make sure they have the funding and support and attention for creative solutions. Too many career politicians just want to jump in front of a camera and spend more time on network TV news and too many folks that have spent their whole life in a city insulated from the real impacts of some of the detrimental legislation and overregulation.”

If elected, Dobson said she would ensure that she has presence throughout the district.

“I want to have offices throughout the district. There is a lot of competing interests and I want to make sure that I represent everyone in the district,” said Dobson. “I will have some sort of presence in Montgomery and Mobile but I also want to continue to have a presence here in Troy and in the Greenville/Monroeville area where I’m from.”

Dobson closed by emphasizing why she felt like the people of Pike County should vote for her.

“I think they should vote for me because I’m not a career politician, I’m running for our families – your family and my family – to create more opportunities in this district,” she emphasized. “I’m not doing this for my ego, I’m running because I have skin in the game. I’m raising my kids here and I want them to have a better future and that means that Troy and Pike County needs to continue to grow.

“Troy is truly an example for a lot of other communities in this district. Vote for me because I’m going to be the one that will be held accountable to you and you only. I’m not backed by any special interest groups and I don’t owe any political favors to anyone. I’m just a mom who grew up on a farm in a small community that want to see District 2 thrive.”