Congressional District 2 candidate Becky Gerritson paid a brief visit to Bates House of Turkey Wednesday to speak on the issues concerning the district’s constituents.

The Wetumpka Tea Party founder spoke on the importance of supporting the nation’s military and veterans, providing conservative leadership and the protection of families, as well as how her background and experiences have prepped her for the run for Congress.

Gerritson called the Camellia City tour stop a “great experience.”

“We love being on the campaign trail and meeting people from District 2,” Gerritson said. “People are very excited about this race, and that they have an alternative and they get to vote for a true conservative this time.

“For the last seven years, I’ve been working not only in Alabama but across the nation promoting conservative values.  I’ve fought the IRS, I stood up against Common Core, and I’ve just tried to promote limited government — trying to get the government off of our backs.  And trying to promote economic freedom is something that we’ve done over that timeframe, as well.”

She added that her experiences as a military wife gave her a greater understanding of the plight facing military families, veterans and federal workers, and those are all things she aims to bring to the table in District 2.

But battling an incumbent — U.S. Rep. Martha Roby — is perhaps the biggest hurdle of all.  Despite the inherent challenges of facing an opponent with a number of years and resources under her belt, it’s a challenge Gerritson is prepared to tackle head-on.

“Eighty percent of incumbents are reelected,” Gerritson said. “It’s extremely difficult to challenge an incumbent and win, but we are feeling very confident about this race.  We definitely have momentum on our side, and we have the grassroots support behind us.

“We are fighting a lot of money — she’s definitely got a bigger bank account — but this is within our grasp.  We aren’t stopping for anything; we’re going full steam ahead.”