During a swing through Washington, D.C., last week to promote his Congressional bid, Alabama state Rep. Earl Hilliard Jr. (D) picked up the endorsement of the Congressional Black Caucus political action committee and held a fundraiser with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Hilliard is running in the open 7th District seat of Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), who is leaving Congress to run for governor. Hilliard is the son of ex-Rep. Earl Hilliard (D), who was ousted by Davis in a Democratic primary in 2002.