The Forgotten 9th District Candidate

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Charlotte Bergmann is the Republican candidate for the 9th congressional district. She's also pitting herself against Willie Herenton and she used a giant billboard to let everyone know about it.

It's the stark, yet eye-catching message on a Union Avenue billboard. Is it somebody's idea of joke or one candidate's boldly outrageous premonition? But, who is Bergman?

"I have no idea," said one Memphis resident.

She's a candidate who's not only running, but plans on winning the 9th District Congressional race as the Republican candidate.

"I'm the only one that can actually whip Willie Herenton and Steve Cohen," said businesswoman Charlotte Bergmann.

Bergmann, who began her political career by working in campaigns for Republican candidates, including former President George W. Bush, said her experience as a mother of three building a marketing business from the floor up makes her more of a "woman of the people" than either one of the democratic candidates.

She said talking to people convinced her to enter the race because they expressed a definite lack of trust in current leadership.

"Consistently they rolled their eyes and they were really concerned about our leadership. Because our leadership has not touched the average persons' lives," said Bergmann.

But, let's go back to that billboard, in light of political polls which are predicting a landslide victory for the two-term incumbent Cohen what makes Bergmann think she'll be squaring off against the underdog former Memphis Mayor in the fall?

"Nikki Tinker was not a competitor simply because she was not Willie Herenton. Do you think four out of six blacks are going to look at their first black mayor and say, no, I'm not going to vote for them for him? I don't think so," said Bergmann.

Bergmann figures even if Cohen does win the primary the reckless spending in Washington, as harped upon by a coalition of Tea Party and conservatives like her, will prove to be enough to unseat one of Congress's most liberal members.

"What that's going to do is allow for business owners to have the confidence to invest in their businesses again, to hire additional people improving our community...getting people back to work," said Bergmann. "Those two leaders that were elected and given a chance to lead our community; they have not done the job. So, bring in the woman."