A 26-year-old Wynne, Arkansas woman has thrown her hat into the political arena declaring her candidacy for the District 1 seat in the U.S. Congress.

To this day there has not been a republican, African American female elected to the U.S. Congress in the house or senate, but Princella Smith hopes to change all of that.

Having been born and raised in Wynne, Princella Smith says it's an advantage. She explains, "It is a place I am proud to call home, place with a very strong school system, strong community a very morale based."

At the ripe age of 17 she decided to make her career in politics. A key moment was writing a commencement speech for Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller.

She recalls, "You don't know what that does to a kid from the Delta to watch a billionaire Lieutenant Governor read your speech verbatim."

In the past decade she's worked for Win Rockefeller, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, RNC Chair Michael Steel and John Boozman to name a few.

Smith has since created her own platform, focusing on jobs, economy, health care, national security and immigration.

She explains, "I will focus largely on the problems affecting farmers. If farmers stopped turning we stop turning, the economy stops turning."

On the local economy she says, "Arkansas has an unemployment rate over 7-percent and that is unacceptable."

Smith continues, "We need to pass legislation in Washington D.C. that is friendly to small business. About 90-percent of businesses are small businesses."

"With regards to education, I favor teacher accountability, I think our teachers should be paid more I think our classrooms should have more innovation," she explains.

On immigration Smith adds, "I'm glad I live in a county where people want to jump the border to get here, but I want to see it done in a legal way and a right way."

Smith believes being 26-years-old, is not an issue. "You could stand me up against any of the people that that want to challenge me for this seat. I'm going to be an active congresswoman. I will canvas this district from top to bottom."

In a region where the majority of people vote democrat, Smith wants people to focus on her issues, not the party line.

"My heart is in it and I'm going to work harder than anyone else in this race to win this. It's not about me," she adds. "It's about the future of Arkansas and the future of this country," says Smith.

Republican Rick Crawford is also running for the seat. District one hasn't elected a republican since 1872.

Democrat incumbent Marion Berry announced last month he will not run for re-election due to health concerns.

Smith is the second Republican seeking the party's nomination for the 1st district in east Arkansas.

A statement on Smith's website, says, "I am considering a run for Congress because I love Arkansas and because I want the first district to elect the representation that it needs."

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