When it comes to elections, the outcome is never confirmed until the final vote is counted.

The race for U.S. House of Representatives in Alabama’s 7th District is more often than not, the exception to that rule.

Even against heavy odds, two men have signed on in the Republican primary, vying for the chance to take on Terri Sewell in the general election.

Phil Norris and Don Chamberlain go in to Tuesday’s primary election, fully understanding the winner of their race has a long, uphill fight to victory.

“The short answer, the 7th District is also the poorest district in the nation. We have over 270,000 citizens living below the poverty line. We have over 50,000 unemployed and for 30 years we’ve had loses of businesses,” Chamberlain said when asked why he was seeking the office. “In the last decade we lost 80,000 citizens that moved out. Those 80,000 that left, there’s a lot of bright folks, a lot of business people that left. That’s roughly 1/6th of the district. That’s as many people living in Dallas, Perry and Greene counties combined.”

As for Norris, his reasons for running are based on Republican principles.

“I think our government is out of touch with everyday Americans,” Norris said about his reasons for running. “I think the government should be smaller… you want to make sure your money is spent for things that will benefit you.”

As Republicans who believe in smaller government both Norris and Chamberlain said entitlement programs — which many in the 7th District rely on — should serve as a way up, rather than a hand out.

“What we have to be about in Washington, I think right away, is not going in and cutting entitlement programs … we have to be about … getting people working, and over time, some of that will fix itself, because people have incentives,” Norris said. “I’m a firm believer that people in the 7th district that are on entitlement programs, they don’t want to be on entitlement programs. They rather have a job to determine their own way, and not be waiting on the government to send them money.”

Chamberlain, who is calling on voters to elect him Tuesday and in November as a sign of “Economic Emancipation,” said continuing entitlement programs are important, but offering a choice is crucial.

“I want to make entitlement programs a safety net and that they continue. People are hurting out there. I will fight to the end of the rope to keep food stamps and WIC, and all of these things, for people who have had a hard time,” Chamberlain said. “But, we as government leaders have to put together positive programs that are more attractive than staying on entitlements. This district has been on entitlement dependency for a long time. So it’s going to take a long time to wean off of that and see that there’s a better life.”

Both candidates said the Black Belt’s natural resources and agricultural potential are untapped assets.

“I think what we need to do … is find ways to give people incentives to use that farmland in the 7th district … it includes (the) poultry industry, catfish industry and also the hog farming,” Norris said. “We ought to make some grants available with some oversight on how that money is spent in order to stimulate that economy …”

Norris said incentives include starting family farms, working with county extension offices for training and college programs in agribusiness.