By Tangelia Cannon | Features Editor

Greg Rabidoux, assistant professor of political science, has been keeping busy during the past months. Not only has he published his first book, “Hollywood Politicos: Now and Then,” provided support to wife Mara, and son Valentin, but he also began his campaign for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District in June.

A Connecticut native, Rabidoux worked a variety of jobs including clearing brush and trees, splitting and quartering firewood, and fixing fences before entering the world of politics. “My parents instilled in me a very strong sense of hard work and the value in getting a good education,” Rabidoux said, “I took both to heart.”

As a child Rabidoux worked with his grandfather, who was a small business owner and state representative. For years saw his grandmother fill the role as head of the Women’s Political Auxiliary and other political roles.

“Since a very young age, I saw being a public servant and trying to fight on behalf of the common good as a noble and just calling.”

“When my wife and I moved to Tennessee several years ago to both accept positions at APSU, we were quite aware of the politics and reputation of the current incumbent for District 7, Marsha Blackburn,” Rabidoux said.

“We never felt she was neither representative of nor an advocate for us, our friends, our community, or colleagues and the many Tennesseans we grew to know and care about.”

After being approached by several different people, who continued to ask Rabidoux to run for congress, he decided to run for office shortly after the 2008 election. Prior to this decision, Rabidoux had worked for a US member of Congress and the United Nations.

During the last few months Rabidoux has spent his time meeting with a variety of individuals including local, state and national leaders. Rabidoux also had the opportunity to meet and speak to former Vice President Al Gore and current Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.

“A typical day not too long ago saw us in Nashville, at Fort Campbell, in Perry County and finishing up in the Memphis area,” said Rabidoux.

“It is a geographically large congressional district but I am energized by the opportunity to connect with so many people throughout the district that want caring, moderate, and informed representation which I bring to the table.”

Rabidoux has also taken the time to read several books, while on the road, which include “‘An American Lion’ (President Andrew Jackson), a book on lessons of life by Og Mandino, my personal Bible given to me many years ago by a friend, and for fun just about anything by John Grisham,” Rabidoux said.

In addition to taking some time to read, Rabidoux has had the time to catch some sports, and hopes to see “Vandy, the Vols and the Govs make some noise, and would love to see a strong Memphis Grizzly team for that area.”

Although Rabidoux has not detailed his plans for change, he said “these plans will reflect who I am, essentially someone who believes that the best days for our state of Tennessee are ahead of us and not behind us.”

As a congressman, he does not want to say “no” to everything, “but to roll up my sleeves and seek solutions to our common challenges like creating sustainable jobs, becoming a leader in alternative energy, improving our education’s quality and workforce readiness, and re-tooling our infrastructure to ensure we not only can compete but can be a leader in the 21st century.”

Rabidoux’s team is comprised of many student volunteers who fill the roles of campaign management, advising, fund-raising, event-planning, polling, volunteer coordination, communication and media, and technical services and research, as well as others. If you would like to learn more about Rabidoux’s Campaign For Congress visit www.rabidoux4congress.com.

Correction: In this week’s edition, a story about Greg Rabidoux’s campaign for U.S. Congress gave the title of his book incorrectly. His book is called “Hollywood Politicos, Then and Now.”