By BRIAN BIGELOW
Guest Writer
APSU professor Greg Rabidoux and Kim McMillan are campaigning to represent Tennessee voters in political office.

McMillan, executive director of community and business relations, is running against Mike McWherter for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Tennessee.

Rabidoux, assistant professor of political science, is currently running unopposed for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Congress, to represent District 7 of Tennessee. His opponent for the seat is Republican incumbent Marsha Blackburn.

The Democratic primaries for both races are in August.

McMillan spent 12 years in the Tennessee House of Representatives, four years as House Majority Leader and in 2006, accepted a two year appointment to a Cabinet position in Governor Phil Bredesen’s administration.

“I am the candidate with the right kind of experience,” said McMillan, adding that she is the only candidate in the race with experience in the legislative and executive branches of Tennessee government.

McMillan listed education, health care and accountability in government among her top priorities and said the first thing that she would address, if elected, is unemployment.

“It’s the worst its been in 25 years,” McMillian said. Unemployment must be combated, she added, by “creating jobs retaining jobs and growing jobs” in Tennessee, and one of the keys to decreasing unemployment is “workforce development” through improved education.

“I understand what Tennessee families go through to make ends meet and send their kids through college, and I want to address the issues that are important to them,” McMillian said, citing her life experience, growing up in Tennessee as the adopted child of two teachers.

McMillan earned her Doctorate of Jurisprudence from UT College of Law.

As executive director of community and business relations, McMillan worked to create partnerships with APSU and the public and private sector.

McMillan played a key role in attracting Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation (HSC) to Clarksville. McMillan worked with state government and APSU to ensure the necessary funding, facilities and degree program would be available to educate local students for employment at HSC.

For the last year and a half, McMillan has been campaigning all over Tennessee, going to events in every county, sometimes visiting as many as 12 counties in as little as three days.

McMillan has taken a leave of absence from APSU to focus on campaigning full time.

One of the main messages Rabidoux hopes to get across to voters is “voters do have a positive alternative to the incumbent,” and he would be a “much more aggressive advocate for all of the people in District 7 and not just a few narrow special interests.”

Rabidoux said he decided to run for Congress after being approached by friends, neighbors, colleagues and even students who suggested and encouraged the idea. He and others around him felt “the person in office wasn’t representing us or the things we care about.”

His experience as both a longtime student and teacher of public policy and law, Rabidoux said, will help him analyze important issues and develop well-informed stances, rather than blindly voting along party lines.

“I’m not what people would call an ideologue,” Rabidoux said, adding his main consideration is how to help the people of his district.

Other topics Rabidoux stresses are, job creation in District 7, taking advantage of “green” economic opportunities, improving education and opportunities for students in Tennessee, issues affect veterans and women’s issues.

“We’re people powered, not money powered,” Rabidoux said.

“My campaign is a grassroots campaign. I depend a lot on people in the community to support me,” adding at the end of this quarter, he will have raised roughly $40,000 for his campaign, which goes to operating expenses such as mailings, campaign literature, transportation and “some staff services.”

Rabidoux recently completed a “15 counties in 15 days” listening tour, where he met with people from each of the 15 counties in District 7 to hear their opinions and concerns.

Rabidoux is still teaching at APSU, but states after this semester, he may switch from “a full-time, tenured position” to an “adjunct” position to devote more time to his campaign.
When speaking about the recently passed national health care legislation, Rabidoux said, “I am … pleased that 62,000 Tennesseans in District 7 will be insured, now, that were uninsured previously.”

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