Times-Journal | Dekalb woman runs for Congress

Dekalb woman runs for Congress
By Huck Treadwell | Times-Journal | January 4, 2012

Rhonda Gore Dennis is hard at work raising funds to launch a campaign for a run at Alabama's District 4 seat in Congress.

The Rainsville resident plans to run on the Democratic ticket against Republican incumbent Rep. Robert Aderholt. Dennis has until Jan. 13 to raise $3,000 to qualify for the 2012 elections.

"I'm still trying to raise money for qualifying," Dennis said. "So far, raising funds has been hard. I'm doing all I can. This is my new job and I'm not getting paid for it. I'm not gong to give up. I'm going to keep pushing."

Dennis said she's running on a platform of change and new ideas that focuses on improving industry and education.

"Mainly I decided to run to get more industries and to get more folks to mingle into the state," she said. "I think we've gotten stale. It's time to get some new people and ideas in. We're doing the same things and expecting different results.

"I'm tired of being No. 50. We need to try some new things, obviously what we're doing isn't working."

Dennis said she wants to come up with new ideas for improving the education system. She said charter schools were a topic that deserved a serious look. She said by improving education, the poverty level in the state would be decreased which would hopefully have a positive effect on reducing the crime rate.

Dennis is a native of Omaha, Neb., but moved with her family to DeKalb County when her father retired from the military. She is a graduate of Ider High School and has a bachelor's degree in history and social sciences from Jacksonville State and a master's in history from the University of Alabama. She plans to get a doctorate in law from Georgetown University.

Dennis taught in Geraldine for four years and in Boaz for another year.

She is a single mother and her son, Tyler, is attending the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dennis was confident she would raise the money to qualify and said she was very confident in her chances to win the seat from Aderholt.

"I'm very confident," she said. "I'll move and shake until I get the support I need. I feel like people are fed up with the incumbents. The last election proved that."

Dennis has launched a campaign page on Facebook to help et her message out.

"A lot of people depend in the Internet," she said. "Facebook will help me get my message out. I go to New York a lot and they have free WiFi everywhere. I'd like to see that in Alabama. We don't push technology in schools and I'd like to see more of that.

"I think the slogan that ‘Alabama is Open for Business' is a great slogan," she said. "I want to promote that. I think Alabama has closed its doors to outsiders and new ideas. It's time to bring in new people and new ideas."

For more information, click here.