Gregory "Greg" D. Habeeb (born June 15, 1976) is a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 and American politician in Southwest Virginia. Habeeb, a conservative Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

, is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

 representing the 8th District, which includes the City of Salem

Salem, Virginia

Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...

 and parts of Roanoke County

Roanoke County, Virginia

Roanoke County is a county located in the U.S. state of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area and located within the Roanoke Region of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 85,778. As of 2010, the population was 92,376...

.

Personal Life & Education

Habeeb was born in Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

 and was raised in Christiansburg, Virginia

Christiansburg, Virginia

Christiansburg is a town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States. The population was 21,041 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County...

.

Habeeb attended Christiansburg High School and was an active member in the YMCA's Model General Assembly Program. He served as Youth Governor and remained interested in politics.

Habeeb attended Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

 in North Carolina, earning an undergraduate degree in 1998. He earned his law degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law

Wake Forest University School of Law

The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association accredited law school and is a member of the Association of American...

 in 2001. While at Wake Forest, he met his future wife, Christy.

Currently, Habeeb has three children and lives in Salem, Virginia. He is a partner at Gentry, Locke, Rakes & Moore, a business law firm in Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...

.

Habeeb and his family attend the Church of the Holy Spirit in Southwest Roanoke County. Habeeb is a volunteer with Young Life, a youth ministry, and is on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia. He also volunteers at the Military Family Support Center in Salem.

Political Career

Habeeb got his start in politics during college as intern for then Governor George Allen

George Allen (U.S. politician)

George Felix Allen is a former United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. Allen served Virginia in the state legislature, as the 67th Governor, and in both bodies of the U.S. Congress, winning election to the Senate in 2000...

 and subsequently for then Senator John Warner (R-VA)

John Warner

John William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...

.

After practicing law in Richmond, Virginia from 2001-2004, Habeeb moved back to the Roanoke Valley. In 2007 he was elected Chairman of the Salem Republican Committee. During his tenure, the Salem Republican Committee grew from about 10 members to over 120 members. Habeeb's work as Salem Republican Committee Chair was recognized by the Republican Party of Virginia which named him its statewide Unit Chair of the Year in 2007 and the 6th District Unit Chair of the Year in 2008.

During this time, Habeeb also worked closely with then Delegate Morgan Griffith

Morgan Griffith

Howard Morgan Griffith is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 9th congressional district. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was the majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates and represented the 8th District, serving from 1994 until 2011...

, who was the House Majority Leader.

In November of 2010, Griffith was elected to Congress in Virginia's 9th Congressional District

Virginia's 9th congressional district

Virginia's ninth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia, covering much of the southwestern part of the state. The 9th is Virginia's second-largest district in area, covering 8800.24 square miles . The current representative is Morgan Griffith...

, defeating long-time incumbent Rick Boucher

Rick Boucher

Frederick Carlyle "Rick" Boucher is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1983 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education and career:...

. Griffith resigned from the House of Delegates in December.

Habeeb, while initially not interested in running, reconsidered after receiving calls from many community members and several prominent party officials.

2011 Special Election

Habeeb announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for the 8th District seat in House of Delegates on November 7, 2010. His candidacy was supported by, among others, Congressman-elect Griffith, 6th District Congressman Bob Goodlatte and Virginia State Senator Ralph Smith.

Habeeb was also endorsed during his primary by Governor Bob McDonnell

Bob McDonnell

Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...

, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling

Bill Bolling

William T. "Bill" Bolling is the current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Running as a Republican, he was elected twice to the position by defeating his Democratic opponent in both the 2005 and 2009 general elections. He is the first Lieutenant Governor in the Commonwealth of Virginia to serve two...

 and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli

Kenneth Thomas 'Ken' Cuccinelli II is a U.S. politician and the Attorney General of Virginia. From 2002 until January 16, 2010 he was a Republican member of the Senate of Virginia, representing the 37th district in Fairfax County...

. Due in part to the overwhelming level of support he received by party leaders and Republican voters, Habeeb ultimately won the Republican nomination without opposition

McDonnell set the date for the special election as January 11, 2011 - giving candidates just under two months to campaign.

Habeeb's opponent was Democrat Ginger Mumpower, a business owner from Roanoke County.

Habeeb defeated Mumpower by a margin of 64% to 36%, winning every precinct in the District.

Member of the Virginia General Assembly

Habeeb was sworn-in as a member of the Virginia General Assembly just over 14 hours after thanking his supporters on Election night.

During his first session, Habeeb sponsored several pieces of legislation aimed at reducing the size of government, making it more efficient, transparent and accountable.

He is assigned to three committees: House Courts of Justice, House Transportation and House Militia, Police and Public Safety.