Lou Ann Zelenik is a Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 businesswoman and 2010 Republican Party

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...

 candidate for the U.S. Congress in Tennessee's 6th congressional district

Tennessee's 6th congressional district

The 6th Congressional District of Tennessee is a congressional district in Middle Tennessee. It currently includes all of Bedford, Cannon, Clay, DeKalb, Jackson, Macon, Marshall, Overton, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale Counties, as well as a portion of Wilson County...

. She has one daughter, Kerri.

Early life, education and career

A graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering

Vanderbilt University School of Engineering

The School of Engineering provides undergraduate and graduate education in engineering and the engineering sciences at Vanderbilt University, a major research university located in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1879, the Vanderbilt School of Engineering is the oldest private school of...

, Zelenik co-founded L&N Construction Co. in Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...

 in 1985, which she ran for 23 years.

Political career

From 2007 to 2009, Zelenik served as Vice Chair and Chairman of the Rutherford County Republican Party. As a dedicated advocate for limited government

Limited government

Limited government is a government which anything more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is generally disallowed by law, usually in a written constitution. It is written in the United States Constitution in Article 1, Section 8...

, she organized the first Tea Party in Rutherford County.

Zelenik was a candidate in the 2008 Republican primary for the 48th District State Representative seat, but was defeated by Joe Carr.

After the passage of the bank bailouts

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (Division A of , commonly referred to as a bailout of the U.S. financial system, is a law enacted in response to the subprime mortgage crisis...

 and the stimulus bill

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...

, Zelenik declared that she would challenge Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 incumbent Rep. Bart Gordon

Bart Gordon

Barton Jennings "Bart" Gordon, is a lawyer and former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1985 until 2011. The district includes several rural areas and fast-growing suburbs east of Nashville. He was Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology from 2007 until 2011. He is a member...

 in the 2010 congressional election

United States House of Representatives elections, 2010

The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections, also known as the 2010 midterm elections, were held on November 2, 2010, at the midpoint of President Barack Obama's first term in office. Voters of the 50 U.S. states chose 435 U.S. Representatives. Voters of the U.S...

. With the retirement of Rep. Gordon in December 2009, her biggest competitions were expected to come from longtime Tennessee state senators Diane Black

Diane Black

Diane Lynn Black is the U.S. Representative for . The district includes several suburban and rural areas east of Nashville. She is a member of the Republican Party. She is formerly a member of the Tennessee Senate for the 18th district, which encompasses Robertson County and part of Sumner County...

 and Jim Tracy

Jim Tracy (politician)

Jim Tracy is an American politician and a member of the Tennessee Senate for the 16th district, which is composed of Bedford County, Moore County, and part of Rutherford County...

 for the Republican nomination

Nomination

Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to an office, or the bestowing of an honor or award.In the context of elections for public office, a candidate who has been selected by a political party is normally said to be the nominee of that party...

 in the primary. The Cook Political Report

Cook Political Report

The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...

 rates Tennessee's 6th district as Likely Republican. She finished second in the August 5th primary election

Primary election

A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....

.

Currently, she sits on the Rutherford County

Rutherford County, Tennessee

Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it is the state's fifth-largest county by population with 262,604 people, an increase of 44.3 percent over the 2000 population of 182,023. Its county seat is Murfreesboro, which is also the geographic...

 Planning Commission.

Zelenik has been a vociferous opponent of an Islamic community center, planned for Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...

. A press release from her campaign states: Let there be no mistake, Lou Ann stands with everyone who is opposed to the idea of an Islamic training center being built in our community. This "Islamic Center" is not part of a religious movement; it is a political movement designed to fracture the moral and political foundation of Middle Tennessee... Until the American Muslim community find it in their hearts to separate themselves from their evil, radical counterparts, to condemn those who want to destroy our civilization and will fight against them, we are not obligated to open our society to any of them.

External links

• Official campaign website
• Profile from Rutherford GOP
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org