While many college politicos are stumping for next month's Undergraduate Council elections or working on the presidential campaigns, one Harvard student has larger plans in mind.

Eliot House resident Costas Panagopoulos '94, a Republican from Dracut, Mass., is competing for a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

"It all came as a big surprise," said Panagopoulos, 20. "I was studying for finals last year when the Republican party chair from Dracut called to ask me to run for the office."

Panagopoulos said he decided to represent his party in the 17th Middlesex district, which includes Dracut and part of Lowell, only after he was encouraged repeatedly by State Sen. Nancy E. Achan Sullivan '81.

Panagopoulos, a government concentrator, said Sullivan was a "true inspiration" for him.

And Sullivan, who hails from the first Middlesex district, returned the young politician's praise.

"Costas demonstrates tremendous leadership and speaking abilities, and he has a clear understanding of the issues as shown by his platform," Sullivan said. "He is definitely the most impressive young Republican in the state today."

Panagopoulos, who as a high school student wrote a book of advice for student leaders, set up his campaign headquarters in Dracut after last week's primary. He ran unopposed in theprimary.

While Panagopoulos has gained a reputationamong many as a charismatic, up-and-coming leader,he will face tough demographic challenges.

He campaigned hard all summer, he said, becausehe knows there are at least four times as manyregistered Democrats as there are Republicans inhis district.

But Panagopoulos, who lost a bid for Dracut'sschool committee during his first year at Harvard,said he believes he will be able to overcome thatmargin because about half of the voters in thedistrict are independent.

He also said that the number of Republicans inhis district has grown, though slowly, over thelast five years. In the last election for the sameoffice, his current Democratic opponent, 10-yearincumbent John F. Cox, slipped through with a51-49 victory, he said.

Claudet Houle, Panagopoulos' campaign chair,said that Cox "is probably laughing at us," sincePanagopoulos is only 20 years old and without muchexperience.

"But Costas is mature beyond his years, like anolder person imprisoned in a younger body," saidHoule, who is also the vice chair of Dracut'sRepublican party.

Cox, however, said he and his staff "feel veryconfident" about beating Panagopoulos in theupcoming election. "We're going to run thiscampaign as we normally have in previous years byworking hard and running on our record," Cox said.

"[Panagopoulos] has got a lot of problems, asall he's done so far is attack me," Cox said."He's weak on the issues and he doesn't offer anysolutions."