Gary Reams
| Gary Reams | |
| Personal Details | |
| Party: | Libertarian Party |
Gary Reams was the 2001 Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He ran solely on the cannabis issue, calling his campaign the "Reams Reeferendum."
Reams debated Democratic opponent Tim Kaine on public television (Republican opponent Jay Katzen refused to debate Reams). Reams never specified what precise reforms he advocated (e.g. decriminalization vs. complete legalization). He also stated that if elected, he would only vote on cannabis-related issues, and if the Governor were to die, resign, or otherwise leave office, he would resign as well and let the constitutional processes for choosing a successor in the absence of the lieutenant governor transpire. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were a significant distraction from Reams' cannabis reform message.
He won double-digit returns in Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia. Elsewhere, he received approximately 1% of the vote, double what his ticket-mate, gubernatorial candidate Bill Redpath, received.