Richard Randall
| Richard Randall | |
 Randall at the 2008 Libertarian National Convention in Denver. | |
| Media Director Libertarian Party of Colorado | |
| 2008—2009 | |
| Predecessor: | Unknown |
| Successor: | Unknown |
| Legislative Director Libertarian Party of Colorado | |
| 2004—2008 | |
| Predecessor: | Unknown |
| Successor: | Unknown |
| Personal Details | |
| Birth: | January 17, 1959 |
| Party: | Libertarian Party |
| view image gallery | |
Richard Clarke Randall (born January 17, 1959) was the Libertarian Party of Colorado nominee for United States Senate in the 2004 elections. He placed fourth in the race behind the American Constitution Party (ACP) candidate, Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell. Randall again sought public office as the Libertarian Party of Colorado nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado in the 2006 elections. Running with Dawn Winkler-Kinateder (the Gubernatorial candidate), the team placed third in the race.
Randall served on the Libertarian Party of Colorado Board of Directors first as Legislative Director (2004-2008) and then was elected as Media Director to complete a mid-term vacancy (2008-2009). Randall then served on the National Libertarian Party Platform Committee (2009-2010).
Personal life
Born in Toccoa, Georgia, the oldest son of Walter Clarke and Patricia (Patt) Anne Brady Randall (who died from Lewy Body Dementia). Richard Randall attended Stephens County High School in Toccoa, Georgia, graduating in 1977. He then attended North Georgia Technical / Vocational School in Clarksville, Georgia where he earned an Electronic Technology degree graduating with honors. During the same period Randall attended evening classes to earn an A.A.S Electronic Sciences degree from Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia. During his time at North Georgia Technical / Vocational School, Randall was twice awarded the "Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership" - first in April, 1983 and again in March, 1984.
In August, 1984, Randall re-located to Norcross, Georgia (a suburb of Atlanta) where he accepted a position as an Instrument Technician for General Electric in September.
Richard Randall married Lee Ormond Wade on June 9, 1990 in Toccoa, Georgia - and divorced during July, 1994. Shortly after his divorce, Randall met Monica Kathryn Hillier (from Los Angeles, California). During the summer of 1995, Randall along with Hillier, relocated to Aurora, Colorado. Randall and Hillier were married on November 1, 1997 in Golden, Colorado. However, the marriage was annulled on October 26, 2000. There were no children from either marriage.
During his childhood, Randall became an accomplished equestrian riding English and Western. His Aunt, Dolores Brady, owned a nearby stable where Randall developed his riding skills. Randall showed Tennessee Walking horses and won many ribbons during his teen years. While in high School, Randall took interest in playing electric guitar, which he still enjoys today. Heavily influenced by the style of Eddie Van Halen, Randall played guitar in several small rock groups during his late teens, twenties and early thirties.
Randall is a movie aficionado, and while he rarely has the opportunity to SCUBA dive, Randall has been a certified PADI Open Water Diver since 1992. Randall also enjoys working with computers, preferring to use a MacBook or Mandriva Linux Operating System on desktop computers.
Business career
Randall began his business career in September, 1984, when he accepted a position as an Instrument Technician for G.E. Electronic Services, located in Norcross, Georgia. In December, 1989, Randall was promoted to the position of National Quality Assurance Specialist for G.E. Electronic Services and Rental / Lease. Then, in July, 1990, Randall was promoted to the position of National Quality Manager overseeing 20 G.E. Electronic Services calibration and repair centers. Randall directed all of these facilities through ISO 9002 registration by NQA-USA.
After becoming and IRCA certified Quality Management Systems Auditor, Randall left General Electric in May, 1993, and accepted the position of Southeast Regional Director for NQA-USA. In May, 1995 Randall wrote a book titled, Randall's Practical Guide to ISO 9000 (ISBN 0-201-63379-5), published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., on the subject of implementing an ISO 9000 compliant quality management system.
In August 1995, Randall left NQA-USA and began his own business offering quality systems auditor, contract executive, and management consultant services. He continues offering these services today.
Political career
Frustrated with the choices offered by the two major political parties, Randall researched and first identified himself as a Libertarian in 1994. After moving to Colorado, he befriended Travis Nicks, who would later serve as the State Chair of the Libertarian Party of Colorado (LPCO). Both Randall and Nicks began their political activism serving as volunteers for Ralph Shnelvar, the Libertarian candidate for Colorado Governor in 2002. Shnelvar and his running mate, Desiree Hackett Hickson, earned 20,547 votes (1.43% of the total votes cast).
The following year, Nicks first ran for public office in a recall election for Arapahoe County Clerk. Randall volunteered to serve as Nick's Logistics Coordinator. Shnelvar also volunteered to work on the campaign as Media Director. While Nicks did not win the election, the experience inspired both Randall and Nicks to become more involved with the Libertarian Party.
During May, 2004, Randall was elected to serve as the Legislative Director for the Libertarian Party of Colorado. Impressed with his professionalism, the vacancy committee for the LPCO convinced Randall to run for the United States Senate in the 2004 elections. Waging a modest campaign, Randall placed fourth in the race behind American Constitution Party (ACP) candidate, Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell. On election night, Randall and his supporters awaited the election results with political activist and heavy metal rocker, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, at the Fillmore in Denver, Colorado.
Randall personally recruited Dawn Winkler-Kinateder to seek the Libertarian Party of Colorado nomination for Governor in 2006. Upon her nomination, she recruited Randall to run as her Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. After waging a much more aggressive campaign than Randall had in 2004, the team placed third in the race.
At the Libertarian Party of Colorado State Convention in 2006, Randall was re-elected to continue serving as Legislative Director. Prior to completing his term, Randall recruited personal injury attorney, David K. Williams, to seek that office at the next state convention. After completing his second term on the Libertarian Party of Colorado Board of Directors, he stepped down from that position at the Libertarian Party of Colorado State Convention in 2008. During that convention, Randall was nominated to be the Libertarian Party of Colorado candidate for United States Senate. Because he had not considered running for that office, Randall declined the nomination and instead asked for a vote of confidence from the body - which he received. Before the end of the state convention, Randall was urged by the Treasurer, Leah Kelley, to seek the position of Media Director due to the National Libertarian Party convention being held in Denver later that year. Randall agreed and was elected to complete a mid-term vacancy as Media Director (which expired in May 2009).
During the 2008 National Libertarian Party Convention in Denver, Randall was urged by the Colorado delegation to seek an "At Large" position on the Libertarian National Committee (LNC). Randall agreed and ran for that position. He received endorsement speeches from Michael Jingozian (who had just been elected to serve as the Vice-Chair of the LNC) and Joe Johnson (former "Trustee" for the city of Frederick, Colorado). However, Randall was defeated in that race.
During his time serving on the LPCO Board of Directors, Randall also served as Chair of the LPCO Platform Committee during 2006-2007, 2007-2008 & 2008-2009. In December, 2008, he was appointed to serve as the LPCO representative on the LP National Platform Committee through 2010.
Randall continues to be active in politics.
Issue positions
Randall's positions are all based upon the Libertarian Party of Colorado "Values" statement (repealed at the Colorado State Party Convention in 2016), which states in part, "In a free society, government is established of, by, and for the people. The purpose of government is to protect our human and civil rights, establish a judicial system, provide for the common defense, and serve as steward of our public resources."
- Abortion: While recognizing that there are legitimate libertarian arguments supporting either side of this issue, Randall personally supports a woman's right to choose whether abortion is best for her situation - without state interference. He notes that there is significant controversy surrounding when life begins, and argues that therefore the state should not legislate against abortion, since a fetus is not unarguably a human life.
- Civil rights: Civil rights are those rights enjoyed by the citizens of a nation - and it is a primary role of government to acknowledge and secure those rights.
- Economic stimulus: Randall would stimulate the economy by eliminating the federal income tax in concert with drastically cutting government spending, effectively increasing personal income for most Americans. He also advocates the elimination of the Federal Reserve and the restoration of a commodity-based currency - as required by Article I, section 10 of the United States Constitution. Government would be funded through excise taxes and user fees (which provide more than enough financing for the Constitutional obligations of the government).
- Education: Randall supports the elimination of the federal Department of Education, stating that it is both unconstitutional and ineffective. Randall has called for the privatization of education in order to provide more effective and affordable alternatives through free-market competition.
- Gay marriage and Civil union|Civil Unions: Randall believes that marriage, as a contract between consenting adults, should not be a concern of government (except in resolving disputes), and supports the right of individual adults to associate in whatever ways they see fit.
- Gun control: Randall opposes restrictions on gun ownership by adults because restrictions on gun ownership constitute restricting an individual's basic human right to self-defense.
- Illegal drugs: Randall supports the decriminalization of marijuana and other illegal drugs, citing the restrictions on personal freedoms as a result of the War on Drugs. In a free society, the concept of self-ownership must be recognized and protected by government. Self-ownership includes adults enjoying the right to decide what they do to their own bodies. While drug abuse and addiction are serious social problems, incarceration is not an effective treatment.
- Iraq War: Randall supports a strong national defense. But opposes aggression against nations that have not attacked the U.S. - as was the case with Iraq. Therefore, Randall supports a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, while providing for repair to the infrastructure damaged by U.S. actions.
- Military draft: Randall opposes any reinstatement of a military draft as that would constitute involuntary servitude (slavery) - and is inconsistent with a free society.
Political controversies
Like many libertarians, Randall believes that the federal government has exceeded its Constitutional bounds and should be scaled back in favor of a libertarian society.
With respect to the role of government, Randall asserts that in order for government to be by, and for the people, that protections must be in place to safeguard against corporatism. Further, in order for government to be effective in protecting our human and civil rights, it is necessary for government to establish a judicial system, provide for the common defense, and serve as steward of our public resources (e.g., capitol buildings, courts, jails and prisons, military bases and equipment).
Election results
| Candidate | Party | Vote total | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ken L. Salazar | DEM | 1,081,178 | 50.36% |
| Pete H. Coors | REP | 980,668 | 45.67% |
| Douglas "Dayhorse" Campbell | ACP | 18,782 | 0.87% |
| Richard C. Randall | LIB | 10,160 | 0.47% |
| Candidates | Party | Vote total | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Ritter Jr./Barbara O'Brien | DEM | 888,096 | 56.99% |
| Bob Beauprez/Janet Rowland | REP | 625,886 | 40.16% |
| Dawn Winkler-Kinateder/Richard Randall | LIB |
23,323 | 1.50% |
References
The above information was primarily obtained directly from Richard C. Randall. Election results were obtained from the Colorado Secretary of State.
External links
- 1959 Births
- Biographies
- Infoboxes with birth information
- Colorado Party Activists
- Party Activists from the 2000s
- Colorado Candidates for US Senate
- Candidates for US Senate
- Colorado Candidates for Lieutenant Governor
- Candidates for Lieutenant Governor
- Candidates from the 2000s
- State Party Legislative Directors
- Colorado State Party Legislative Directors
- State Party Media Directors
- Colorado State Party Media Directors
- Platform Committee Members
- National Party Platform Committee Members
- Colorado State Party Platform Committee Members
- Candidates for National Party At-Large Representative