Randy Minchew

John Randall "Randy" Minchew (born July 31, 1957, in Arlington, Virginia) is an American politician and lawyer. A Republican, he was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011, and re-elected for two subsequent terms. He represented the 10th district, made up of parts of Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun counties in the northern part of the state.[1][2]

Randy Minchew
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from the 10th district
In office
January 11, 2012 – January 10, 2018
Preceded byWard Armstrong
Succeeded byWendy Gooditis
Personal details
Born (1957-07-31) July 31, 1957
Arlington, Virginia
Political partyRepublican
SpouseTeresa Hatterick Minchew
ResidenceLeesburg, Virginia
Alma materDuke University
Magdalen College, Oxford
Washington and Lee University School of Law
Virginia Theological Seminary
OccupationLawyer
CommitteesCourts of Justice
Transportation
Websiteminchewfordelegate.com

Early life, education, business career

Minchew attended Langley High School in Fairfax County, Virginia; as a senior, he was a campaign volunteer for future Congressman Frank Wolf. He received an A.B. degree from Duke University in 1980, studying public policy and economics.[1][2]

After graduation, he worked in the district attorney's office in Durham County, North Carolina. He received a certificate from Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1982, and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1984, after which he clerked for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Christian Compton. He then moved to Leesburg, Virginia to practice law.

Minchew married Teresa "Terri" Hatterick c. 1992. They have a son, Jack.[1][2]

In 2010, Minchew received a diploma in Theological Studies from the Virginia Theological Seminary.[1]

Political career

Minchew became involved with the Loudoun County Republican Committee after his move to Leesburg, and was twice elected county Republican chair. In late 2005, Senator Bill Mims resigned his 33rd district Senate of Virginia seat to become Chief Deputy Attorney General. Minchew ran for the Republican nomination, finishing second in a four-way race, behind Loudoun County Supervisor Mick Staton. Staton lost the ensuing special election to Democrat Mark Herring.[3][4]

The 10th House district was moved from the Martinsville area, on Virginia's southern border, to the northern tip of the state in the 2011 redistricting. Minchew won a three-way Republican primary in the new district, defeating his closest competitor, attorney John Whitbeck, by 87 votes.[5] He defeated Democratic candidate David S. "Dave" Butler in the general election, 8140–5789.[6]

In 2013, Minchew faced no challenger for the Republican nomination. His general election campaign included a TV ad touting his accomplishments [7] Minchew was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Virginia Farm Bureau, the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and the Virginia Education Association, as well as the Loudoun, Frederick, and Clarke County Education associations, the Washington Post, and the Loudoun Times-Mirror.[8] Minchew won re-election in the general election, decisively defeating Democratic challenger Monte A. Johnson, 12,950 - 9,723 (57% - 43%).[9]

In 2015, Minchew again faced no challenger for the Republican nomination. In the general election he faced Democrat Peter Rush, a Leesburg resident and formerly a member of the Loudoun County Soil and Water Board.[10] Minchew won re-election 10,415-6,355 (62%-38%).[11] This was his largest margin of victory since taking office.

In 2016, Minchew introduced HB 1181, which would have forced Virginia's representatives to the Electoral College to vote according to how individual congressional districts voted rather than how the state voted overall. The bill was criticized for being highly partisan, as the system of voting would give an advantage to Republican presidential candidates. Virginia's current winner-takes-all system is shared by 47 other states and the District of Columbia.[12]

In 2017, Minchew was defeated in his bid for a fourth term in the Virginia House of Delegates, losing to Democratic candidate Wendy Gooditis 15,151-14,014.

Political positions

Randy Minchew opposes cannabis legalization.[13]

References
  1. "Virginia House of Delegates 2012; Delegate J. Randall Minchew;". Virginia House of Delegates. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  2. "Randy Minchew for Delegate". Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  3. Mirza Kurspahic (2006-01-19). "Staton Wins Nomination". Ashburn Connection. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  4. "Commonwealth Of Virginia Election Results - Jan 31, 2006 Special Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  5. "August 2011 Republican Primary Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  6. "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2012-10-30.
  7. "Randy Minchew for Delegate - Work". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  8. "Endorsements". Randy Minchew for Delegate. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  9. "OFFICIAL RESULTS - GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 5, 2013". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  10. "Rush for Delegate -- Meet Peter". Peter Rush for Delegate. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  11. "2015 House of Delegates General Election Results -- District 10". Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  12. "Flip-A-District Friday: Del. Wendy Gooditis (D-HD10), Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-HD34), Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D-HD31) and Alex Askew (D-HD85)". Blue Virginia. September 13, 2019. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  13. Sydney Kashiwagi. Virginia legalizing marijuana anytime soon? Probably not, lawmakers say. Loudon Times-Mirror. 19 April 2017
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