Randy Tate
Randy Tate | |
|---|---|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Kreidler |
| Succeeded by | Adam Smith |
| Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 25th district | |
| In office January 9, 1989 – January 9, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Dan Grimm |
| Succeeded by | Grant Owen Pelesky |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Randall John Tate November 23, 1965[1] Puyallup, Washington, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Julie Wolcott |
| Education | Tacoma Community College Western Washington University (BA) |
Randall John "Randy" Tate (born November 23, 1965) is an American politician and a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Washington.
Early life and education
Tate was born in Puyallup, Washington on November 23, 1965.[2] He was raised in a tailer park with his baptist minister father.[3] Tate graduated with an Associate of Arts degree from Tacoma Community College in 1986 and he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Washington University at Bellingham in 1988.[1] Prior to running for office, he was a mobile-home park owner.[1]
Political career
Washington House of Represenatives
From 1989 until 1995, Tate was a member of the Washington House of Representatives.[1] Tate faced controversy in his initial election when his campaign sent a brochure to voters that said his Democratic opponent, State Superintendent Frank Brouillet, "hasn't talked much about sexual abuse of kids."[3]
While in Olympia, Tate focused on lowering taxes, tort reform, and cracking down on crime.[3] He was known for attacking Democrats, which led the Speaker of the House, Joseph E. King, to call him "a little puke," but was a rising star among Republicans, becoming the number two Republican in the House.[3]
United States House of Representatives
In 1994, Tate ran for Congress in Washington's 9th congressional district against first-term incumbent Mike Kreidler.[3] During the election, he openly distanced himself from Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.[3] In the November election, Tate narrowly defeated Kreidler, 51% to 49%, a margin of 5,500 votes.[4][5] Tate was one of six Washington State Republicans to flip seats in the 1994 Republican Revolution.[5]
Tate was the youngest of 73 GOP House freshmen when he took office in 1995 and was a close ally of Speaker Newt Gingrich.[6] While in office, he secured passage of an amendment to the 1996 illegal immigration bill, which is now found at 8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(9). This amendment prohibits a visa or legal status to anyone who has been in the U.S. without authorization for over a year, notwithstanding the existence of U.S. Citizen children of that immigrant.[1][7]
Tate ran for reelection in 1996, facing Democratic State Senator Adam Smith and was seen as one of the most vulnerable GOP incumbents.[4] In the September primary, Tate came in second with 48% of the vote against Smith, who earned 49%, and was the only incumbent to finish behind a Democratic challenger in the primary.[4][8] Smith criticized Tate for his close ties to Gingrich, his support for Medicare overhauls, and restrictions of environmental standards.[4] Tate attacked Smith's ties to organized labor and said he would be in the pocket of special interests.[4]
In the November general election, Smith defeated Tate, 50% ro 47%, a margin of about 6,000 votes.[8][9]
Later life
After his one term in Congress, Tate wrote a twice-a-month column for the Federal Way News and was a guest host on KVI-AM talk-radio shows.[9] From 1997 to 1999, Tate was the director of Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition.[6][10]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Election Guide". CNN. 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "TATE, Randy J." History, Arts, & Archives. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f Westneat, Danny (June 12, 1997). "Randy Tate Cut Teeth In The Statehouse". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "WASHINGTON 9: Rep. Randy Tate (R) vs. Adam Smith (D)". CNN. 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "1994 Elections". City University of New York. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b King, John (June 10, 1996). "Christian Coalition Chooses Reed's Successor". CNN. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "House Oks Tough Immigration Measure". The Spokesman Review. March 21, 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b "1996-11-05 U.S. House Election Results for Washington (District 09)". Right Data USA. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ a b Grimaldi, James V. (May 9, 1997). "Christian Coalition Looks At Randy Tate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
- ^ "CHRISTIAN COALITION TO ELIMINATE TWO TOP LEADERSHIP POSITIONS". The Daily Press. June 3, 1999. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
External links
- United States Congress. "Randy Tate (id: T000048)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN