Candidate, President of the United States, 2012, 2020

Candidate, Governor of Florida, 2018

Candidate, Florida State Lieutenant Governor, 2010

Candidate, United States Senate, 1988

Candidate, Pennsylvania Auditor General, 1980

No caucus information on file.

Former Editor, Consumers Voice

Campaign Manager, Eugene McCarthy Presidential Campaign, 1988

Former Member, Democratic Precinct Committee

Awards:

Recipient, 2005 Outstanding Academic Title (OAT) from Choice magazine.

Father's Name:

William J. Richardson, Jr.

Father's Occupation:

U.S. Air Force/Municipal Manager

Favorite Actor/Actress:

Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman and Susan Sarandon

Favorite Athlete:

Arriba Roberto! The late Roberto Clemente.

Favorite Author:

Howard Zinn

Favorite Book:

Too many to list

Favorite Musician:

Dolly Parton, America's most authentic lyricist, and Tracy Chapman, the conscience of America's better self, are my favorite musicians.

Favorite President and Why:

While admittedly there have been times when I actually miss Bill Clinton, especially when I think about the relative prosperity and the 22 million jobs created during his eight years in office, the answer is probably Franklin D. Roosevelt. Despite revisionist claims to the contrary ? you know, the free-market fundamentalists who've essentially created a cottage industry in casting aspersions on the New Deal, ludicrously arguing, in some cases, that FDR's policies actually prolonged the Great Depression ? Roosevelt deserves enormous credit for pulling the country out of the depression. Monetary policy also had a lot to do with the recovery and for that we should thank Roosevelt for surrounding himself with some pretty capable people, not the least of whom was Marriner Eccles, a Mormon banker from Utah who discovered Keynesian economics before Maynard Keynes himself. Roosevelt appointed Keynes chairman of the Federal Reserve in 1934 ? a post he held until 1948. The free-market folks, of course, rarely mention the important role the policies pursued by Eccles played in our nation's recovery.

Favorite Quote:

Eugene McCarthy's timeless quip that "The worst accidents usually occur in the middle of the road," is probably my favorite quote, particularly since it so accurately describes President Obama's approach to governing.

Favorite Sport:

College basketball

Favorite TV Shows:

C-SPAN Book TV

Mother's Name:

Shirley L. Richardson

Person Most Want to Meet (Dead or Alive):

Norman M. Thomas

Personal Hero and Why:

Eugene McCarthy because he risked his political career to challenge a sitting President of his own party over the unjust and illegal war in Vietnam.

Pets (include names):

Baby, Momma and Lucy. The first two are cats and I think Lucy is a dog.

Priority Issues:

Peace and prosperity. Jobs for all!

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

Well, I was sincerely hoping that a better-known Democrat would enter the fray, a candidate of some national stature. My personal preference would have been former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, whose talents are largely being wasted in academia. We need him in Washington. I also believe that Rep. Dennis Kucinich would have been an articulate spokesman for the progressive issues that so many Democrats hold near and dear, or possibly economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Sachs would have been an ideal candidate. He has a terrific grasp of the issues and understands that our current economic woes have more to do with the under-taxation of wealthy individuals and corporations than runaway government spending. He also understands that the road to economic recovery won't be found in austerity measures ? the kind of draconian budget cuts being advocated by the carnival barkers in the GOP ? but rather in increased public investments in our crumbling infrastructure, job training, education, energy and other areas.

I was also hoping Ralph Nader would come up with a slate of a half-dozen or so candidates, public policy experts on the economy, the environment, labor, consumer rights, etc., but Nader's plan failed to materialize. Beyond that, I think there were several others who also could have mounted credible challenges to President Obama in the primaries, including Jerry Brown, the one-time philospher prince of American politics, and former Colorado Senator Gary Hart, both of whom are in their early to mid seventies. Even Mike Gravel, who's now an octogenarian but still as feisty as ever, would have been acceptable. When nobody stepped forward to file in the first-in-nation New Hampshire primary, I reluctantly decided to give a whirl.