Randy Tate

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Randy Tate
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Washington's 9th district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byMike Kreidler
Succeeded byAdam Smith
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 25th district
In office
January 9, 1989 – January 9, 1995
Preceded byDan Grimm
Succeeded byGrant Owen Pelesky
Personal details
BornRandall John Tate
(1965-11-23) November 23, 1965[1]
Puyallup, Washington, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseJulie Wolcott
EducationTacoma 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 trailer 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 Representatives

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% to 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

  1. "Election Guide". CNN. 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  2. "TATE, Randy J." History, Arts, & Archives. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  3. Westneat, Danny (June 12, 1997). "Randy Tate Cut Teeth In The Statehouse". Seattle Times. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  4. "WASHINGTON 9: Rep. Randy Tate (R) vs. Adam Smith (D)". CNN. 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  5. "1994 Elections". City University of New York. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  6. King, John (June 10, 1996). "Christian Coalition Chooses Reed's Successor". CNN. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  7. "House Oks Tough Immigration Measure". The Spokesman Review. March 21, 1996. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  8. "1996-11-05 U.S. House Election Results for Washington (District 09)". Right Data USA. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  9. Grimaldi, James V. (May 9, 1997). "Christian Coalition Looks At Randy Tate". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  10. "CHRISTIAN COALITION TO ELIMINATE TWO TOP LEADERSHIP POSITIONS". The Daily Press. June 3, 1999. Retrieved March 20, 2026.