Richard Riordan

Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, who had served as the California Secretary for Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. A Catholic, he is married to Nancy Daly Riordan and has three daughters from his first marriage.

2002 gubernatorial race

In 2002, Riordan, a moderate Republican called a "Republican In Name Only" by some, decided to seek the governorship. He was opposed in the Republican primary election by conservative businessman Bill Simon and former California Secretary of State Bill Jones. Although it appeared that he was leading earlier in the race, he eventually lost to Simon.

Related Topics:
Moderate - Republican In Name Only - Primary election - Conservative - Bill Simon - California Secretary of State - Bill Jones

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One controversial aspect of his loss was the fact that Governor Gray Davis, a Democrat, ran advertisements against Riordan, claiming that Riordan was not conservative enough to be a Republican — essentially helping the Simon campaign. It is very rare for a candidate to try to influence the other party's primary in such a manner; however, Davis felt that he had a much better chance against the conservative Simon than the moderate Riordan, and that the move was worth the risk. Riordan lost the primary, and Davis went on to defeat Simon in the general election by a close margin.

Related Topics:
Gray Davis - Democrat - Advertisement

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