Bill Redmond | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's3rd district | |
| In office May 13, 1997 – January 3, 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Tom Udall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-01-28)January 28, 1954 (age 71) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Lincoln Christian Seminary (BA,MDiv) Murray State University (MEd) |
William Thomas Redmond (born January 28, 1954) is an American politician and minister who served as aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew Mexico. He is the only Republican to represent this district.
Redmond was born inChicago. He graduated fromLincoln Christian College in 1979 and was ordained as an independent Christian Church minister. Prior to attending Lincoln Christian College and Seminary, Redmond attendedMurray State University, where he majored inpolitical science andaccounting. In 1988, Redmond graduated with aMasters of Divinity (MDiv.) inTheology andPhilosophy fromLincoln Christian Seminary then moved to New Mexico.
He served in theUnited States Army Reserve from 1985 until 1993 as part of an Army chaplain candidate program. Redmond was a minister for the Santa Fe Christian Church and worked as a teacher atUniversity of New Mexico–Los Alamos.
He ran for Congress in 1996 and was defeated by the district's longtimeDemocratic incumbent,Bill Richardson. Three months later, Richardson resigned to becomeUnited States Ambassador to the United Nations. Redmondwas a candidate in the special election for the balance of Richardson's term. He was initially considered an underdog, but won by 3,017 votes.Green Party candidate Carol Miller took 17% of the vote, running as a more progressive alternative to Democrat Eric Serna. Miller's surprisingly strong campaign may havebenefited Redmond by attracting potential Serna voters. Miller received 17,101 votes, vastly exceeding the 3,017 vote margin Redmond held over Serna.
Despite representing a Democratic district, Redmond had a solidly-conservative voting record. He ran for a full term in 1998 but lost to state Attorney GeneralTom Udall, 53% to 43%.[1] Proving just how heavily-Democratic this district was, no Republican has made a serious bid for the 3rd since Redmond left Congress.
In October 1998, Democrats for Redmond described him as "truly an activist congressman" and "a man of integrity and a man who keeps his word". Reasons expressed for Democratic support for Redmond included "accomplishing more on the Land Grant issue in 16 months than any other elected official in 150 years" and introducing an amendment to theRadiation Exposure Compensation Act in order to bring justice to the affected uranium miners of New Mexico. He was also endorsed by the All Indian Pueblo Council for fighting for the rights of Native Americans.[2]
He won the Republican nomination for theU.S. Senate in2000 and lost to Democratic incumbentJeff Bingaman by 138,227 votes[3]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Mexico's 3rd congressional district 1997–1999 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew Mexico (Class 1) 2000 | Succeeded by Allen McCulloch |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
| Territorial (1851–1912) |
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| At-large seats (1912–1969) |
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| Districts (1969–present) (3rd district established in 1983) |
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