Here’s another interesting Libertarian Party campaign in Arizona. The Salt Lake City Weekly once described former Graham County sheriff Richard Mack this way:
Meet “Sheriff” Richard Mack: FBI Academy graduate, former militiaman and devout Mormon. Mack’s Libertarian Party leanings run the gamut. Down with leftie love, he wants to legalize marijuana and pimp-slap Sen. Orrin Hatch out of office. Uptight and right, Mack wants to can government welfare, public schools and public Section 8 housing. If Mack had his way, charity would be the sole domain of churches and private nonprofits.
“The bottom line is, I don’t fit the mold,” he says.
He certainly doesn’t fit the standard two-party mold. He’s another L-Factor candidate who’s turned in the nominating petitions to run for office in Arizona. He’ll be running against Democrat Jim Pederson from Phoenix,a shopping center developer and former state Democrat chairman as well as the incument Republican Jon Kyl, also from Phoenix.
Here’s the bio from Freedom’s Phoenix:
Richard Mack, former sheriff of Graham County, is a fifth generation Arizonan. He attended school and grew up in Safford. He excelled in sports and in 1969 was selected to the Arizona Republic High School All-State Football Team. After high school he received a scholarship in music, drama, and football to Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher. He graduated from EAC in 1975 and later received a BA degree from BYU in Latin American Studies and Sociology. He started his career in law enforcement in Provo, Utah and served as communications supervisor, an undercover narcotics agent, school resource officer, youth crimes specialist, corporal, detective, and sergeant. In 1988 he moved home to Graham County and ran for sheriff. He was elected twice.
While serving as sheriff he was the first official in the United States to sue the Clinton Administration to stop the unfunded and unconstitutional Brady Bill. Mack ultimately won a landmark decision at the US Supreme Court on the issue of states’ rights. He is the only public official in history to have received the top law enforcement award from the National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, and the Second Amendment Foundation.
Mack lost his bid for re-election in 1996 and became a consultant and lobbyist. He traveled extensively throughout the country on the lecture circuit promoting civil liberties. He has authored five books and just released his first novel, THE NAKED SPY. Mack has appeared on Good Morning America, the CBS Morning News, MSNBC, Nightline, CROSSFIRE, CNN, Court TV, and most recently, was one of the ten contestants selected to participate on SHOWTIME’S the AMERICAN CANDIDATE.
Mack is the son of G. Wayne and Ruth Mack. He has been married to Dawn Beals for 31 years and they have five children; Joshua, Rich, Luci, Mandy, and Jimmy. Mack makes his home in Pima and works for Johnson Motors in Safford.
If elected, perhaps Mack can use his position, experience and credentials to go after Patriot Act the same way he went after the Brady Bill.
sucker, ʟʟᴄ