{{Short description|American politician (born 1957)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Randy Minchew | honorific_suffix = | image = | caption = | state_delegate = Virginia | district = 10th | term_start = January 11, 2012 | term_end =January 10, 2018 | preceded = Ward Armstrong | succeeded = Wendy Gooditis | birth_date = {{Birth date and age | 1957 | 7 | 31}} | birth_place = Arlington, Virginia | death_date = | death_place = | resting_place = | birth_name = | party = Republican | spouse = Teresa Hatterick Minchew | alma_mater = Duke University<br>Magdalen College, Oxford<br>Washington and Lee University School of Law<br>Virginia Theological Seminary | occupation = Lawyer | committees = Courts of Justice<br>Transportation <!-- | religion = Episcopalian --> <!-- religion is no longer in the template --> | website = [https://minchewfordelegate.com/ minchewfordelegate.com] }}
'''John Randall "Randy" Minchew''' (born July 31, 1957, in Arlington, Virginia) is an American politician and lawyer. A Republican, he was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2011, and re-elected for two subsequent terms. He represented the 10th district, made up of parts of Clarke, Frederick and Loudoun counties in the northern part of the state.<ref name="hod2012">{{cite web | title = Virginia House of Delegates 2012; Delegate J. Randall Minchew; | publisher = Virginia House of Delegates | url = http://dela.state.va.us/dela/MemBios.nsf/a7b082ef6ed01eac85256c0d00515644/9584e38675b906a185257535005773b7?OpenDocument | accessdate = October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ownwebsite">{{cite web | title = Randy Minchew for Delegate | url = http://www.delegaterandyminchew.com/ | accessdate = October 30, 2012 | archive-date = December 16, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121216113921/http://www.delegaterandyminchew.com/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>
==Early life, education, business career== Minchew attended Langley High School in Fairfax County, Virginia; as a senior, he was a campaign volunteer for future Congressman Frank Wolf. He received an A.B. degree from Duke University in 1980, studying public policy and economics.<ref name="hod2012"/><ref name="ownwebsite"/>
After graduation, he worked in the district attorney's office in Durham County, North Carolina. He received a certificate from Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1982, and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 1984, after which he clerked for Supreme Court of Virginia Justice Christian Compton. He then moved to Leesburg, Virginia to practice law.<ref>{{cite web |title=Randy Minchew {{!}} Profile |url=https://thelandlawyers.com/professionals/minchew/ |website=Walsh Colucci Lubeley Walsh |access-date=March 24, 2025}}</ref>
Minchew married Teresa "Terri" Hatterick c. 1992. They have a son, Jack.<ref name="hod2012"/><ref name="ownwebsite"/>
In 2010, Minchew received a diploma in Theological Studies from the Virginia Theological Seminary.<ref name="hod2012"/>
==Political career== Minchew became involved with the Loudoun County Republican Committee after his move to Leesburg, and was twice elected county Republican chair. In late 2005, Senator Bill Mims resigned his 33rd district Senate of Virginia seat to become Chief Deputy Attorney General. Minchew ran for the Republican nomination, finishing second in a four-way race, behind Loudoun County Supervisor Mick Staton. Staton lost the ensuing special election to Democrat Mark Herring.<ref name="ac2006">{{cite news | title = Staton Wins Nomination | author = Mirza Kurspahic | url = http://connection.membershipsoftware.org/articleprint.asp?article=244956&paper=67&cat=104 | newspaper=Ashburn Connection | date = January 19, 2006 | accessdate = October 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="sbe2006">{{cite web | title = Commonwealth Of Virginia Election Results - Jan 31, 2006 Special Election | publisher = Virginia State Board of Elections | url = http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/ElectionResults/2006/Jan2006/Jan_31_06/default.htm | accessdate = October 30, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The 10th House district was moved from the Martinsville area, on Virginia's southern border, to the northern tip of the state in the 2011 redistricting. Minchew won a three-way Republican primary in the new district, defeating his closest competitor, attorney John Whitbeck, by 87 votes.<ref name="sbe2011p">{{cite web | title = August 2011 Republican Primary Official Results | publisher = Virginia State Board of Elections | url = https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2011/FC2CC80F-A84D-4058-BF5F-BCA25094CDA9/Official/8_s.shtml | accessdate = October 31, 2012 | archive-date = July 23, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130723105141/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2011/FC2CC80F-A84D-4058-BF5F-BCA25094CDA9/Official/8_s.shtml | url-status = dead }}</ref> He defeated Democratic candidate David S. "Dave" Butler in the general election, 8140–5789.<ref name="sbe2011">{{cite web|title=November 2011 General Election Official Results |publisher=Virginia State Board of Elections |url=https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2011/EB178FD6-875D-4B0D-A295-900A0482F523/Official/8_s.shtml |accessdate=October 30, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130520143116/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2011/EB178FD6-875D-4B0D-A295-900A0482F523/Official/8_s.shtml |archivedate=May 20, 2013 }} </ref>
In 2013, Minchew faced no challenger for the Republican nomination. His general election campaign included a TV ad touting his accomplishments <ref name=tvad2013p>{{cite web | title = Randy Minchew for Delegate - Work | publisher = Youtube.com | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYecJOJPTCo | accessdate = September 25, 2014}}</ref> Minchew was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, the Virginia Farm Bureau, the Virginia Association of Realtors, the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce, and the Virginia Education Association, as well as the Loudoun, Frederick, and Clarke County Education associations, the Washington Post, and the Loudoun Times-Mirror.<ref name="endosed2013p">{{cite web | title = Endorsements | publisher = Randy Minchew for Delegate | url = http://www.delegaterandyminchew.com/endorsements/ | accessdate = September 25, 2014 | archive-date = October 13, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141013144209/http://www.delegaterandyminchew.com/endorsements/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> Minchew won re-election in the general election, decisively defeating Democratic challenger Monte A. Johnson, 12,950 - 9,723 (57% - 43%).<ref name="sbe2013p">{{cite web | title = OFFICIAL RESULTS - GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 5, 2013 | publisher = Virginia State Board of Elections | url = http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?eid=7&type=HOD&map=CTY | accessdate = September 25, 2014 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20140219031327/http://electionresults.virginia.gov/resultsSW.aspx?eid=7&type=HOD&map=CTY | archivedate = February 19, 2014 }}</ref>
In 2015, Minchew again faced no challenger for the Republican nomination. In the general election he faced Democrat Peter Rush, a Leesburg resident and formerly a member of the Loudoun County Soil and Water Board.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rush for Delegate -- Meet Peter|url=http://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/66125/|website=Peter Rush for Delegate|accessdate = May 8, 2016}}</ref> Minchew won re-election 10,415-6,355 (62%-38%).<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 House of Delegates General Election Results -- District 10|url=http://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/66125/|website=Virginia State Board of Elections|accessdate = May 8, 2016}}</ref> This was his largest margin of victory since taking office.
In 2016, Minchew introduced HB 1181, which would have forced Virginia's representatives to the Electoral College to vote according to how individual congressional districts voted rather than how the state voted overall. The bill was criticized for being highly partisan, as the system of voting would give an advantage to Republican presidential candidates. Virginia's current winner-takes-all system is shared by 47 other states and the District of Columbia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://bluevirginia.us/2019/09/flip-a-district-friday-del-wendy-gooditis-d-hd10-del-kathleen-murphy-d-hd34-del-elizabeth-guzman-d-hd31-and-alex-askew-d-hd85 |title=Flip-A-District Friday: Del. Wendy Gooditis (D-HD10), Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-HD34), Del. Elizabeth Guzman (D-HD31) and Alex Askew (D-HD85) |date=September 13, 2019 |work=Blue Virginia |accessdate=October 31, 2019}}</ref>
In 2017, Minchew was defeated in his bid for a fourth term in the Virginia House of Delegates, losing to Democratic candidate Wendy Gooditis 15,151-14,014.
==Political positions== Randy Minchew opposes cannabis legalization.<ref>Sydney Kashiwagi. [http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/virginia_legalizing_marijuana_anytime_soon_probably_not_lawmakers_say432 Virginia legalizing marijuana anytime soon? Probably not, lawmakers say]. ''Loudon Times-Mirror''. April 19, 2017</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web | title = Delegate Randy Minchew (R-Leesburg) | work = Richmond Sunlight | url = http://www.richmondsunlight.com/legislator/jrminchew/}} *{{cite web | title = Randy Minchew | publisher = Virginia Public Access Project | url = http://www.vpap.org/candidates/profile/home/318}} *{{cite web|title=Election Results |publisher=Virginia State Board of Elections |url=http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Election_Information/Election_Results/Index.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617084700/http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Election_Information/Election_Results/Index.html |archivedate=June 17, 2010 }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Minchew, Randy}} Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:Republican Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Category:Duke University alumni Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Category:Washington and Lee University School of Law alumni Category:Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Category:People from Leesburg, Virginia Category:Politicians from Arlington County, Virginia Category:21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly