Richard "Dick" Wadhams (born August 26, 1955) is an American

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

political consultant, known for his role in guiding

John Thune John Randolph Thune ( ; born January 7, 1961) is an American politician and businessman serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from South Dakota, a seat he has held since 2005, and as the Party leaders ...

to an upset victory over then-

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Minority Leader

Tom Daschle Thomas Andrew Daschle ( ; born December 9, 1947) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a United States senator from South Dakota from 1987 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he became U.S. Senate Minority Leader in 1995 an ...

. He also worked for former

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senator

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, former

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Senator

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, former Colorado governor Bill Owens and former

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senator

Conrad Burns Conrad Ray Burns (January 25, 1935 – April 28, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Montana and later was a lobbyist. He was only the second Republican popularly elected to represent Montana in the Senate ...

. Wadhams is a longtime friend of

Karl Rove Karl Christian Rove (born December 25, 1950) is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 3 ...

. The two met during their days together in the

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, and ''

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'' and others speculated that Wadhams was Rove's

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Early life and education

Wadhams was born and raised in

Las Animas, Colorado Las Animas is the Statutory City that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 2,410 at the 2010 United States Census. Las Animas i ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from

Colorado State University Pueblo Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo) is a public university in Pueblo, Colorado. It is a member of the Colorado State University System (CSU System) and a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). History 1933 to 1959 The idea for startin ...

. During college, Wadhams worked at a mortuary.

Career

Wadhams was elected chair of the

Colorado Republican Party The Colorado Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party in the U.S. state of Colorado. The party's headquarters is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado. The state party chair is Kristi Burton Brown. The Colorado Republican ...

in March 2007 hoping to stem the losses that party has suffered in the last two elections. In 2008, he was hired by Republican

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candidate

Bob Schaffer Robert Warren Schaffer (born July 24, 1962) is a Republican Party (United States), Republican former member of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Colorado in the 105th United States Congress, 105th Congress and the two ...

to help manage Schaffer's campaign, while continuing to serve as chair the Colorado Republican Party. He was reelected in 2009 by a strong majority, capturing 310 of the 366 votes cast. When Wadhams was elected, the Colorado Republican Party had incurred mounting debts from the 2002, 2004, and 2006 elections, totaling over $580,000. The Colorado Republican Party has since paid off all of its debts, mainly through individual donations. In November 2008,

lost to

Mark Udall Mark Emery Udall ( ; born July 18, 1950) is an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Colorado from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, represe ...

in the campaign to replace

's seat in the United States Senate. In addition, Republican losses across Colorado were widespread, with Colorado voting to elect

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

as President and the Democrats retaining power in both houses of the state legislature, although Republicans were able to add seats in the state legislature. Wadhams blamed Republican losses on several obstacles including

’s charisma, the unpopularity of President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

, and the

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, which was blamed on Republicans who had supported deregulation in the name of free enterprise. Some critics have attacked Wadhams for playing a dual role during the 2008 election as party chairman and

's campaign manager. However, during the 2008 election, under Wadham's leadership, the Colorado Republican Party was "hailed for its voter turnout" and recognized by the RNC. The state GOP increased its outreach by topping the 2004 effort by more than 95 percent. Wadhams was reelected as state chairman at the 2009 Colorado Republican Organization Meeting. He left the position in 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wadhams, Dick 1955 births Living people College Republicans Colorado Republican Party chairs American political consultants People from Las Animas, Colorado Colorado State University Pueblo alumni