Richard Ziser is an American

real estate investor Real estate investing involves the purchase, management and sale or rental of real estate for profit. Someone who actively or passively invests in real estate is called a real estate entrepreneur or a real estate investor. Some investors actively ...

socially conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institution ...

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some t ...

and politician belonging to the Republican Party.

Early life

Ziser was born June 7, 1953, in

Pomona, California Pomona is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley, between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 151,713. The main campus of California State Polyte ...

, and has resided in Las Vegas, Nevada since 1991.

Education

Ziser graduated from

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona, CPP, or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo. See the '' name'' section of this article for more info ...

(Cal Poly Pomona) with a BS in Industrial Engineering, 1976; then subsequently from Simon Greenleaf University in

Santa Ana, CA Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...

, (now a campus of

Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, Trinity Graduate School, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), a law school ...

, with an MA in

Christian Apologetics Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...

in 1989.

Career

U.S. Senate candidacy

In 2004, Ziser defeated 5 rival candidates in the Republican primary, then ran unsuccessfully for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

against Democratic incumbent

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

, losing 61%-35%. In 1998, Ziser lost his election bid to be on the

Clark County, Nevada Clark County is located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,265,461. Most of the county population resides in the Las Vegas Census County Divisions, which hold 1,771,945 people as of the 2010 Census, across ...

School Board.

Political activity

Ziser rose to political prominence as the leader of the effort to ban gay marriage in Nevada. He headed the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage, a successful, four-year campaign that succeeded in amending Nevada's State Constitution to define marriage as a union between "one man and one woman" in 2000. In light of the Nevada Legislature's overriding of Governor Jim Gibbons' veto on domestic partnership legislation; due to take effect October 1, 2009. Ziser stated his intents to overturn the legislation as unconstitutional.Martha Bellisle
Nevada partners law to enable registered couples to adopt children
, Reno Gazette-Journal, June 4, 2009 Ziser is also an

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

activist, opposing legalized abortion by proposing a Personhood Constitutional Amendment designed to protect the "right to life," of the

fetus A fetus or foetus (; plural fetuses, feti, foetuses, or foeti) is the unborn offspring that develops from an animal embryo. Following embryonic development the fetal stage of development takes place. In human prenatal development, fetal deve ...

References

Additional sources

Nevada Concerned Citizens
(Coalition for the Protection of Marriage) * * Jane Ann Morrison,

, Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 25, 1998 *
Petition to ban same-sex marriages cheered
, Las Vegas Sun, January 5, 2000 * Kris Hill,
Bill may extend rights for gays
, Las Vegas Sun, March 27, 2001 * Erin Neff,
Ziser, marriage protection organizer, runs for Senate
, Las Vegas Sun, August 28, 2003 * Erin Neff and Michael Squires,

, Las Vegas Review-Journal, October 26, 2003 * Steve Sebelius-OpEd,

, Las Vegas Review-Journal, September 16, 2004 * Richard Ziser,
The Next Step In Marriage Protection
, Desert Saints Magazine, July 2006 Issue * Richard Fitzpatrick,

, Nevada Confidential, November 22, 2006 * Steve Sebelius,
Have we had enough hate yet?
, Las Vegas CityLife, June 21, 2007 * Erin NefF-OpEd,

, Las Vegas Review-Journal, May 18, 2006 * Andrew Kiraly,
Oh, about that ruined state economy: Blame Richard Ziser, too.
, Las Vegas CityLife, July 29, 2008 * Richard Lake,

, Las Vegas Review-Journal, July 29, 2008 *

, Vegas Tea Room, March 27, 2009 *
Domestic partnerships to be law in Nevada
, United Press International, June 1, 2009 * Ed Vogel and Molly Ball,
Lawmakers override veto of domestic partner bill
, The Ely News, June 6, 2009 * Martha Bellisle,
Nevada partners law to enable registered couples to adopt children
, Reno Gazette-Journal, June 4, 2009 * Kathleen Hennessey,
Sen. Ensign's admission blurs conservative image
, Associated Press, June 17, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ziser, Richard 1953 births Living people American investors People from Pomona, California Trinity International University alumni California State Polytechnic University, Pomona alumni People from the Las Vegas Valley Nevada Republicans