Roland Clifford Riemers (born May 15, 1943) is an American

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...

best known for winning the

1996 North Dakota Democratic presidential primary The 1996 North Dakota Democratic presidential primary was held on February 27, 1996, in North Dakota as one of the Democratic Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1996 presidential election. Incumbent President Bill Clinton ...

Early life and career

Riemers was born in 1943 in

Lake City, Minnesota Lake City is a city in Goodhue and Wabasha counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It lies along Lake Pepin, a wide portion of the Mississippi River. The population was 5,063 at the 2010 census. Most of Lake City is located within Wabasha ...

. He attended

San Antonio College San Antonio College (SAC) is a public community college in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the Alamo Colleges District and the oldest public two-year college in Texas. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students an ...

, received his AS in nursing from

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a public community college in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Founded in 1965, the college annually serves more than 12,500 students as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of ...

in 1973, his BS in industrial technology from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

in 1984, and attended but did not graduate from the

University of North Dakota School of Law The University of North Dakota School of Law is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota at the University of North Dakota (UND) and is the only law school in North Dakota. It was established in 1899. The law school is home to approximately 240 stude ...

in 1998 and 1999. Riemers currently lives in

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

, and has 8 children. Riemers was an early adopter of

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

, and in the 1970s built and lived in the first completely solar-powered home in the northern United States. He currently works as a real estate investor and manager.

Political career

Riemers made his first bid for office in 1970 for District 40 of the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. He ran as a

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 ...

for

Minnesota's 5th congressional district Minnesota's 5th congressional district is a geographically small urban and suburban congressional district in Minnesota. It covers eastern Hennepin County, including the entire city of Minneapolis, along with parts of Anoka and Ramsey countie ...

in 1972. He lost to Allen Davisson in the Republican primary, who went on to lose the general election to incumbent Democrat Donald M. Fraser. Riemers then ran for the

United States 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 pow ...

in the 1976 election and placed fourth in the Republican primary. During the

1996 Democratic Party presidential primaries From January 29 to June 4, 1996, voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for president in the 1996 United States presidential election. Incumbent President Bill Clinton was again selected as the nominee through a series of primary electio ...

, incumbent President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

refused to file for the North Dakota primary because its early date violated national party rules. As a result, the only candidates on the ballot were Riemers, fellow North Dakotan Vernon Clemenson, and controversial political activist

Lyndon LaRouche Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche Jr. (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2019) was an American political activist who founded the LaRouche movement and its main organization the National Caucus of Labor Committees (NCLC). He was a prominent conspiracy ...

. Riemers prevailed, receiving 41% of the vote to LaRouche's 34% and Clemenson's 24% in a low-turnout race which saw fewer than 15% of voters participate. Later in 1996, Riemers ran as a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

for District 33 of the

North Dakota House of Representatives The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as d ...

. He placed last with 2.3% of the vote. Riemers lost independent bids for

Governor of North Dakota The governor of North Dakota is the head of government of North Dakota and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The Constitution of North Dakota specifies that "the executive power is vested in the governor" in Secti ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and U.S. Senate in

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

. He also ran for Grand Forks County Sheriff in 2010, placing last in the nonpartisan primary with 1.5% of the vote. Riemers served as chair of the Libertarian Party of North Dakota from 2011 until 2015. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, Riemers ran for

North Dakota Secretary of State The North Dakota Secretary of State is an elected office in the U.S. state of North Dakota. The incumbent was Alvin A. Jaeger. Duties of the Secretary of State include being the custodian of the state's Great Seal and other official state docume ...

as a Libertarian and placed third with 5.3% of the vote. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, he was the Libertarian nominee for

North Dakota State Auditor The North Dakota State Auditor is a political office in North Dakota. The auditor's duty is to oversee the four divisions of the Office of the State Auditor: State Audit, which audits the state of North Dakota; Local Government Audit, which perform ...

. Because no Democrat ran, Riemers faced Republican

Josh Gallion Joshua Charles Gallion (born March 19, 1979) is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician and accountant who has served as North Dakota State Auditor since 2017. Biography Gallion, born in Spokane, Washington, served ...

in a head-to-head matchup, and while he lost the election by nearly 54 points, he won strongly Democratic Rolette and

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...

counties. In

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Riemers again ran for Secretary of State, but was unable to make it onto the ballot and launched a write-in campaign for

North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner In the U.S. state of North Dakota, the Agriculture Commissioner, formerly known as the Commissioner, is an elected official who heads the North Dakota Department of Agriculture. The present commissioner is Doug Goehring, a Republican. The office ...

instead. Riemers ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

as a Democrat. He opposed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's presidency and branded himself as a "dump-the-Trump" candidate. However, the

North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party The North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party (abbreviated Democratic-NPL or simply D-NPL) is the North Dakota affiliate of the national Democratic Party. It was formed as the outcome of a merger of two parties; the state previously had ...

disavowed his candidacy, citing his right-wing economic policies and opposition to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

containment measures. He lost the primary to Zach Raknerud, receiving 37% of the vote.

Political positions

Riemers supports

marijuana legalization The legality of cannabis for medical and recreational use varies by country, in terms of its possession, distribution, and cultivation, and (in regards to medical) how it can be consumed and what medical conditions it can be used for. These ...

and identifies as

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

. He opposes increased

gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...

and supports repealing the

Patriot Act The USA PATRIOT Act (commonly known as the Patriot Act) was a landmark Act of the United States Congress, signed into law by President George W. Bush. The formal name of the statute is the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropr ...

. On economic issues, Riemers favors lower taxation and a reduced state budget. He supports

school voucher A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

s and calls himself "conservative when it comes to spending". Riemers favors repealing the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

. Riemers opposed the

CARES Act The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2trillion Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2 ...

, the $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill designed to combat the economic conditions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of business closures, he favored

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...

measures and

herd immunity Herd immunity (also called herd effect, community immunity, population immunity, or mass immunity) is a form of indirect protection that applies only to contagious diseases. It occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become imm ...

to fight the pandemic.

Legal issues

In 2012, Riemers' address was placed on the sex offender registry after he let a convicted sex offender move in with him. In May 2017, Riemers was charged with domestic assault after allegedly striking his wife, Meixiang Liu. The charges were dismissed that September, citing insufficient evidence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riemers, Roland 1943 births Living people Anoka-Ramsey Community College alumni Candidates in the 1996 United States presidential election Minnesota Republicans North Dakota Democrats North Dakota Independents North Dakota Libertarians People from Grand Forks, North Dakota People from Lake City, Minnesota University of North Dakota alumni