Grady Keith Richardson

Grady 'Keith' Richardson was a Republican candidate in the 2008 congressional elections for the 5th Congressional District (map) of Pennsylvania. He was seeking the Republican nomination for the seat held by Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.), who is retiring at the end of his term. The primary took place on April 22, 2008, and Glenn Thompson emerged as the winner.

Bio
Keith Richardson has never held ambitions to seek or hold political office. His entrance to the 5th Congressional District’s Republican Primary is a response to the need for a qualified standard-bearer for fiscal responsibility and family-affirming public policies. Keith’s campaign is a call for a renewed emphasis on statesmanship and servant leadership in government – a direct challenge to the status quo in Washington, D.C.

The grandson of a Depression-era farmer in the Deep South, Keith grew up in a working class military family in Georgia. Raised in a family of four boys, he began working at age fifteen as a Bi-Lo bag boy.

Keith worked his way through college, graduating Cum Laude from Georgia State University’s Honors Program in 1986. Two years later, with support from his wife Debi’s small typesetting and graphic design business, he earned a law degree from Georgia State’s College of Law. His law school years included Law Review coverage of Georgia’s State Legislature and an internship with a Supreme Court justice.

For the immediate years that followed, Keith conducted trials and appeared before State and Federal Appellate Courts defending individuals against lawsuits. It was during this period that he developed a firsthand understanding of the need for sweeping reforms of the legal system. Years later, he would take his passion for the law to the classroom as an adjunct professor, teaching both Constitutional Law and Ethics.

Keith left a successful law firm to accept the call to lead a small country church. During this period he would earn his Master of Divinity from Erskine Theological Seminary. Despite the pay cut and the sacrifices, Keith and Debi count these years of service among the most wonderful of their married life.

Keith is currently serving in his second pastorate at the First Baptist Church of Clarion, where in addition to his pulpit and counseling ministries, he leads the congregation’s outreach to Clarion University’s college community.

Of Keith and Debi’s nine children, seven have been adopted from broken or abusive homes. The Richardson family loves small town life in their home in downtown Clarion. A firm believer in the Founders’ vision of a citizen legislature, Keith is committed to returning to his life’s work after any period of service in Congress. He and Debi have no intention or desire of making politics a lifelong career move.

2008 elections
On April 22, Richardson was defeated in his bid for the Republican nomination to replace Rep. John Peterson (R-Pa.) in the 2008 congressional elections by Glenn Thompson.

Contact
Official Richardson for Congress Web site

Keith Richardson for Congress 900 Oakwood Drive Clarion, PA 16214

Tel: 814-758-3500

[mailto:Info@ATimeforCourage.com Info@ATimeforCourage.com]

Related SourceWatch articles

 * 2008 U.S. congressional elections
 * 2008 U.S. congressional election dates
 * Portal:Pennsylvania and the U.S. Congress

External resources

 * 2008 Race Tracker page on Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District