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Pete Riehm
Pete Riehm (Republican Party) ran for election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 33. Riehm lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Biography
Riehm earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Houston. He went on to receive his MMAS in national security from General Staff College. He served in the United States Navy and Marine Corps as a commanding officer. Riehm works in commercial real estate.
Elections
2022
See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022
General election
General election for Alabama State Senate District 33
Incumbent Vivian Figures defeated Pete Riehm in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 33 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Vivian Figures (D) | 67.0 | 23,203 |
 | Pete Riehm (R) | 32.9 | 11,401 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 51 | ||
| Total votes: 34,655 | |||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Vivian Figures advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama State Senate District 33.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Pete Riehm advanced from the Republican primary for Alabama State Senate District 33.
2012
Riehm ran in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing Alabama's 1st District. Riehm was defeated by incumbent Jo Bonner in the March 13, 2012 primary.
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
 Jo Bonner Incumbent |
55.6% | 48,481 |
| Dean Young | 24.3% | 21,216 |
| Pete Riehm | 15.7% | 13,744 |
| Peter Gounares | 4.4% | 3,828 |
| Total Votes | 87,269 | |
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Pete Riehm did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2012
Riehm's campaign website listed the following issues:[1]
- Economy
- Excerpt: "Government must get out of the way!"
- Education
- Excerpt: "Education is a job for parents and teachers, local and/or state governments"
- Energy Independence
- Excerpt: "We have oil and natural gas, so let’s use it."
- Federal Reserve
- Excerpt: "Our monetary system needs major reform! "
- Healthcare
- Excerpt: "Repeal Socialized Healthcare (Obamacare)"
- Jobs
- Excerpt: "Leave job creation to the private sector."
- Pro-Family
- Excerpt: "Marriage is between a man and a woman- Uphold DOMA!"
- Pro-Life
- Excerpt: "Life is sacred and must be protected!"
- 2nd Amendment
- Excerpt: "Protect 2nd Amendment Gun Rights"
- Social Security
- Excerpt: "Reform and Protect Social Security for our Seniors."
- States’ Rights
- Excerpt: "Reaffirm the 10th Amendment (States’ Rights)"
- Taxes
- Excerpt: "Simplify the Tax Code and Cut Taxes!"
Impeachment of President Obama
Riehm and one of his 2012 opponents Dean Young, speaking at a Tea-Party sponsored event in early 2012, said they would support the introduction of article of impeachment against President Barack Obama. Young indicated he would put President Obama "on notice" prior to attempting impeachment. "First, I would cut off his funding. If that didn’t work, I would introduce a resolution describing what he’s done wrong. The last resort, which I am willing to take, would be to impeach him. We simply cannot allow him to continue to operate the way he has," Young said. Riehm cited violations of the U.S. Constitution and added, "failure to recognize wrong-doing is moral dereliction and, when you have the authority, failure to uphold the law is accessory to the crime." Incumbent Jo Bonner and candidate Peter Gounares said they did not support pursuing impeachment.[2]
RESTORE Act
Riehm and Peter Gounares stated that they oppose the RESTORE Act, which would distribute oil spill fines to the governments of states along the Gulf coast. Gounares said he instead favored handing out the money to the individuals affected by the spills, claiming that it would cause a local "economic boom." Riehm accused the RESTORE Act of inflating big government but did not favor handing the money out to individuals either. Incumbent Jo Bonner disagreed, stating, "I'm trying to be respectful to a dissenting view, but I would say it's very much a minority view."[3]
Economic issues
Riehm advocated for federal budget cuts "across the board." He suggested cutting up to 5% from the entire federal budget, including the defense budget. Riehm opposed tax increases, saying, "the government wastes way too much stinking money to be talking about raising taxes." Riehm said he decided to challenge Jo Bonner because of Bonner's vote to pass TARP and his "abominable" vote to raise the debt limit.[4][5]
Term limits
Riehm supports congressional term limits.[6]
Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Riehm lives in Mobile, AL, with his wife, Debra. They have three children and one grandchild.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Campaign website, Issues
- ↑ Alabama Press-Register, "Alabama candidates vow: 'Impeach Obama' (George Talbot column)" February 1, 2012
- ↑ Al.com, "GOP congressional challengers oppose RESTORE act," January 24, 2012
- ↑ Al.com, "Pete Riehm, second conservative challenger to Rep. Jo Bonner, launches campaign," September 27, 2011
- ↑ Al.com, "Congressional hopeful Pete Riehm wants larger federal budget cuts, including to defense," November 30, 2011
- ↑ Al.com, "Pete Riehm, second conservative challenger to Rep. Jo Bonner, launches campaign," September 28, 2011
