Richard Benderson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Richard Benderson

Libertarian Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

High school

Demopolis High School

Bachelor's

Alabama A&M University, 1999

Personal

Profession

Community Development

Richard Benderson (Libertarian Party) ran for election to the Alabama State Senate to represent District 24. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Benderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Richard Benderson earned a high school diploma from Demopolis High School and a bachelor's degree from Alabama A&M University in 1999. Benderson's career experience includes working in community development and policy making. Benderson has been affiliated with American Planning Association, Alabama Alumni Association, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Prince Hall Affiliated F&AM, and AEAONMS.

Elections

2022

See also: Alabama State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for Alabama State Senate District 24

Incumbent Bobby Singleton defeated Richard Benderson in the general election for Alabama State Senate District 24 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Bobby Singleton (D)	82.0	25,440
		Richard Benderson (L)	17.1	5,311
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	259

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,010
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Bobby Singleton advanced from the Democratic primary for Alabama State Senate District 24.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Richard Benderson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Benderson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Richard Benderson was born in Demopolis, Alabama. He attended Demopolis City public school from K-12 grade. After graduating, attended the University of West Alabama, and Alabama A&M University. He earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with additional graduate coursework in urban and regional planning. Benderson is an independent city planning consultant that has worked in the public sector for two decades. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Prince Hall Affiliated Mason, AEAONMS, Inc. and the American Planning Association. Mr. Benderson founded BLACK+ Provisions a start up organization during the 2020 pandemic, an organization created to promote agribusiness and land retention in rural communities.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Meeting the needs of vulnerable citizens
• Modernizing rural infrastructure
• Decriminalization of cannabis

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Upgrading rural infrastructure to improve the quality of life of our citizens.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, compassion, & transparency

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Consensus Builder
Networking

What legacy would you like to leave?

To have made a positive impact that improves the quality of life for the citizens of the district.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being attacked for doing the right thing and exposing wrong doings.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Insuring that all residents have the basic needs that are expected in a modern America. This would be adequate medical care, successful schools, & infrastructure, such clean water, wastewater system, broadband, roadway and bridge improvements. just to name a few…

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, relationship are essential in working together. Ultimately, you are on the same team, the team elected to serve the people.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

A Public Hearing Process confirmed by public vote

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Compromise is common when you have multiple parties involved, however some issues there isn’t much room for compromise.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Alabama State Senate

Leadership

Majority Leader:Steve Livingston

Minority Leader:Bobby Singleton

Senators

District 1

Tim Melson (R)

District 2

Tom Butler (R)

District 3

Arthur Orr (R)

District 4

Garlan Gudger (R)

District 5

Matt Woods (R)

District 6

Larry Stutts (R)

District 7

Sam Givhan (R)

District 8

Steve Livingston (R)

District 9

Wes Kitchens (R)

District 10

Andrew Jones (R)

District 11

Lance Bell (R)

District 12

Keith Kelley (R)

District 13

Randy Price (R)

District 14

April Weaver (R)

District 15

Dan Roberts (R)

District 16

J.T. Waggoner (R)

District 17

Shay Shelnutt (R)

District 18

Rodger Smitherman (D)

District 19

Merika Coleman (D)

District 20

Linda Coleman-Madison (D)

District 21

Gerald Allen (R)

District 22

Greg Albritton (R)

District 23

Robert Stewart (D)

District 24

Bobby Singleton (D)

District 25

Will Barfoot (R)

District 26

Kirk Hatcher (D)

District 27

Jay Hovey (R)

District 28

Billy Beasley (D)

District 29

Donnie Chesteen (R)

District 30

Clyde Chambliss (R)

District 31

Josh Carnley (R)

District 32

Chris Elliott (R)

District 33

Vivian Figures (D)

District 34

Jack Williams (R)

District 35

David Sessions (R)

Republican Party (27)

Democratic Party (8)