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Richard Zeile

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Richard Zeile
Image of Richard Zeile
Prior offices
Michigan State Board of Education

Elections and appointments
Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Detroit Lutheran High School

Bachelor's

Valparaiso University, 1977

Graduate

Harvard Divinity School, 1984

Personal
Birthplace
Detroit, Mich.
Religion
Lutheran - LCMS
Profession
Clergy
Contact

Richard Zeile (Republican Party) (also known as Dr. Z) was an at-large member of the Michigan State Board of Education. He assumed office in 2011. He left office on January 1, 2019.

Zeile (Republican Party) ran for election to the Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 3. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Zeile completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Richard Zeile was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University in 1977 and graduate degrees from the University of Michigan in 1980, Harvard Divinity School in 1984, and Concordia Theological Seminary. His career experience includes working as a clergy member and in school administration. He has been affiliated with St. John's Lutheran Church, Taylor and Martin Luther's Evening Prayer, LLC.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Michigan House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Alabas Farhat defeated Richard Zeile and Larry Betts in the general election for Michigan House of Representatives District 3 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alabas Farhat
Alabas Farhat (D)
 
67.9
 
17,275
Image of Richard Zeile
Richard Zeile (R) Candidate Connection
 
27.7
 
7,051
Image of Larry Betts
Larry Betts (Working Class Party)
 
4.4
 
1,112

Total votes: 25,438
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 3

Incumbent Alabas Farhat defeated Ziad Abdulmalik and Gus H. Tarraf in the Democratic primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 3 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Alabas Farhat
Alabas Farhat
 
49.4
 
3,033
Image of Ziad Abdulmalik
Ziad Abdulmalik
 
39.9
 
2,451
Gus H. Tarraf
 
10.7
 
654

Total votes: 6,138
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 3

Richard Zeile advanced from the Republican primary for Michigan House of Representatives District 3 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Richard Zeile
Richard Zeile Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
1,180

Total votes: 1,180
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Working Class Party convention

Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 3

Larry Betts advanced from the Working Class Party convention for Michigan House of Representatives District 3 on June 23, 2024.

Candidate
Image of Larry Betts
Larry Betts (Working Class Party)

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

Zeile received the following endorsements.

  • Citizens for Traditional Values – PAC

2018

See also: Michigan State Board of Education election, 2018

General election

General election for Michigan State Board of Education (2 seats)

The following candidates ran in the general election for Michigan State Board of Education on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Judith Pritchett
Judith Pritchett (D) Candidate Connection
 
25.2
 
1,830,312
Image of Tiffany Tilley
Tiffany Tilley (D)
 
24.0
 
1,743,379
Image of Tami Carlone
Tami Carlone (R)
 
22.3
 
1,615,129
Image of Richard Zeile
Richard Zeile (R)
 
20.3
 
1,473,904
Image of Mary Anne Hering
Mary Anne Hering (Working Class Party)
 
1.7
 
125,693
Image of Scott Boman
Scott Boman (L)
 
1.7
 
125,309
Logan Smith (Working Class Party)
 
1.3
 
91,077
John Tatar (L)
 
1.1
 
80,414
Karen Adams (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
 
1.0
 
72,639
Image of Sherry A. Wells
Sherry A. Wells (G)
 
0.8
 
61,493
Douglas Levesque (U.S. Taxpayers Party)
 
0.4
 
32,326

Total votes: 7,251,675
Candidate Connection = 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.

2010

Michigan State Board of Education, 2010
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngEileen Weiser 25.6% 1,485,746
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Zeile 23.7% 1,375,968
     Democratic Elizabeth W. Bauer Incumbent 23.4% 1,360,392
     Democratic Lupe Ramos-Montigny 19.7% 1,140,976
     US Taxpayers Karen Adams 1.6% 95,655
     Green Mary T. Wood 1.4% 78,586
     Libertarian Bill Hall 1.3% 75,996
     US Taxpayers Ronald Monroe 1.1% 62,797
     Libertarian Dick Gach 1% 56,013
     Green Latham Redding 0.7% 40,967
     Natural Law Stacy Kohmescher 0.6% 32,145
Total Votes 5,805,241
Election results via Michigan Secretary of State
See also: Michigan House of Representatives elections, 2010

Zeile ran in the 2010 election for Michigan State House District 9. Zeile was defeated by Democratic incumbent Shanelle Jackson in the general election on November 2, 2010. Zeile was unopposed in the Republican primary election on August 3, 2010.[2][3]

Michigan House of Representatives, District 9 General election (2010)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Shanelle Jackson (D) 19,300
Richard Zeile (R) 694
D'Artagnan Collier (I) 138
Kenneth Haney (I) 188

2008

Michigan State Board of Education, 2008
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngKathleen Straus Incumbent 27.6% 2,329,329
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Austin Incumbent 27% 2,279,423
     Republican Scott Jenkins 20.5% 1,732,000
     Republican Richard Zeile 17.9% 1,509,652
     US Taxpayers Karen Adams 2.3% 192,709
     Libertarian Bill Hall 1.5% 127,984
     Green Dwain Reynolds, III 1.1% 94,663
     US Taxpayers Gail M. Graeser 1.1% 94,590
     Libertarian Jeff A. Steinport 1.1% 92,325
Total Votes 8,452,675
Election results via Michigan Secretary of State


Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Richard Zeile completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Zeile's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am a Lutheran Pastor who was elected to statewide office in 2010, and served 8 years on the State Board of Education, the last 2 as its Co-President. I also have a radio broadcast on 13 stations coast to coast, "Martin Luther's Evening Prayer," also available as podcast. I am a Vine Reviewer for Amazon with 280 substantive book reviews. I wrote a doctor's thesis for Detroit's Ecumenical Theological Seminary on Lutheran school closings in the 1990's, published as "When Lutheran Schools Close" (Lambert Academic, 2008). In addition to the DES Doctor of Ministry, I have a Master of Theological Studies in church history from Harvard Divinity School (1984), a Master of Arts from U. of M.'s Rackham School in education (1980), a Master of Divinity (1986) from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN, a Specialist Certificate (post-master's) in educational administration from Wayne State University (1998), a Bachelor of Arts in history & humanities from Valparaiso University, IN (1977). I also studied at the Paedagogische Hochschule Reutlingen, Germany; served as school principal & teacher in Detroit Lutheran & charter schools, hospital chaplain, Pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church, Taylor, since 2001. I helped found Detroit's Old Redford Academy 1998-2000, and served as Woodward Academy president. I married Barbara in 1978 and we have 4 adult children and 5 grandchildren.
  • There are few, if any, simple answers to complex problems, and legislators should clearly explain the trade-offs in the policy solutions offered. This requires openness to other points of view, learning from our opponents, while maintaining our value/ethical principles.
  • Free enterprise benefits the entire community, but it only does so when policies are clear and predictable, and risks are freely chosen. Henry Ford made millions because he made automobiles possible for millions; Steve Jobs became many times richer than the average worker because he made it possible for the average worker to own a computer. Our policies must preserve the conditions that make wealth for all possible, and that requires calling out the politics of envy and class conflict.
  • American democracy is based on limited government and the coexistence of many private and public institutions. Our republican institutions like the electoral college and court system were established to prevent a tyranny of the majority by securing rights, not only of individuals but of institutions like churches, professions, corporations, foundations, etc.
Science tells us that mammalian life begins at conception and that mammals fall into two sexes/genders. We need to follow the science with respect to the human species.
As I mentioned earlier, Abraham Lincoln had that balance of principle and pragmatism which enabled him to bring out the best in Americans during a soul-trying era.
The Federalist Papers by Madison & Hamilton which helped explain the founders' intent for the Constitution. Milton (& Rose) Friedman's film "Free to Choose" is also a helpful review.
Honesty and understanding. We empower the electorate by sharing our knowledge and understanding of the facts, contexts, and principles involved in formulating public policy. This also creates buy-in, or consent of the governed, in the laws formulated.
Openness to new learning, respect for people in general, clarity as to moral principle, and a sense for the big picture and context. I have experience in politics and with people of all stations of life.
Work to understand issues and participate in deliberations that lead to policy formulation. Working to understand issues requires accountability to constituents so that they may participate ion the exchange of knowledge that informs law-making.
recall being in first grade in Warren, Michigan, when an announcement was made that President Kennedy had been shot. I did not understand its significance but I saw many upset adults, some even crying, and I wondered about this for many years thereafter.
Aside from the Holy Scriptures, Dostoyevski's "Crime and Punishment" is a classic I have read several times in my life.
"Dies Irae" from Mozart's Requiem Mass.
We have lost population due to government entanglements & regulations which burden the economy. Eliminating redundancies in government programs will make Michigan life more predictable, more secure for those seeking to invest money or their homesteads.
Yes, but their track record may suggest that they have not learned the right things from that experience.
Yes. Trust in those who inform our decisions is crucial, and on many issues compromise policy may be all that is possible. "All or nothing" is a gamble that seldom pays off.
Abraham Lincoln was America's greatest president (save possibly Washington) because he recognized politics as an art of the possible. He held the Emancipation Proclamation until the right time, and later saw the opportunity to end slavery in the slave states which had remained in the Union through voluntary means. The late Gary Glenn was a man of principle who had great influence for good in Michigan, a personal hero of mine.
Why are elephants gray? So you can tell them from grapes. What did Johnny say when he saw the elephants coming? "Here come the grapes!" (Johnny was color blind).
Of course! Legislature should define the "emergency" and the duration and extent of said powers. The alternative is an unaccountable executive.
Michigan Republican Party, Dearborn Republican Club
Education, criminal justice, ways & means
Some issues require protection of privacy; others require openness so that the public may have appropriate input into policy formulation. Media focus on personal scandals and unsupported accusations have distorted the political process, distracting politicians and voters from more substantive issues, as when folks were following the OJ trial and ignoring the tribal slaughter in Rwanda.

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.

Campaign finance summary


Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.


Richard Zeile campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Michigan House of Representatives District 3Lost general$0 $0
Grand total$0 $0
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

See also


External links

Footnotes


Current members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Matt Hall
Minority Leader:Ranjeev Puri
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
Mai Xiong (D)
District 14
District 15
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District 23
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District 27
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District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
Matt Hall (R)
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
District 51
District 52
District 53
District 54
District 55
District 56
District 57
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District 60
District 61
District 62
District 63
District 64
District 65
District 66
District 67
District 68
District 69
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Kara Hope (D)
District 75
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District 87
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District 93
Tim Kelly (R)
District 94
District 95
District 96
District 97
District 98
District 99
District 100
Tom Kunse (R)
District 101
District 102
District 103
District 104
John Roth (R)
District 105
District 106
District 107
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District 109
District 110
Republican Party (58)
Democratic Party (52)