Randy Voepel

Randy Voepel (born September 21, 1950) is an American politician from California and veteran of the Vietnam War. Voepel is a Republican member of California State Assembly for District 71. He currently serves as the vice-chair of the Veteran's Affairs, Aging & Long-Term Care, and Public Employment & Retirement Committees and a member or the Insurance, Local Government, and Joint Legislative Audit Committees.[1]

Randy Voepel
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 71st district
Assumed office
December 5, 2016
Preceded byBrian Jones
Mayor of Santee, California
In office
2000–2016
Preceded byJack E. Dale
Succeeded byJohn Minto
Member of the Santee City Council
In office
1996–2000
Personal details
Born (1950-09-21) September 21, 1950
Missouri
NationalityAmerican
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Susan
ResidenceSantee, California
OccupationPolitician
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Navy
Battles/warsVietnam War

Early life

On September 21, 1950, Voepel was born in Missouri.[2]

Career

In August 1969, Voepel enlisted in the United States Navy. During the Vietnam War, Voepel served on the USS Buchanan, a guided-missile destroyer. Voepel received the Combat Action Ribbon and military awards.[3][4][5]

In 1996, Voepel became a city council member of Santee, California. In 2000, Voepel became the mayor of Santee until 2016.[6]

On November 8, 2016, Voepel won the election and became a Republican member of California State Assembly for District 71, encompassing most of inland San Diego County and part of Riverside County.

Political views

A Republican, Voepel at one point aligned himself with the Tea Party movement, saying that the Republican Party was too liberal. Following the 2021 storming of the Capitol on January 6, Voepel said, "This is Lexington and Concord. First shots fired against tyranny. Tyranny will follow in the aftermath of the Biden swear in on January 20th."[7]

Election history

2020 California State Assembly
California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2020[8][9]
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Randy Voepel (incumbent) 77,069 61.1
Democratic Liz "Elizabeth" Lavertu 49,073 38.9
Total votes 126,142 100.0
General election
Republican Randy Voepel (incumbent) 136,156 59.6
Democratic Liz "Elizabeth" Lavertu 92,385 40.4
Total votes 228,541 100.0

2018 California State Assembly
See also: California State Assembly election, 2018
California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2018
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Randy Voepel (incumbent) 41,561 43.6
Democratic James Elia 30,672 32.2
Republican Larry A. Wilske 23,106 24.2
Total votes 95,339 100.0
General election
Republican Randy Voepel (incumbent) 100,386 60.6
Democratic James Elia 65,194 39.4
Total votes 165,580 100.0
Republican hold

2016 California State Assembly
See also: California State Assembly election, 2016
California's 71st State Assembly district election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Randy Voepel 51,857 59.9
Republican Leo Hamel 23,990 27.7
Republican Tony Teora 10,770 12.4
Total votes 86,617 100.0
General election
Republican Randy Voepel 108,049 65.8
Republican Leo Hamel 56,184 34.2
Total votes 164,233 100.0
Republican hold

Awards
  • Combat Action Ribbon.[4]
  • Vietnam Cross Gallantry.[4]

Personal life

Voepel's wife is Susan. They have two children. Voepel and his family live in Santee, California.[6]

References
  1. https://ad71.asmrc.org/committees
  2. August, JW (April 16, 2018). "False Allegations of Stolen Valor Raised Against Assemblyman Randy Voepel". nbcsandiego.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  3. August, JW (April 16, 2018). "False Allegations of Stolen Valor Raised Against Assemblyman Randy Voepel". nbcsandiego.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  4. August, JW (April 16, 2018). "False Allegations of Stolen Valor Raised Against Assemblyman Randy Voepel". nbcsandiego.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  5. "Biographical Data - Randy Greg Voepel". documentcloud.org. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. "Randy Voepel's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  7. Davis, Kristina (January 9, 2021). "The Capitol siege was far from San Diego. Its fringe ideologies were right at home". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  8. https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-primary/sov/complete-sov.pdf
  9. https://electionresults.sos.ca.gov/returns/state-assembly/district/71
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