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Richard Quin Edmonson Hillyer (born March 16, 1964) is an American conservative
newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...
columnist and writer. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...
from
Alabama's 1st congressional district Alabama's 1st congressional district is a United States congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It includes the entirety of Washington, Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia and Mon ...
in the 2013 special election in that district, finishing fourth in the Republican primary.


Education and career

Hillyer was born and raised in
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Isidore Newman School in 1982 before matriculating at
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...
in Washington, D.C., graduating with an A.B. in government and theology (cum laude) in 1986. After his graduation Hillyer joined the ''
New Orleans Times-Picayune ''The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate'' is an American newspaper published in New Orleans, Louisiana, since January 25, 1837. The current publication is the result of the 2019 acquisition of ''The Times-Picayune'' (itself a result of th ...
'' as a correspondent before a term as research/issues director for the Louisiana gubernatorial campaign of U.S. Representative
Bob Livingston Robert Linlithgow Livingston Jr. (born April 30, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana from 1977 to 1999. A Republican, he was chosen as Newt Gingrich's successor as Speaker of the U.S. ...
in 1987. He served as an unpaid director in the state campaign for Pete Dupont’s 1988 GOP presidential bid. A former page at the
1980 Republican National Convention The 1980 Republican National Convention convened at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan, from July 14 to July 17, 1980. The Republican National Convention nominated retired Hollywood actor and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California for pr ...
, Hillyer attended the 1988 Republican convention as an alternate delegate from the state of Louisiana. In 1989, Hillyer became managing editor of ''Gambit'', a weekly newsmagazine in the New Orleans area. In 1991 he began working as a congressional staffer, rising to the level of press secretary within the office of Congressman Bob Livingston by 1995. After the 1996 elections Hillyer returned to the private sector, where he returned to journalism and political commentary. In 1997, he joined the editorial staff of the ''
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The ''Arkansas Democrat-Gazette'' is the newspaper of record in the U.S. state of Arkansas, printed in Little Rock with a northwest edition published in Lowell. It is distributed for sale in all 75 of Arkansas' counties. By virtue of one of ...
'', focusing on both local and national issues during the term of then-governor
Mike Huckabee Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nominat ...
. In 1998, Hillyer joined the editorial desk at the ''
Mobile Register The ''Press-Register'' (known from 1997 to 2006 as the ''Mobile Register'') is a thrice-weekly newspaper serving the southwest Alabama counties of Mobile and Baldwin. The newspaper is a descendant of one founded in 1813, making the ''Press-Regi ...
'' where he covered statewide politics and their effect on the city. Hillyer received the
Carmage Walls Benjamin Carmage Walls (October 28, 1908 - November 22, 1998) was a newspaperman in the United States. He owned numerous community newspapers and founded Southern Newspapers. Biography Walls was born October 28, 1908 in Crisp County, Georgia m ...
Commentary Award from the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association and the Green Eyeshade Award for commentary from the
Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...
. Hillyer returned to Washington in 2006, serving as a managing director at Qorvis Communications, and executive editor of ''
The American Spectator ''The American Spectator'' is a conservative American magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. It was founded in 1967 by Tyrrell, who remains its editor ...
'' before assuming the post of Associate Editorial Page Editor at ''
The Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American conservative news outlet which consists principally of an online/digital website with a weekly magazine, based in Washington, D.C. It is owned by MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group, which is ...
'' in 2008. From 2009 through 2011, he was a senior editorial writer at ''
The Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...
''. He remains a senior editor and columnist at the ''Spectator''. Hillyer’s articles have appeared in many publications, including the ''
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'', ''
National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...
'', the ''
New Republic New Republic may refer to: Places * New Republic, California, former name of Santa Rita, Monterey County, California * New Republic (Santarem), district in the city of Santarém, Pará Countries * New Republic (Brazil), the restored civilian gove ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' (UK), and ''Investor’s Business Daily''. His television appearances have included
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...
,
MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politic ...
, CNN and
CBN CBN, or cbn, may refer to: Broadcasting organizations * Radio stations in St. John's, Newfoundland: ** CBN (AM), CBC Radio One ** CBN-FM, CBC Music * Chronicle Broadcasting Network, the predecessor of ABS-CBN * CBN (Australian TV station), a TV s ...
on various political issues, particularly in the 2008 campaign.


2013 congressional candidacy

On May 23, 2013, six-term Republican U.S. Representative Jo Bonner announced he would resign from Congress effective August 15, 2013 to become a vice chancellor at the
University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...
. Hillyer made his announcement to seek the Republican nomination for Bonner's seat one day later, telling his audience at the ''American Spectator'': "I am a constitutional conservative—and an 'opportunity society' conservative as well, hearkening back to the Reagan-Kemp era of prosperity and liberty. Free men and women, with free minds, in a free market, produce abundance and a vibrant society." Hillyer received outside support from
Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...
, who recorded a radio ad purchased by Citizens United Political Victory Fund. He also garnered the endorsement of Citizens for the Republic, the former Ronald W. Reagan political action committee based in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandr ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...
.


Personal life

Hillyer is married and lives in Mobile, Alabama, where he serves as a Senior Fellow at the Center for Individual Freedom and a writer-in-residence at the
University of Mobile The University of Mobile is a private, Baptist university in Mobile, Alabama. It is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). History The university was founded in 1961 by the Alabama Baptist State under ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hillyer, Quin 1964 births Living people American columnists American male journalists American political writers Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni Writers from New Orleans Writers from Mobile, Alabama Louisiana Republicans Alabama Republicans The American Spectator people University of Mobile Journalists from Alabama