| Dick Longshore | |
| Birth Date: | 21 March 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Arkansas City, Kansas, US |
| Death Place: | Sacramento, California, US |
| State Assembly: | California |
| District: | 72nd |
| Term: | December 1, 1986 - June 8, 1988 |
| Preceded: | Richard H. Robinson |
| Succeeded: | Curt Pringle |
| Party: | Republican |
| Spouse: | Linda |
| Children: | 4 |
| Battles: | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
Richard "Dick" E. Longshore (March 21, 1926, in Arkansas City, Kansas – June 8, 1988, in Sacramento, California) was an American politician from California and a member of the Republican Party.[1]
He first ran for the California State Assembly in 1982 against Democratic incumbent Richard H. Robinson, who had held the Orange County-based 72nd district since 1974. Although Longshore managed just 43.8% of the vote, he didn't give up. He ran against Robinson again in 1984 and this time, with Ronald Reagan at the top of the ticket, scored 49.8% of the vote.[2]
From 1984 to 1986 he served as a member of the State Veterans' Board.
By the time Longshore ran again in 1986, Robinson had decided to make what would turn out to be an unsuccessful run for Congress against then Rep. Bob Dornan (R-Santa Ana).[3]
In the race for Robinson's now open assembly seat Longshore defeated the Democratic candidate, then Santa Ana mayor Daniel E. Griset by just over 10 points.[4]
In 1988, one day after winning the Republican primary for reelection, Longshore died from complications of pneumonia. This allowed the Orange County Republican Central Committee to name a replacement candidate, and they chose 29-year old Curt Pringle, an elected member of the committee. Pringle went on to narrowly win the seat against Democrat Christian Thierbach, a deputy district attorney from Riverside county.[5]
| Office | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | California State Assembly District 72 | Richard Robinson | align="right" | 35,415 | 56.2% | Dick Longshore | align="right" | 27,621 | 43.8% | ||||||||
| 1984 | California State Assembly District 72 | Richard Robinson | align="right" | 37,112 | 50.2% | Dick Longshore | align="right" | 36,856 | 49.8% | ||||||||
| 1986 | California State Assembly District 72 | Daniel E. Griset | align="right" | 23,769 | 44.5% | Dick Longshore | align="right" | 29,654 | 55.5% |