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In late October, Richard S. Beltram '73 was reelected to a second two-year term as Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Republican Party chairman by the 300 delegates who attended the county convention. He won by a margin of only 14 votes in a runoff election. “I'm going to focus on energizing other Republicans so we can elect a Republican for the office of governor,” he says.
Beltram wants to see more people from different ethnic groups join the Republican Party. He was inspired to work toward greater inclusiveness in his local party when he attended the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia and heard the diverse group of opening speakers.
“Diversity is a huge goal of mine,” Beltram says. “We're going to expand the base of the party. I joined the NAACP, and I'm the only Republican white person in the group. It has given me the opportunity to address the members. It may be that they, their parents, and grandparents have always voted Democrat. But in a county that is 60-65 percent Republican, never voting in a Republican primary effectively takes away your political voice.”
An A.B. engineering graduate, Beltram is president of Intedge Industries, Inc., Woodruff, S.C., a food service equipment manufacturer.
Richard S. Beltram '73