Randolph Watson

Official portrait, 2017

Audrey Watson

Lawyer

**Randolph Dolan Watson** (born July 15, 1963) is an American politician, businessman and lawyer who is the 48th and current Vice President of the United States, serving since January 20, 2017. He previously served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2011 until his resignation in 2016, and a member of the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2015.

Born in Aurora, Illinois, Watson graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in constitutional law. He founded his own law firm, W&G Law, in 1988. He was the head lawyer for Paramount Holdings from 1996 to 2002. In 2002, he won election to the Illinois Senate, representing the 20th district.

In 2010, Watson began his campaign for the governorship of Illinois. He won the Republican nomination and in the gubernatorial election, he defeated the Democratic nominee, U.S. Representative Bradley Carter, by 300,000 votes. Three days before his swearing-in, Watson resigned his Illinois Senate seat. In the 2014 Illinois gubernatorial election, he won re-election against State Senator Matthew Bentley.

During his time as governor, Watson initiated massive tax cuts, built more hospitals, hired more police officers and built a dedicated police academy in Chicago, reducing unemployment while doing so. He launched his presidential campaign in 2015, being the frontrunner for most of the race. In the end, Watson suspended his campaign and endorsed businessman Mark Chamberlain, who would later select him as his running mate.

The Chamberlain/Watson ticket defeated the Democratic ticket of Edwin McIver and Jonathan Miller, 289 electoral votes to 249. Watson was sworn in as Vice President on January 20, 2017. He was acting president while Chamberlain underwent surgery to remove an infection from complications of the AIV-20 virus in 2020.

For the 2020 United States presidential election, Chamberlain once again selected Watson as his running mate. The Democratic ticket of former Vice President Nicholas Redden and U.S. Senator James Lester defeated the Chamberlain/Watson ticket, although the Chamberlain campaign refused to concede and filed numerous lawsuits in several states. Watson supported the president's claims, and publicly stated that he would reject fraudulent electoral votes on the day Congress counts the votes. In the Chamberlain v. Redden case on January 6, 2021, the same day Congress was to count the votes, the Chamberlain campaign released all the evidence of fraud. The Supreme Court overturned the election results and authorised militaries across the world to arrest and execute Redden, Lester, former President Benjamin Wright and other politicians, actors and public figures for their involvement in the Deep State. Watson was re-inaugurated on January 20, 2021, the same day all governments around the world adopted a semi-direct democracy system of government.

## Early life

Randolph Dolan Watson was born on July 15, 1963 in Aurora, Illinois, United States. His father, Taylor Paul Watson, was a prominent lawyer in Illinois who died in a train accident in 1986 at the age of 56. His mother, Mariana Kelly Watson (née Powell), is a retired actress, born in 1933. Watson's mother died of AIV-20 in 2020.

Watson has three younger sisters: Beverly, Christina and Theresa, born in 1965, 1968 and 1970 respectively.

Watson graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in constitutional law.

## Personal life

### Family

In 1986, Watson was at his graduation party when his close friend introduced him to Morgan Hopkins, an economist who was celebrating with her own friends, who also graduated with the future Vice President. Watson was introduced to Hopkins and they grabbed a few drinks together. Shortly after the encounter, they started dating.

Watson and Hopkins got married in October 1990, when they were both 27 years old. They have three children together: Randolph Ellis (born 1993), Bella Hopkins (born 1995) and Audrey Ilsa (born 1997).

As of Inauguration Day 2021, Watson had three grandchildren: two through Randy and one through Audrey.