Richardson was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, where he attended Butler High School.
[citation needed] Richardson has been married to his junior high sweetheart for nearly 45 years.
[citation needed] He has two sons, Gary Lee Jr. and John Paul, as well as two grandchildren.
[citation needed] Richardson ran in a special election for the Georgia House of Representatives's 125th district in 2024 to fill the vacancy left by Barry Fleming following his appointment to the superior court by Governor Brian Kemp.
[2] Since no candidate won a majority vote, he faced conservative activist CJ Pearson in a second election on March 12.