Rich Nugent
Rich Nugent | |
---|---|
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida | |
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Ginny Brown-Waite |
Succeeded by | Daniel Webster |
Constituency | 5th district (2011–2013) 11th district (2013–2017) |
Sheriff of Hernando County, Florida | |
In office 2000–2010 | |
Preceded by | Tom Mylander[1] |
Succeeded by | Al Nienhuis[2] |
Personal details | |
Born | Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S. | May 26, 1951
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Wendy Nugent |
Children | 3 |
Residence | Spring Hill, Florida |
Alma mater | Saint Leo University (BA) Troy University (MPA) |
Profession | Sheriff |
Military service | |
Branch/service | Illinois Air National Guard |
Years of service | 1969–1975 |
Richard B. "Rich" Nugent (born May 26, 1951) is an American retired law enforcement officer and former United States Congressman. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Sheriff of Hernando County, Florida. On November 2, 2010, Richard Nugent defeated Democratic nominee James Piccillo, to replace retiring Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite. Nugent was a member of the Tea Party Caucus. On November 2, 2015, Nugent announced he would not seek reelection.[3]
Early life, education, and early law enforcement career
Nugent was born on May 26, 1951. He is a native of Evergreen Park, Illinois,[4] a suburb of Chicago.[5] His father was a steel worker and his mother was a homemaker.[6]
After high school Nugent joined the Illinois Air National Guard for six years. He then continued serving as a police officer in the city of Romeoville, Illinois.[7] After serving as a police officer in Romeoville for 12 years, Nugent and his family moved to Hernando County, Florida in 1984, where he joined the Hernando County Sheriff's office as a deputy.[7]
Nugent graduated from St. Leo College, located in St. Leo, Pasco County, Florida with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.[8] He went on to earn a Master of Arts Degree from Troy State University.[6] In 1991 Congressman Nugent graduated from the FBI National Academy.[4]
Sheriff of Hernando County
Nugent was elected Sheriff of Hernando County in 2000, defeating James E. "Eddie" McConnell.[9]
Election results
He was re-elected Sheriff in 2004 and 2008.[10]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Sheriff_Richard_Nugent-RBN_WhiteShirt_150.jpg)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rich Nugent | 31,204 | 49.0 | ||
Democratic | Eddie McConnell | 29,334 | 46.1 | ||
Independent | Michael Robinson | 3,088 | 4.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rich Nugent (Incumbent) | 48,771 | 61.6 | ||
Democratic | Eddie McConnell | 30,372 | 38.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Rich Nugent (Incumbent) | 62,807 | 73.6 | ||
Democratic | Luke Frazier | 22,153 | 26.0 | ||
Independent | Michael Robinson | 334 | 0.4 |
U.S. House of Representatives
2010 election
Republican Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite decided not to run for re-election in the 5th Congressional District of Florida, due to health concerns. She asked Nugent to run for her seat.[15] Nugent won the Republican primary and was endorsed during his campaign by former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee,[16][17] and by several Florida newspapers, including the Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times, and the Tampa Tribune.[18]
Nugent beat Tea Party favorite Jason Sager in the primary and won against Democrat Jim Piccillo in the general election. The New York Times had rated this race as solidly Republican.[19] The Ocala online newspaper reported that In the 5th Congressional District, Nugent swept past Democrat Jim Piccillo, a political newcomer from Lutz, receiving 67 percent of the vote to 33 percent.[20]
Tenure
In his first two months in Congress he co-sponsored 29 pieces of legislation, including H.R. 2 – Repeal of the Health Care Law Act, H.R.25 – The Fair Tax Act of 2011, H.R. 49 – American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act, H.R. 121 – Congressional Budget Accountability Act, H.R. 127 – to deauthorize appropriation of funds to carry out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, H.R. 144 – Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act of 2011, H.R. 154 – Defund the Individual Mandate Act, Hr. 177 – Death Tax Repeal Act, H.R. 178 – Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act, H.R. 333 – Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act and H.R. 42` – To eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress. Nugent has also co-sponsored H.J. Res.1 – Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.[21]
- Spending cuts
Nugent is against what he terms out of control spending presently happening in Washington. He opposed the $700 billion bailout by President George W. Bush, a temporary fix for de-regulation of the banking and finance industries, two unfunded Bush-era wars, and a decades-long wage decrease. He also opposed the Obama Administration's $862 billion stimulus package.
- Tax Reform
Nugent signed on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 25, better known as "The Fair Tax". This legislation introduced by Rep. Rob Woodall (R-GA) would abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), repeal the federal income tax, and replace it with a transparent tax on consumption.[22]
In 2010 Nugent signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.[23]
- Health Care Act
Nugent opposed the passage of President Barack Obama's health care legislation and has vowed to work for its repeal. He has stated that he is open to listening to anybody's plan to save and reform Medicare so long as benefits are completely unchanged for those 55 and up.[24]
Committee assignments
Nugent serves on the Committee on House Administration.[25] Nugent formerly served on the House Committee on Rules .[26] In January 2015, Nugent was removed from that committee, in an apparent retribution for voting against John Boehner as House Speaker.[27]
Nugent belongs to several House caucus groups, including the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus,[28] The Constitution Caucus,[29] The Military Family Caucus,[30] the Congressional Cement Caucus, the Tea Party Caucus and the Congressional Constitution Caucus.[31]
Personal life
In 1975, Rich married Wendy Nugent and they have three boys. The Nugent family have been members of the First United Methodist Church of Spring Hill since 1985.
On November 2, 2015, Nugent announced that he would leave Congress at the end of his term on January 3, 2017.[3] Among the reasons given for leaving office, Nugent cited a desire to spend more time with family: "After five years of living out of a suitcase, saying goodbye almost weekly to my beloved wife, and seeing pictures of the grandkids instead of spending more of that quality time with them, the tug of being apart from family has just become too great."[3]
References
- ^ Malernee, Jamie (2000-10-22). "Each candidate using higher crime numbers". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Meet Al Nienhuis, Hernando's new top cop – Tampa Bay Times". Tampabay.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ a b c "Congressman Rich Nugent announces intent to step down from Congress". Villages-News.com. 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
- ^ a b "2012 Election: Presidential, National & Local Candidates, News, Results, Polls". Election.townhall.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-09. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ [1] Archived January 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Richard Nugent (R-Fla.) – The Washington Post". Whorunsgov.com. Archived from the original on 2011-01-14. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ a b "Congressman Richard Nugent". Nugent.house.gov. 2012-01-17. Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "History | Saint Leo University". Saintleo.edu. 1999-08-24. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Hernando: Keep Nugent as sheriff". Sptimes.com. 2004-10-26. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Meet Rich – Home – Rich Nugent for Congress". Nugentforcongress.com. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Tampa Bay, Florida news | Tampa Bay Times/St. Pete Times". Stpetersburgtimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Times Online: Hernando County news". Sptimes.com. 2000-11-08. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Hernando County, FL Sheriff Race – Nov 02, 2004". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "2008 GENERAL ELECTION REPORT" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Nugent jumps ahead in GOP race in 5th Congressional District – Tampa Bay Times". Tampabay.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Featured Endorsements – Endorsements – Rich Nugent for Congress". Nugentforcongress.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Huck PAC – Candidates". My.huckpac.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-10. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Newspaper Endorsements – Endorsements – Rich Nugent for Congress". Nugentforcongress.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Brown, Theresa (2010-12-10). "Florida 5th District Race Profile – Election 2010 – The New York Times". Elections.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Thompson, Bill. "Marion County congressional roundup 2010". Ocala.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Bill Summary & Status". Thomas.loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-01-31. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ [2] Archived June 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-05-05. Retrieved 2014-10-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Issues – Rich Nugent for Congress". Nugentforcongress.com. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Committee on House Administration". Cha.house.gov. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "House Committee on Rules – Members of the Committee on Rules". Rules.house.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-05-07. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ Marcos, Cristina (2015-04-14). "Boehner rebels replaced on committee". The Hill. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ "Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus Leaders Set for 112th Congress | congressional sportsmen's foundation". Sportsmenslink.org. 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ "New Constitutional Caucus Defends Tenth Amendment". Human Events. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
- ^ [3][dead link]
- ^ "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
External links
- Congressman Rich Nugent official U.S. House website
- Rich Nugent for Congress
- Richard Nugent at Curlie
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart