Rick W. Allen

Richard Wayne Allen (born November 7, 1951) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 12th congressional district since 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party.

For other people with the name, see Richard Allen (disambiguation).
Rick Allen
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 12th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2015
Preceded byJohn Barrow
Personal details
Born (1951-11-07) November 7, 1951
Augusta, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Robin Allen
​
(m. 1975)​
Children4
EducationAuburn University (BS)
Net worth$11.7 million (2018)[1]
WebsiteHouse website

Career

Allen attended Auburn University and earned a degree in building construction. He is the founder of R.W. Allen and Associates, a construction company headquartered in Augusta.[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections
See also: 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 12

Allen ran in the Republican primary for the 12th district against three other candidates. Allen advanced to the runoff, but lost to State Representative Lee Anderson, 49.7% to 50.3%.[3] Anderson went on to lose the general election to incumbent John Barrow.

See also: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 12

Allen ran again in 2014, this time making it to the general election. Allen defeated Barrow in the November election, in a result considered an upset even though the 12th district had been made significantly more Republican in redistricting.[4][5]

See also: 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 12

Allen was re-elected with 62% of the vote in 2016.

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 12

After winning the Republican primary with 75.99% of the vote, Allen faced off in the 2018 general election against Democratic challenger, lawyer and pastor Francys Johnson.[6] He was re-elected with 61% of the vote.

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Georgia § District 12

Allen was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2020.

Committee assignments

Caucuses

Homophobic comments

During a closed-door Republican meeting discussing an amendment that prohibited discrimination against LGBT workers, Allen read a Bible verse that says about homosexuals "they which commit such things are worthy of death."[8] Allen told the assembled Republicans that they are "going to Hell" if they vote for the proposed anti-discrimination amendment.[9]

After the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, Allen offered prayers to the family of the victims but refused to apologize or retract his past comments, saying homosexuals were "worthy of death."[10][8]

Texas v. Pennsylvania

In December 2020, Allen was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives who signed an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden prevailed[11] over incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of the election held by another state.[12][13][14]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion." Additionally, Pelosi reprimanded Allen and the other House members who supported the lawsuit: "The 126 Republican Members that signed onto this lawsuit brought dishonor to the House. Instead of upholding their oath to support and defend the Constitution, they chose to subvert the Constitution and undermine public trust in our sacred democratic institutions."[15][16] New Jersey Representative Bill Pascrell, citing section three of the 14th Amendment, called for Pelosi to not seat Allen and the other Republicans who signed the brief supporting the suit. Pascrell argued that "the text of the 14th Amendment expressly forbids Members of Congress from engaging in rebellion against the United States. Trying to overturn a democratic election and install a dictator seems like a pretty clear example of that."[17]

Personal life

Allen lives in Augusta, Georgia. A Methodist, he is married to Robin Allen and has four children.

See also

References
  1. "Ranking the Net Worth of the 115th". Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. "Project Vote Smart – The Voter's Self Defense System". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  3. McCord, Susan (September 5, 2012). "Vote recount certifies Lee Anderson as winner of GOP runoff for U.S. District 12 seat". The Augusta Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  4. Galloway, Jim (November 4, 2014). "Nunn, Carter, and Barrow defeated; Georgia's Democratic revolution is stillborn". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  5. Davis, Janel (November 5, 2014). "Rick Allen upsets John Barrow for Georgia congressional seat". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  6. Suggs, Ernie (July 25, 2017). "Georgia NAACP president steps down with an eye toward politics". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  7. "Membership". Republican Study Committee. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  8. Shutt, Jennifer (May 26, 2016). "Homosexuals 'Worthy of Death' Bible Verse Read Before Key Vote". Roll Call. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  9. Badash, David (May 26, 2016). "GOP Congressman Quotes Bible, Tells Republicans They Are 'Going to Hell' if They Vote for LGBT Bill". The New Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  10. Shutt, Jennifer (June 15, 2016). "Congressman Who Read Anti-Gay Bible Verse Prays for Orlando Victims' Loved Ones". Roll Call. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  11. Blood, Michael R.; Riccardi, Nicholas (December 5, 2020). "Biden officially secures enough electors to become president". AP News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  12. Liptak, Adam (December 11, 2020). "Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. "Order in Pending Case" (PDF). Supreme Court of the United States. December 11, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  14. Diaz, Daniella. "Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  15. Smith, David (December 12, 2020). "Supreme court rejects Trump-backed Texas lawsuit aiming to overturn election results". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  16. "Pelosi Statement on Supreme Court Rejecting GOP Election Sabotage Lawsuit" (Press release). Speaker Nancy Pelosi. December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  17. Williams, Jordan (December 11, 2020). "Democrat asks Pelosi to refuse to seat lawmakers supporting Trump's election challenges". TheHill. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Barrow		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 1st congressional district
2015–present		 Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Pete Aguilar		 United States Representatives by seniority
210th		 Succeeded by
Brian Babin
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