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
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
. He is a former
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
of
Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill.
Hernando County is incl ...
. On November 2, 2010, Richard Nugent defeated Democratic nominee James Piccillo, to replace retiring Congresswoman
Ginny Brown-Waite
Virginia Brown-Waite (born Virginia Frances Kniffen; October 5, 1943) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Republican Party and a founder of Maggie's List.
The district stretched along sev ...
. Nugent was a member of the
Tea Party Caucus
The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. The Caucus was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination ...
. On November 2, 2015, Nugent announced he would not seek reelection.
Early life, education, and early law enforcement career
Nugent was born on May 26, 1951. He is a native of
Evergreen Park, Illinois
Evergreen Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943.
History
As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area of what is now Evergreen Park. In the succeeding decades, other Ge ...
,
a suburb of Chicago. His father was a
steel worker
Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
and his mother was a homemaker.
After high school Nugent joined the
Illinois Air National Guard
The Illinois Air National Guard (IL ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Illinois, United States of America. It is, along with the Illinois Army National Guard, an element of the Illinois National Guard.
As state militia units, the units ...
for six years. He then continued serving as a police officer in the city of
Romeoville, Illinois
Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village is located southwest of Chicago on the Des Plaines River. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,863. It is located in the southwest suburban area of Chicago near I ...
.
After serving as a police officer in Romeoville for 12 years, Nugent and his family moved to
Hernando County
Hernando County is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 194,515. Its county seat is Brooksville, and its largest community is Spring Hill.
Hernando County is incl ...
, Florida in 1984, where he joined the Hernando County Sheriff's office as a deputy.
Nugent graduated from
St. Leo College, located in St. Leo, Pasco County, Florida with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He went on to earn a Master of Arts Degree from
Troy State
Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...
University.
In 1991 Congressman Nugent graduated from the FBI National Academy.
Sheriff of Hernando County
Nugent was elected Sheriff of Hernando County in 2000, defeating James E. "Eddie" McConnell.
Election results
He was re-elected Sheriff in 2004 and 2008.
U.S. House of Representatives
2010 election
Republican Congresswoman
Ginny Brown-Waite
Virginia Brown-Waite (born Virginia Frances Kniffen; October 5, 1943) is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Republican Party and a founder of Maggie's List.
The district stretched along sev ...
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. Nugent won the Republican primary and was endorsed during his campaign by former Governor of Arkansas
Mike Huckabee
Michael Dale Huckabee (born August 24, 1955) is an American politician, Baptist minister, and political commentator who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate for the Republican Party presidential nomina ...
, and by several Florida newspapers, including the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
,
Tampa Bay Times
The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...
'', and the ''
Tampa Tribune
''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area.
The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...
''.
Nugent beat
Tea Party
A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
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. 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.
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
A balanced budget amendment is a constitutional rule requiring that a state cannot spend more than its income. It requires a balance between the projected receipts and expenditures of the government.
Balanced-budget provisions have been added t ...
to the Constitution of the United States.
;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.
In 2010 Nugent signed a pledge sponsored by
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.
;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.
Committee assignments
Nugent serves on the Committee on House Administration.
Nugent formerly served on the House Committee on Rules . In January 2015, Nugent was removed from that committee, in an apparent retribution for voting against
John Boehner
John Andrew Boehner ( ; born , 1949) is an American retired politician who served as the 53rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he served 13 terms as the U.S. represe ...
as House Speaker.
Nugent belongs to several House caucus groups, including the Congressional Sportsman's Caucus, The Constitution Caucus, The Military Family Caucus, the Congressional Cement Caucus, the
Tea Party Caucus
The Tea Party Caucus (TPC) was a congressional caucus of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. The Caucus was founded in July 2010 by Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in coordination ...
and the
Congressional Constitution Caucus
The Congressional Constitution Caucus is a congressional caucus made up of 41 members of the United States Congress. The caucus was founded in 2005; it had 37 members the first year it was founded.
The group was founded and formerly led by Repu ...
.
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.
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."
References
External links
Congressman Rich Nugentofficial U.S. House website
Rich Nugent for Congress*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, Rich
1951 births
American municipal police officers
Florida sheriffs
Living people
People from Evergreen Park, Illinois
People from Spring Hill, Florida
Tea Party movement activists
United States Air Force airmen
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
21st-century American politicians
People from Romeoville, Illinois