Rick Becker is an American businessman and politician from
Bismarck. He served in the
North Dakota House of Representatives as an Independent, having been elected as a Republican.
Becker is a
plastic surgeon and businessman with several commercial developments. He was elected to represent District 7 in the North Dakota House in 2012, and was reelected to a four-year term in 2014.
Becker has often been described as a proponent of far-right politics, and was a founder of the ultraconservative Bastiat Caucus. He was a candidate for
Governor of North Dakota in the
2016 gubernatorial election. He considered running in the
run for the US Senate against incumbent
Heidi Heitkamp, but ultimately decided against a run.
Becker has also held a position on the Bismarck Planning and Zoning Commission.
Becker was an independent candidate in the
2022 United States Senate election in North Dakota
The 2022 United States Senate election in North Dakota was held on November 8, 2022, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the U.S. state, state of North Dakota. Incumbent Republican Party (United States), Republican John H ...
, after unsuccessfully challenging incumbent
John Hoeven in the Republican primary.
He placed third in the general election, having received 18.5% of the vote.
Political views
Becker is often described as a conservative or libertarian. He has described himself as "...many things: a classical liberal, libertarian, fiscal conservative,
laissez-faire
''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups. ...
capitalist. There are many things that you can refer to me as." Becker has voluntarily requested officials to rescind certain benefits and tax breaks his businesses are eligible for because he doesn't agree with them. In an interview, Becker stated, "I'm a very vocal opponent to most government incentive programs. I'm very much a believer in the free market." In 2017, he said that North Dakota has too many colleges, saying the state board of higher education should look into "re-purposing some of the campuses."
63rd legislative session
During his first session in 2013, Becker gained notoriety for being a staunch fiscal hawk and civil libertarian. He formed the ultraconservative Bastiat Caucus, named after the political philosopher
Frédéric Bastiat
Claude-Frédéric Bastiat (; ; 30 June 1801 – 24 December 1850) was a French economist, writer and a prominent member of the French Liberal School.
A member of the French National Assembly, Bastiat developed the economic concept of opportuni ...
. Eventually, the group grew to several dozen members of the North Dakota House, often holding regular meetings to organize a unified, conservative front on key votes.
64th legislative session
During the 2015 legislative session, Becker supported Division A of HB 1461, which would have pulled North Dakota out of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, generally seen as a move to get the state out of the
Common Core
The Common Core State Standards Initiative, also known as simply Common Core, is an educational initiative from 2010 that details what K–12 students throughout the United States should know in English language arts and mathematics at the conc ...
standards. The bill narrowly failed. Becker was the main force courting support for the bill, which
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Jack Dalrymple, state Superintendent of Public Instruction
Kirsten Baesler, and Republican Party leadership opposed.
Becker supported a bill that would have brought the state income tax down to a 0% rate for an extended tax holiday for residents paying those taxes. His bill to ban DUI checkpoints garnered significant controversy but ultimately failed.
65th legislative session
In 2017, Becker and others decided to provide a more organized, public presence for their Bastiat Caucus in order to disseminate information to the public about key legislation from Caucus members. This effort included an aggressive social media campaign, website and grassroots organizing headed by his former gubernatorial campaign staff. Some in the media reported division amongst the ranks of the Republican Party and efforts by leadership to thwart Becker's legislative initiatives.
Becker introduced 17 bills during the 2017 legislative session, more than most representatives. His "constitutional carry" bill, which would allow otherwise law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons without a permit generated significant interest and attention. He also introduced legislation on free speech protections on college campuses that would eliminate "safe spaces" and a bill decriminalizing marijuana. In the aftermath of the 2015 legislative battle over getting out of Common Core in North Dakota and an electoral challenge to Superintendent of Public Instruction,
Kirsten Baesler, Becker decided to put forward legislation to provide school choice in North Dakota. His bill, which would establish education savings accounts, was introduced.
2016 gubernatorial campaign
![Rick debate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Rick_debate.jpg)
On November 11, 2015, in an online video announcement, Becker became the first candidate to announce his candidacy in the 2016 gubernatorial election. The campaign sought the endorsement of the Republican Party at its state convention, held in
Fargo in April 2016. He publicly pledged to not proceed past the convention without support from the Party. Becker was endorsed by many of the top conservatives in the legislature, including Majority Caucus Leader Scott Louser. He was also endorsed by the
National Association for Gun Rights
The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) is a gun rights advocacy group in the United States. They maintain an affiliated PAC and a nonprofit legal foundation. Officially incorporated in Virginia on March 29, 2000, NAGR was founded by Du ...
and by Congressman and former presidential candidate
Ron Paul
Ronald Ernest Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American author, activist, physician and retired politician who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 22nd congressional district from 1976 to 1977 and again from 1979 to 1985, as well ...
.
At the State Republican Convention, Becker came in second to Attorney General
Wayne Stenehjem
Wayne Stenehjem ( ; February 5, 1953 – January 28, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician from the U.S. state of North Dakota. He was the Attorney General of the state, serving from December 15, 2000 until his death. He sought the Republi ...
on a first and second ballot. Eventually, Stenehjem won in a close race over Becker.
Doug Burgum, who came in a distant third at the convention, eventually defeated Stenehjem in the June 14 Republican primary.
2018 U.S. Senate election
Becker was seen as a potential candidate for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
race in 2018 against incumbent Democrat
Heidi Heitkamp. However, on January 2, Becker announced on Facebook that he would not enter the race. Instead, he announced his plans to seek reelection to the state house, stating, "I know I can make a difference in North Dakota, and I am worried about giving up such an important opportunity and responsibility".
2022 U.S. Senate campaign
On January 19, 2022, Becker announced he would not run for reelection to the North Dakota House of Representatives. On February 6, he announced he would primary incumbent U.S. Senator
John Hoeven in the
2022 election. Becker was defeated by Hoeven at the GOP convention on April 2, by a vote of 1,224 (54%) to 1,037 (46%). Although Becker pledged at the convention to honor their decision, he subsequently changed his mind and re-entered the race as a conservative Independent candidate in August.
Electoral history
* 2012 Race for North Dakota's House of Representatives – District 07
::Voters to choose two:
:
* 2014 Race for North Dakota's House of Representatives – District 07
::Voters to choose two:
:
2016 North Dakota Republican State Convention
* First Convention Ballot
::Delegates to choose one, all candidates remain on ballot after first round, starting third round of voting, lowest vote-getter would be removed, first candidate to receive 50%+1 wins:
:
* Second Convention Ballot
:
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Rick
21st-century American politicians
American plastic surgeons
Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections
Living people
Republican Party members of the North Dakota House of Representatives
Place of birth missing (living people)
Politicians from Bismarck, North Dakota
University of North Dakota alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)