Rick Perales (born September 22, 1959) is a former

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

, representing the 73rd district. He was elected in 2012, defeating

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Bill Conner. Prior to this he defeated incumbent Representative

Jarrod Martin Jarrod Martin is a former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives, serving the Seventy-Third District. Life and career Martin was born in Xenia, Ohio, but was raised in nearby Beavercreek. A standout athlete at Beavercreek High S ...

in the Republican primary in an upset result. Before joining the Ohio House of Representatives, Perales served on the city council of

Beavercreek, Ohio Beavercreek is the largest city in Greene County, Ohio, United States, and is the second-largest suburb of Dayton. The population was 46,549 at the 2020 census. It is part of Metro Dayton. The Beavercreek area was settled in the early 1800s. A ...

, and as commissioner of Greene County. Prior to that he served in the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sig ...

. Perales also works as Campus Planning and Real Estate Director at the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

Ohio House of Representatives

2012 campaign and election

Perales joined a crowded primary to unseat incumbent Jarrod Martin. He finished with a commanding lead of 59.85% of the vote, followed by Eric Spicer at 20.86% and Martin finishing third at 19.29%. Perales faced Bill Connor in the General, winning by a wide margin of 64% to 36%. Perales focused his campaign on his experience in local government. After retiring from the Air Force, he ran for Beavercreek City Council and was elected Mayor from 2002 to 2003. Perales then successfully ran for Greene County Commissioner, a title he held for eight years. When asked about his race for the Ohio Statehouse, Perales cited his experience as a local government official being beneficial to help state leaders appreciate what local governments go through in terms of funding and support. Perales was sworn in by Speaker William G. Batchelder on January 7, 2013.

2018 campaign and election

Perales won the 2018 Republican primary with 80 percent of the vote. Perales filed an extortion complaint with Fairborn Police against his opponent Jocelyn Smith, who alleged that Perales engaged in unwanted sexual behavior towards her many years prior. Perales, who is married, acknowledged that he had exchanged sexual text messages with Smith for three months in 2015, but denied that he kissed or choked Smith, as she alleged. Perales went on to win the general election with 59.6% of the votes.

References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perales, Rick Living people Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Auburn University alumni Troy University alumni 21st-century American legislators 1959 births American politicians of Mexican descent