Richard Saccone (born February 14, 1958) is an American educator and politician who represented Pennsylvania's
39th district in the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019. A
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 ...
, he was his party's nominee for the
March 2018 special election to fill in the vacant U.S. House seat for the 18th congressional district. Saccone lost to
Democratic candidate
Conor Lamb
Conor James Lamb (born June 27, 1984) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district since 2019. The district includes most of the northwestern suburbs of Pittsbur ...
by a margin of 0.3%.
[
He posted a video of himself on Facebook while standing in view of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. He posted on Facebook that, "We are storming the capitol. Our vanguard has broken thru the barricades. We will save this nation. Are you with me?" He later added that he and the other rioters would "run out all the evil people in there, and all the RINOs that have betrayed our president." Following an investigation into Saccone's role in the attack on the Capitol, Saccone resigned his position as an adjunct professor at ]Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...
before he could be dismissed.
On August 31, 2021, Saccone declared his intention to run for Lieutenant Governor in the 2022 gubernatorial election. He finished second in the primary behind Carrie DelRosso
Carrie A. Lewis DelRosso (born ) is an American politician and businesswoman who served one term as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 33rd district from 2021 to 2022. She was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Gove ...
.
Education and career
Saccone received a bachelor's degree in psychology/criminal justice from Weber State College
Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
History
Weber State University was founde ...
in 1981, a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
in 1984, and a master's degree in national security affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School
The Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) is a public graduate school operated by the United States Navy and located in Monterey, California.
It offers master’s and doctoral degrees in more than 70 fields of study to the U.S. Armed Forces, DOD ci ...
in 1987. Saccone received a Ph.D. in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
in 2002.
He was later on the faculty of Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a private Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Benedictine monastery in the ...
in Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States and part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
The city population was 8,338 as of the 2010 census (9,265 in 1990). It is located near Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Rid ...
. He served as a United States 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 Signal ...
officer, working in the Office of Special Investigation, counter intelligence. After resigning from the Air Force, Saccone was a civilian employee of the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
during the Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
, working in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. While in Iraq, Saccone worked as an interrogation consultant at Abu Ghraib prison.
According to his official and campaign biographies, Saccone worked as an anchor for an English-language television news station in South Korea, and worked for businesses in South Korea and Central America. He spent 12 years in South Korea, where he met his wife.
Saccone's official biography states that he worked in North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
on " an agreement meant to prevent the development of nuclear weapons there." However, Saccone was not a diplomat, but rather was one of several U.S. representatives for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) was an organization founded on March 15, 1995, by the United States, South Korea, and Japan to implement the 1994 U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework that froze North Korea's indigenou ...
, working there from December 2000 to December 2001. The organization handled a construction project to generate civilian nuclear energy for North Korea while preventing the country from making nuclear weapons. Former U.S. and Southern Korean colleagues said that Saccone had embellished his role, and that he was present at negotiations with North Korea only as a low-level observer. Dr Saccone wrote two books about dealing with North Korea and his time spent there, ''Living with the Enemy: Inside North Korea'', and ''Negotiating with North Korea''.
Political career
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In 2010, Saccone challenged incumbent Democratic Rep. David Levdansky
David Levdansky (born October 16, 1954) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. He represented the 39th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1985 until 2010.
Biography
Levdansky earned his B.A. in ...
for the 39th District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and defeated
Defeated may refer to:
* "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song)
* "Defeated" (Anastacia song)
*"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love''
*Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community
*''The Defeated
''The Defeated'', al ...
Levdansky by 151 votes (50.3% to 49.7%). Levdansky challenged Saccone to a rematch in 2012; Saccone defeated him again by a margin of 50.2%-49.8%.
Saccone was re-elected with 60% of the vote in 2014 and 70% in 2016. The district includes part of Allegheny County and part of Washington County.
2018 U.S. Senate run
In February 2017, Saccone filed with the FEC to run for United States 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 pow ...
in the 2018 election, seeking to challenge incumbent Bob Casey Jr.
Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Penn ...
, and officially declared his candidacy later that month.
Saccone is a supporter of Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and pledged to be a Trump ally if elected to the Senate. On October 8, 2017, he suspended his U.S. Senate campaign to announce that he would seek the Republican nomination for the 18th Congressional District special election.
2018 18th congressional district special election
On November 11, 2017, Saccone became the Republican nominee for the 18th congressional district special election held on March 13, 2018. The special election attracted national attention. Republicans spent more than $8 million on television advertising, twice as much as the Democrats, and Republican stars including Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
(twice), Donald Trump Jr.
Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977) is an American political activist, businessman, author, and former television presenter. He is the eldest child of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his firs ...
, Ivanka Trump
Ivana Marie "Ivanka" Trump (; born October 30, 1981) is an American businesswoman and the first daughter of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She was a senior advisor in his administration, and also was the ...
, and Mike Pence came to the state to campaign for Saccone. As of March 14, Lamb led Saccone by 647 votes, mainly due to winning the Allegheny County portion of the district by 15,400 votes; Saccone won the rest of the district by 14,700 votes. The result of the election was considered too close to call by most news outlets, since the candidates were separated by only 0.2 percent, and a recount was expected. However, when it became apparent that Saccone would not be able to overcome Lamb's slim lead, he called Lamb to concede the race on March 21. In the final tally, Saccone lost by 0.3 percent.
Regular 14th congressional district election
After the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System. It also claims to be the oldest appellate court in the United States, a claim that is disputed by the Massachusetts Supreme Ju ...
threw out the congressional map drawn by the state legislature and replaced it with a court-drawn map, most of the old 18th District was renumbered as the 14th district. On paper, the new 14th is even more Republican than its predecessor; Trump would have won it by 29 points had it existed in 2016. On March 15, Saccone announced that regardless of the final result in the special election for the 18th, he will run in the regular election for the new 14th. On May 15, Saccone lost the primary for the 14th district against Guy Reschenthaler
Guy Lorin Reschenthaler ( ; born April 17, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, judge, and United States Navy, U.S. Navy veteran. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he is the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represe ...
(55%-45%).
Participation in the 2021 Capitol attack
On January 6, 2021, Saccone took part in the pro-Trump riots outside the United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
building. On his Facebook page, he posted a video, in which he said "They broke down the gates. They're macing them up there. We're trying to run out all the evil people in there and all the RINOs who have betrayed our president. We're going to run them out of their offices" and made a post captioned "We are storming the capitol... Are u icwith me?", during his participation. Saccone subsequently deleted the video. On January 7, Saccone resigned from his position of adjunct professor at St. Vincent College.
Political positions
Donald Trump
During his brief 2018 Senate run, Saccone pledged to be a Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
ally if elected to the Senate. In January 2018, Saccone was endorsed by Trump after winning the Republican nomination for the 18th congressional district special election. Saccone closely identifies with Trump and in 2018 called himself "Trump before Trump was Trump."
Saccone's campaign in the 2018 special election attracted national attention, and was seen by many political analysts and commentators as a bellwether
A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.[bellwether]
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...
on the popularity of the Republican party, Trump's taxes on foreign-made steel and aluminum imports, and the 2018 House election. Saccone has purposely stoked this portrayal, and called the special election a referendum on the Presidency of Donald Trump.
Abortion
Saccone introduced bills to limit abortion rights. He supported legislation that would effectively ban abortions after 20 weeks of gestation.
Church and state
Saccone's beliefs are strongly influenced by Christian reconstructionist
Christian reconstructionism is a fundamentalist Calvinist theonomic movement. It developed primarily under the direction of Rousas Rushdoony, Greg Bahnsen and Gary North and has had an important influence on the Christian right in the United ...
and author David Barton, who also introduced at a rally during Saccone's 2018 special election run.
In 2013, Saccone attracted attention for introducing the National Motto Display Act, a bill to require public school districts in Pennsylvania to post "In God We Trust
"In God We Trust" (also rendered as "In God we trust") is the United States national motto, official motto of the United States and of the U.S. state of Florida. It was adopted by the U.S. Congress in 1956, replacing ("Out of many, one"), whic ...
" (the national motto
This article lists state and national mottos for the world's nations. The mottos for some states lacking general international recognition, extinct states, non-sovereign nations, regions, and territories are listed, but their names are not bold ...
) in every school building.
The 2013 legislation failed, but in 2016, Saccone co-sponsored similar legislation (which would encourage but not mandate the posting of the motto in schools). The bill passed on a 179–20 vote in May 2016. The legislation was criticized by secular advocacy groups, such as the Freedom from Religion Foundation
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many ...
. Also in 2013, Saccone sponsored a "day of prayer" resolution, seeking to designate April 30 as a National Fast Day.
In January 2012, Saccone introduced to the state House a nonbinding resolution (Resolution No. 535) to declare 2012 as the "Year of the Bible" in Pennsylvania. The resolution passed unanimously, but was criticized by Americans United for Separation of Church and State. The resolution drew considerable political controversy in Pennsylvania, as well as national attention.
The Freedom from Religion Foundation
The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is an American nonprofit organization, which advocates for atheists, agnostics, and nontheists. Formed in 1976, FFRF promotes the separation of church and state, and challenges the legitimacy of many ...
filed a federal lawsuit over the resolution, ''Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Saccone'', alleging a violation of the Establishment Clause
In United States law, the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, together with that Amendment's Free Exercise Clause, form the constitutional right of freedom of religion. The relevant constitutional text ...
. U.S. District Judge Christopher C. Conner dismissed the suit on the grounds of legislative immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which politicians such as president, vice president, governor, lieutenant governor, member of parliament, member of legislative assembly, member of legislative council, ...
, but criticized the legislature for using state resources to "provide a re-election sound bite for use by members of the General Assembly."
In an interview in 2017 with the Pastors Network of America, Saccone stated that God wants those who have the "fear of God in them" to "rule over us".
Budget, taxation, and fiscal policy
Saccone supported the federal Republican tax legislation enacted in 2017, saying "I'm sorry I wasn’t there to vote for it." Over the course of the campaign for the 2018 special election seat, Saccone distanced himself from ads which touted his support for the tax cuts and the ads, which while prominent at the start of the campaign, were cycled out.
In 2017, Saccone was part of a faction of Republican state lawmakers who sought to close a $2.3 billion deficit in the state budget through spending cuts alone; Saccone said that he preferred to close the budget gap by redirecting non-General Fund funds in "nonperforming" (unused) special funds but that he was open to across-the-board spending cuts.
Education
While in office Saccone has consistently called for spending cuts, including to funding for early childhood
Early childhood is a stage in human development following infancy and preceding middle childhood. It generally includes toddlerhood and some time afterward. Play age is an unspecific designation approximately within the scope of early childhood. ...
and K-12 education
K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993, well known worldwide mainly for its heavyweight division fights and Grand Prix tournaments. In January 2012, K-1 Global Holdings Limited, a company registered in Hong Kong, acquired ...
, public libraries, and child welfare.
Guns
Saccone is known for his strong advocacy of gun rights. In 2017, he sponsored at least four bills seeking to expand the rights of gun owners; one such bill would amend state law to prohibit discrimination against gun carriers; a co-sponsorship memorandum for the bill criticized Chuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese (formerly known as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza and simply Chuck E. Cheese's) is an American family entertainment center and pizza restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari's co-founder Nolan Bu ...
for its "policy barring customers from carrying firearms inside" the venue.
Organized labor
Saccone favors right-to-work legislation, which makes it illegal for workers in unionized workplaces to be compelled into joining unions. According to NBC News, "Saccone’s conservative record has united organized labor against him." Saccone disputes the characterization, saying "the union members have always voted for me. Their leadership has never represented their members, and they know that."
In 2017, Saccone sought to limit the practice of allowing some teachers to work full-time for teachers' unions under the classification "teachers on special assignment" (with those teachers' wages reimbursed by the union to the school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America United States
In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...
). In 2017, three teachers with the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers worked full-time in that role. Saccone described the employees as "ghost teachers" and sponsored legislation that would limit teachers to no more than 15 days of union activity annually.
Lobbying
Saccone introduced legislation that would prohibit public officials from accepting "transportation, lodging or hospitality or anything of economic value as a gift" from lobbyists. Saccone said, "I have at least 20 lobbyist groups that have never taken me out for anything. They come to my office, they make their pitch and they go away. And that is how it should be." However, it was later reported that Saccone did routinely get meals paid by lobbyists; Saccone justified getting gifted meals by lobbyists, saying that he had to have the meals with the lobbyists because other lawmakers did and he did not want to isolate himself from other lawmakers.
Torture
Saccone advocated for waterboarding
Waterboarding is a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience the sensation of drowning. In the most common method of waterboard ...
, sleep deprivation, and other forms of torture in articles and his book.[Unseen War in Iraq: Insurgents in the Shadows, eastbaytimes.com, October 15, 2008.]
Roy Moore special election
In 2017, during a special election campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, Saccone defended Republican nominee Roy Moore
Roy Stewart Moore (born February 11, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer, and jurist who served as the 27th and 31st chief justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama from 2001 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2017, each time being removed fr ...
, who had been accused of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls; after a reporter asked a different Republican state representative (Kathy Rapp
Kathy L. Rapp (born February 23, 1951) is an American politician and current Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 65, 65th Distri ...
), whether she found it "compassionate that your party may soon elect an accused child molester to the United States Senate," Saccone remarked, "Do you believe in the presumption of innocence
The presumption of innocence is a legal principle that every person accused of any crime is considered innocent until proven guilty. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must presen ...
?"[
]
Use of legislative expense account
According to ''The Intercept'', records from the Pennsylvania General Assembly showed that Saccone used his legislative expense account, which is funded by taxpayers, "for meals, per diem payments, and other items at a rate higher than most lawmakers". The investigation showed that Saccone purchased 36 line items for various flag and flag accessory purchases totaling $4,436.30. Saccone also spent $117,400 to lease an office from Dowling Properties, a real estate company founded by Celine Dowling, one of his campaign donors.
Personal life
Saccone is a Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
. He is married to Yong Saccone whom he met in South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. The couple have two sons, Nick and Matthew.
Electoral history
References
External links
Official legislative website
Official campaign website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saccone, Rick
1958 births
Living people
Protesters in or near the January 6 United States Capitol attack
21st-century American politicians
Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Naval Postgraduate School alumni
People from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
United States Air Force officers
University of Oklahoma alumni
University of Pittsburgh alumni
Weber State University alumni
Baptists from Pennsylvania
Place of birth missing (living people)
Candidates in the 2018 United States Senate elections