Ricardo "Ricki" Ruiz is an American politician and community organizer serving as a member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

from the 50th district.

Early life and education

Born in Portland, Oregon and raised in

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid- ...

, Ruiz graduated from the Reynolds School District in 2012 and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social entrepreneurship from

Warner Pacific University Warner Pacific University is a Private university, private Christianity, Christian university in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1937, the university is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on ...

. He then earned a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitali ...

Career

Prior to entering politics, Ruiz has worked as a

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

and as a community services coordinator for the city of

Oregon Legislature

In the

2020 Oregon House of Representatives election The 2020 Oregon House of Representatives election were held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, with the primary election being held on May 19, 2020. Voters in the 60 districts of the Oregon House of Representatives elected their representatives. The el ...

, Ruiz defeated legislative aid William Miller in the Democratic primary. Ruiz then defeated

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 ...

realtor Amelia Salvador in the general election. In the 2022 election, Ruiz ran unopposed in the primary election. The general election, a rematch between Ruiz and Salvador, resulted in Ruiz winning again, though by a smaller margin.

Committees

* House Interim Committee On Higher Education (Vice-Chair) * Joint Interim Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Education * House Interim Committee On Economic Development and Small Business Ruiz is also a member of the House BIPOC Caucus.

Personal life

Ruiz lives in the Rockwood neighborhood of Gresham.

Electoral history

External Links

Legislature website
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Ricki Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in Oregon Living people People from Gresham, Oregon Warner Pacific University alumni Southern New Hampshire University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)