Richard Anthony "Ric" Keller (born September 5, 1964) is an American politician, author, and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Florida's 8th congressional district from 2001 to 2009. His district included much of the Central Florida region including the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. He chaired the House Higher Education subcommittee and served on the Judiciary and Education committees. Today he is an author, speaker, TV commentator and attorney.
Personal information
Keller was born in
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. Joh ...
. He received a bachelor's degree from
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an institutional Board of Tr ...
, where he graduated first in his class in 1986, and a
J.D. degree from
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...
in 1992. He was a lawyer in Florida before being elected to the House of Representatives in 2000.
Keller served eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He chaired the House Higher Education subcommittee served on the Judiciary and Education committees. Keller is now a partner at law firm of Hill, Rugh, Keller & Main, P.L. in Orlando, Fla. He lives in Winter Park, Florida with his wife, Lori, and their blended family.
Committee assignments
*Education and the Workforce Committee (now "Education and Labor")
**Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education
**Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness (Chairman and Ranking Member)
*Judiciary Committee
**Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
**Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
**Antitrust Task Force and Competition Policy
Congressional campaigns
2000
In Keller's first run for Congress, he finished in second place in the Republican primary with 31% of the vote, against fellow
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 ...
, who had 43%, but defeated Sublette in the runoff election, getting 52% of that vote.
In the 2000 general election, Keller won with 51% of the vote against
Democrat Linda Chapin.
[Rachel Kapochunas]
"Keller’s Early ‘08 Opponent Focusing on Broken Term Limit Pledge"
''New York Times'', December 5, 2006
2002
Keller readily won the 2002 Congressional election against Democrat Eddie Diaz, winning with 65% of the vote.
2004
In 2004 Keller won his third term with 60% of the vote against Democratic challenger Stephen Murray.
2006
In 2006, Keller won the Republican primary with 72% of the vote, defeating businesswoman Elizabeth Doran. In the general election, Keller defeated Democrat Charlie Stuart, 53% to 46%.
2008
In 2008, Keller won the Republican primary defeating attorney Todd Long 53% to 47%, but lost the general election 48% to 52% to Democrat Alan Grayson when the GOP presidential nominee John McCain lost the district 47% to 52% to Democrat Barack Obama.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Ric
1964 births
Living people
Methodists from Florida
East Tennessee State University alumni
People from Orlando, Florida
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
21st-century American politicians