Rick Jore (born December 21, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

from 1995 to 2001 and 2007 to 2009.

Early life and education

Jore was born and raised in

Ronan, Montana Ronan ( Salish: ocqʔetkʷ) is a city in Lake County, Montana, United States. It lies on the Flathead Indian Reservation, approximately 12 miles south of Flathead Lake in the northwestern part of the state. The population was 1,955 at the 2020 ...

and received his associate degree from

North Idaho College North Idaho College (NIC) is a public community college in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It has an enrollment exceeding 6,000 and is situated at the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene near downtown Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Tubbs Hill, Coeur d'Alene, Idah ...

in 1978.

Career

He is also the owner of Westslope Trout Company and the vice chairman of the Constitution Party of Montana. Jore spent 10 years working in a lumber mill. First elected as 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 ...

in 1994, Jore served three terms in the Montana House of Representatives before switching his affiliation to the Constitution Party in March 2000. Jore ran again for the legislature in 2000 and 2002 as a Constitution Party candidate and was narrowly defeated in both attempts. A very narrow defeat in 2004, after a recount, was followed by a successful run in 2006, defeating his Democratic opponent 2,045 to 1,643 votes.

2004 election

In the very close 2004 election, following a recount, Jore initially tied with Democratic nominee Jeanne Windham, with each receiving 1,559 votes (Republican Jack Cross received 1,107 votes) in state House District 12. Because there was a tie, under Montana law the outgoing Republican Governor

Judy Martz Judith Helen Martz (née Morstein; July 28, 1943 – October 30, 2017) was an American Republican Party politician, businesswoman, and Olympian speed skater who served as the 22nd governor of Montana from 2001 to 2005. She was the first and only ...

, was entitled to choose the winner, and she selected Jore — which gave the Republicans a 50-49 lead over Democrats in the state House, with Jore as the only Constitution Party member.Montana Supreme Court gives state House race to Democrats
Associated Press (December 29, 2004). The matter went to the state courts, and in December 2004, the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews ...

issued its initial ruling, finding in a 6-1 decision that "one or more" of seven contested ballots for Jore were invalid. The decision meant that Windham was elected to office, which in turn created a tie in the state House, which was evenly split (50-50) between Republicans and Democrats in the House. Because the incoming governor,

Brian Schweitzer Brian David Schweitzer (born September 4, 1955) is an American farmer and politician who served as the 23rd Governor of Montana from 2005 to 2013. Schweitzer served for a time as chair of the Western Governors Association as well as the Democra ...

, was a Democrat, this meant that the new state House speaker would be a Democrat. The Court's written opinion was issued March 18, 2005.

2006 election

In the next election, Jore had a rematch with Jeanne Windham. This time, Jore won with 55.4% of the vote. With Republicans controlling the Montana House by a slim margin of 50-49, Jore obtained an unexpected amount of political leverage and was appointed chairman of the House Education Committee.

2008 election

Since Jore had already served in the Montana House as a Republican before his 2006 election as a member of the Constitution Party of Montana, state term-limit laws barred him from running for the Montana House in 2008. He attempted to qualify an initiative for the ballot, called the Personhood Amendment, but failed to gather enough signatures. As of March 19, 2009, he was still serving as the vice chairman of the Constitution Party of Montana.

Political positions

Jore has been described as a "no-compromise conservative" and as one of the most conservative legislators in Montana. Jore supports an " original intent" approach to interpreting the U.S. Constitution, stating that "The concept of a

living constitution The Living Constitution, or judicial pragmatism, is the viewpoint that the United States Constitution holds a dynamic meaning that evolves and adapts to new circumstances even if the document is not formally amended. The Constitution is said ...

is in my mind an absolute perversion." Jore has authored bills that call for eliminating state laws requiring compulsory school attendance, outlawing affirmative action and abandoning Montana's no-fault divorce laws by requiring a judge to publicly declare who is to blame for the breakup and imposing a financial penalty. Other bills that Jore has authored would end the state

inheritance tax An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died. International tax law distinguishes between an e ...

, phase in a 20 percent reduction in individual

income taxes An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Ta ...

, terminate the state-tribal hunting and fishing agreement on the

Flathead Indian Reservation The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles tribes – also known as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation. Th ...

, and a

right-to-work state In the context of labor law in the United States, the term "right-to-work laws" refers to state laws that prohibit union security agreements between employers and labor unions which require employees who are not union members to contribute to ...

by prohibiting payment of union dues as a condition of employment.

Personal life

He and his wife homeschooled their five children.

Electoral history

References

External links

Constitution Party of Montana web site

Rick Jore's Vote-Smart.org bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jore, Rick 1956 births Living people Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Montana Constitutionalists People from Ronan, Montana Conservatism in the United States