Reid James Ribble (born April 5, 1956)[1] is an American businessman and Republican politician from the Fox Cities region of Wisconsin. He served three terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 8th congressional district from 2011 to 2017.
Reid Ribble | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Steve Kagen |
| Succeeded by | Mike Gallagher |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Reid James Ribble April 5, 1956 Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Deana Ribble |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Cornerstone University |
In Congress, Ribble was a co-chair and co-founder of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which sought to foster cooperation and legislative compromise. He has been an outspoken critic of Republican president Donald Trump; he has said that he never voted for Trump, and would have voted to impeach him after the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.
Early life and education
editRibble is a third generation Wisconsin resident. He was born in Neenah, Wisconsin. He graduated from Appleton East High School. After high school, he attended Cornerstone University.[2]
Early career
editRibble was employed by the Ribble Group, his family's commercial and residential roofing company in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, and later became the company's president. He was also the president of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) from 2005 to 2006.[3]
U.S. House of Representatives
editElections
edit2010
editRibble defeated three other candidates to win the Republican primary in September.[4] Ribble defeated Democratic incumbent Steve Kagen for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district on November 2, 2010 in the general election.[5]
2012
editRibble defeated Democratic nominee Jamie Wall, a business consultant.
2014
editRibble defeated Democratic nominee Ron Gruett, a professor of physics and chemistry.
Tenure
editRibble has been described as a Libertarian leaning Republican.[6]
- Energy
Ribble believed we should utilize the "wide variety of available domestic sources to put our country on a path to energy independence."[7] Reid Ribble voted YES on barring EPA from regulating greenhouse gases.[8] To become self-sufficient, Ribble wanted to expand the usage of both renewable and fossil fuels, so that the U.S. will not rely too much on any single source or foreign region.[7][9] In June 2012, he voted for the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, which would increase oil and gas drilling in the U.S., and decrease environmental restrictions.[10] In addition, Ribble also supported the Offshore Leasing Act in May 2011, and required "the Secretary of the Interior to conduct offshore oil and gas lease sales."[11]
- Agriculture
Coming from a state with a great economic emphasis on agriculture, Ribble advocated for continued success in the farming sector of Wisconsin. He favored less government regulation on farming, and wanted to reform several Environmental Protection Agency restrictions, believing that "Wisconsin's dairy farmers, livestock producers, and growers all will benefit from efforts to roll back EPA's overreach."[12] He was a vocal member of the House Agriculture Committee,[13] and has received a rating of 94% from the American Farm Bureau Federation as of 2011.[14]
- Budget
Ribble voted (March 2015) to support the Republican Study Committee budget. This was the most conservative of the various budget proposals considered by the House and was defeated by 294 to 132. Ribble went on to support the mainstream Republican budget proposed by Republican leadership, which was passed by the House.[15]
- Health Care
Ribble strongly disagreed with the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.[16] In July 2012, he voted for the Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010,[17] stating that "instead of fixing the systematic flaws in our country's healthcare system it makes it even more costly and dysfunctional."[18] He believed instead, that government should not be involved in the market and encourage greater competition between insurance companies.[19]
- Social Security
In a letter to House Speaker John Boehner dated October 8, 2013, Ribble proposed sweeping changes to Social Security, including continuing and accelerating increases in the retirement age, implementing the chained CPI benefit cut to Social Security, and means testing for Social Security recipients. Ribble's letter also proposed "gradually restoring the cap on wages subject to FICA to its Reagan-era levels."[20]
Transportation
editIn June 2015, Ribble introduced the Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act. Jim Renacci co-sponsored the bill with Ribble. If signed into law, the bill would provide long-term funding to the Highway Trust Fund and federal programs to rebuild roads, highways and bridges.[21] After introducing the bill, Ribble wrote in an opinion editorial on CNBC.com, " Our transportation infrastructure is ubiquitous, but it is not free."[22]
Legislation
editOn September 20, 2013, the House passed a bipartisan measure championed by Ribble. The measure, titled the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act, aims to manage commercial timberland and the yields each field can produce. Backers of the bill say that the bill would foster job growth in rural communities where the paper industry is prevalent, such as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.[23]
Committee assignments
edit- Committee on Agriculture (2011-2014)
- Committee on the Budget (2011-2014)
- Committee on Foreign Affairs (2015-2016)
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (2011-2016)
Caucus memberships
edit- Liberty Caucus
- Problem Solvers Caucus, co-chair and founder
- Dairy Caucus, co-chair
- Paper Caucus, co-chair and founder
- Cranberry Caucus, co-chair and founder
- Fix Congress Now! Caucus, co-chair and founder
Retirement
editOn January 30, 2016, Ribble announced that he would not seek re-election for a fourth term to Congress, retiring based on a pledge that he would retire after his fourth term or eighth year in Congress, and expressed a desire to return to the private sector.[24]
In February 2021, Ribble commented on the need for the Republican Party to move past Donald Trump, stating that he would have voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the 2021 United States Capitol attack.[25]
In October 2022, Ribble joined the Council for Responsible Social Media project launched by Issue One to address the negative mental, civic, and public health impacts of social media in the United States co-chaired by former House Democratic Caucus Leader Dick Gephardt and former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey.[26][27]
Electoral history
editU.S. House (2010–2014)
edit| Year | Election | Date | Elected | Defeated | Total | Plurality | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Primary[28] | Sep. 14 | Reid J. Ribble | Republican | 38,521 | 47.95% | Roger Roth | Rep. | 25,704 | 32.00% | 80,336 | 12,817 |
| Terri McCormick | Rep. | 14,107 | 17.56% | |||||||||
| Marc Savard | Rep. | 1,968 | 2.45% | |||||||||
| General[29] | Nov. 2 | Reid J. Ribble | Republican | 143,998 | 54.77% | Steve Kagen (inc) | Dem. | 118,646 | 45.12% | 262,938 | 25,352 | |
| 2012 | General[30] | Nov. 6 | Reid J. Ribble (inc) | Republican | 198,874 | 55.95% | Jamie Wall | Dem. | 156,287 | 43.97% | 355,464 | 42,587 |
| 2014 | General[31] | Nov. 4 | Reid J. Ribble (inc) | Republican | 188,553 | 65.01% | Ron Gruett | Dem. | 101,345 | 34.94% | 290,048 | 87,208 |
References
edit- ^ "Guide to the New Congress" (PDF). CQ Roll Call. November 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2011. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^ Ribble's official House of Representatives profile Archived December 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Behr, Madeleine. "Reid Ribble in talks with roofing group". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
- ^ Espino, J.E. (September 15, 2010). "Reid Ribble rolls in Republican primary, will face Democrat Steve Kagen for Congress". Appleton Post Crescent. Gannett. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
Political newcomer Reid Ribble defeated his two Republican rivals in Tuesday's primary race for the 8th Congressional District, ending an amicable GOP runoff and setting the stage for a showdown against Democratic incumbent Steve Kagen.
- ^ "Wisconsin Election Results". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ribble and Pocan: Political Opposites Find the Attractions of Working Together – Marquette University Law School Faculty Blog". December 8, 2011.
- ^ a b "Energy". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Reid Ribble on Energy & Oil". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ "Issue Position: Energy Policy". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "HR 4480 – Domestic Energy and Jobs Act – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "HR 1230 – Offshore Leasing Act – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Agriculture". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Representative Reid J. Ribble's Biography". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "American Farm Bureau Federation – Positions". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Green Bay Press Gazette/Thomas Voting Reports March 29, 2015
- ^ "Health Care". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "HR 6079 – Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 – Key Vote". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Ribble Votes to Repeal President's Health Care Law". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ "Issue Position: Health Care Reform". Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Letter from Congressman Reid J. Ribble to House Speaker John Boehner, October 8, 2013 (PDF) [1], Accessed October 11, 2013
- ^ "House duo introduce bill to fund infrastructure needs for 10 years | Ripon Advance News Service". riponadvance.com. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ Wisconsin, Reid (June 3, 2015). "Fix our roads and bridges now: Rep. Ribble". CNBC. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
- ^ "Ribble's Restoring Health Forests for Healthy Communities Act passes in bipartisan vote". The Ripon Advance. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
- ^ McCardle, Ellery (January 30, 2016). "U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble not seeking re-election". WBAY-TV, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
- ^ Sentinel, Milwaukee Journal. "Former Republican Congressman Reid Ribble says he would have voted to impeach, sees a GOP in peril over Trump". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
- ^ Feiner, Lauren (October 12, 2022). "Facebook whistleblower, former defense and intel officials form group to fix social media". CNBC. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ "Council for Responsible Social Media – Issue One". issueone.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2010 Partisan Primary - 9/14/2010 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. October 4, 2010. p. 9. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2010 General Election - 11/2/2010 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 1, 2010. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2012 Presidential and General Election - 11/6/2012 (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. December 26, 2012. p. 4. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Canvass Results for 2014 General Election - 11/4/2014 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Government Accountability Board. November 26, 2014. p. 5. Retrieved November 9, 2024 – via Wisconsin Elections Commission.
- "Reid Ribble wins GOP 8th Congressional District to take on Steve Kagen". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- "About Reid Ribble". Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- "The Ribble Group, Inc". Archived from the original on October 25, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2010.