{{short description|American politician (born 1956)}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Rick Jore | office1 = Member of the<br>Montana House of Representatives | term_start1 = January 3, 2007 | term_end1 = January 3, 2009 | predecessor1 = Jeanne Windham | successor1 = John Fleming | constituency1 = 73rd district | term_start2 = 1995 | term_end2 = 2001 | predecessor2 = | successor2 = Joey Jayne | constituency2 = 12th district | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|12|21}} | birth_place = Ronan, Montana, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party =Constitution (2000–present)<br>Republican (1994–2000) | children = 5 | footnotes = | education = North Idaho College (AS) }} '''Rick Jore''' (born December 21, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as a member of the Montana House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and 2007 to 2009.
== Early life and education == Jore was born and raised in Ronan, Montana, and received his associate degree from North Idaho College 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.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web|author=CHARLES S. JOHNSON Missoulian State Bureau|date=1999-01-25|title=For Rick Jore, it's the Constitution above all else : Uncategorized|url=http://missoulian.com/uncategorized/for-rick-jore-it-s-the-constitution-above-all-else/article_ad070a40-df75-5d87-9780-9cb44119ca9a.html|accessdate=2015-04-18|publisher=Missoulian.com}}</ref>
First elected as a Republican in 1994, Jore served three terms in the Montana House of Representatives before switching his affiliation to the Constitution Party in March 2000.<ref>[http://www.mhrn.org/newsarchive/1200elections.html] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009212910/http://www.mhrn.org/newsarchive/1200elections.html |date=October 9, 2006 }}</ref> 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.<ref name="2006election">{{cite web|url=http://sos.mt.gov/elections/archives/2000s/2006/elections/general/2006_Legislative_General_Final_Results.pdf |title=2006 General Legislative Election Results |publisher=Sos.mt.gov |accessdate=2015-04-18}}</ref>
===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sos.mt.gov/elections/archives/2000s/2004/2004-GenLeg.pdf |title=2004 General Legislative Election Results |publisher=Secretary of State of Montana}}</ref>
Because there was a tie, under Montana law the outgoing Republican Governor Judy Martz, 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.<ref name="AP2004">[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-12-29-montana-recount_x.htm Montana Supreme Court gives state House race to Democrats], Associated Press (December 29, 2004).</ref>
The matter went to the state courts,<ref>Paul Fugleberg, [http://www.leaderadvertiser.com/members/article_60a7c1ea-ec9e-5cdc-8a6c-85ba729bd3ad.html HD 12 Case Heads to Montana Supreme Court], ''Lake County Leader'' (December 23, 2004).</ref> and in December 2004, the Montana Supreme Court issued its initial ruling, finding in a 6-1 decision that "one or more" of seven contested ballots for Jore were invalid.<ref name="AP2004"/> 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, was a Democrat, this meant that the new state House speaker would be a Democrat.<ref name="AP2004"/> The Court's written opinion was issued March 18, 2005.<ref>''[https://caselaw.findlaw.com/mt-supreme-court/1076615.html Big Spring v. Jore]'', 109 P.3d 219 (Mont. 2005).</ref>
===2006 election=== In the next election, Jore had a rematch with Jeanne Windham. This time, Jore won with 55.4% of the vote.<ref name="2006election"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://leg.mt.gov/css/Sessions/60th/leg_info.asp?HouseID=0&SessionID=91&LAWSID=14354#comm |title=Montana Legislature: Sessions |publisher=Leg.mt.gov |date=2014-05-14 |accessdate=2015-04-18}}</ref>
===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sos.mt.gov/elections/archives/2000s/2008/results/2008_Legislative_General.pdf |title=2008 Legislative General Election Results |publisher=Sos.mt.gov |accessdate=2015-04-18}}</ref> He attempted to qualify an initiative for the ballot, called the Personhood Amendment, but failed to gather enough signatures.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} As of March 19, 2009, he was still serving as the vice chairman of the Constitution Party of Montana.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}
==Political positions== Jore has been described as a "no-compromise conservative" and as one of the most conservative legislators in Montana.<ref name="Constitution"/> Jore supports an "original intent" approach to interpreting the U.S. Constitution, stating that "The concept of a living constitution is in my mind an absolute perversion."<ref name="Constitution"/>
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.<ref name="Constitution"/> Other bills that Jore has authored would end the state inheritance tax, phase in a 20 percent reduction in individual income taxes, terminate the state-tribal hunting and fishing agreement on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and a right-to-work state by prohibiting payment of union dues as a condition of employment.<ref name="Constitution"/>
== Personal life == He and his wife homeschooled their five children.<ref name="Constitution" />
==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change | title = 1994 Montana House of Representatives District 73 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = '''Rick Jore''' | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 1,707 | percentage = 54.8% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Ervin Davis | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,406 | percentage = 45.2% }} {{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2000 Montana House of Representatives District 73 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = '''Joey Jane''' | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,872 | percentage = 50.7% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Rick Jore (incumbent) | party = Constitution Party (United States) | votes = 1,818 | percentage = 49.3% }} {{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2002 Montana House of Representatives District 73 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = '''Joey Jane (incumbent)''' | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,539 | percentage = 49.3% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Rick Jore | party = Constitution Party (United States) | votes = 1,339 | percentage = 42.9% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Josh D. King | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 245 | percentage = 7.9% }} {{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2004 Montana House of Representatives District 12 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = '''Jeanne Windham''' | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,559 | percentage = 36.9% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Rick Jore | party = Constitution Party (United States) | votes = 1,559 | percentage = 36.9% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Jack Cross | party = Republican Party (United States) | votes = 1,107 | percentage = 26.2% }} {{election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title = 2006 Montana House of Representatives District 12 }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = '''Rick Jore''' | party = Constitution Party (United States) | votes = 2,045 | percentage = 55.5% }} {{Election box candidate with party link no change | candidate = Jeanne Windham (incumbent) | party = Democratic Party (United States) | votes = 1,643 | percentage = 44.6% }} {{election box end}}
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080220151518/http://cpmont.org/ Constitution Party of Montana web site] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20041204190241/http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=BS024951 Rick Jore's Vote-Smart.org bio] *{{C-SPAN|86036}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Montana|Politics|United States}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jore, Rick}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century members of the Montana Legislature Category:21st-century members of the Montana Legislature Category:Candidates in the 2002 United States elections Category:Candidates in the 2004 United States elections Category:Montana Constitutionalists Category:People from Ronan, Montana Category:Republican Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Category:North Idaho College alumni