Rick Saccone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rick Saccone
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 39th district
In office January 4, 2011 (2011-01-04) – November 30, 2018 (2018-11-30)
Preceded by	David Levdansky
Succeeded by	Mike Puskaric
Personal details
Born	Richard Saccone (1958-02-14) February 14, 1958 (age 67) Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Yong Saccone
Children	2
Education	Weber State College (BS) University of Oklahoma (MPA) Naval Postgraduate School (MA) University of Pittsburgh (PhD)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Unit	Office of Special Investigations

Richard "Rick" Saccone (born February 14, 1958) is an American teacher and politician. He was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018, representing the 39th district. As a Republican, he ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in a special election in March 2018. He lost the very close race to Democratic candidate Conor Lamb.

On January 6, 2021, Saccone attended a protest that turned into an attack on the U.S. Capitol building. He posted a video on Facebook from the event. Because of his involvement, he resigned from his job as a professor at Saint Vincent College.

In 2021, Saccone announced he would run for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. He came in second place in the Republican primary election.

Education and Early Career

Rick Saccone earned several college degrees. He has a bachelor's degree from Weber State College, two master's degrees from the University of Oklahoma and the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.

He served as an officer in the United States Air Force. He worked in the Office of Special Investigations, focusing on counter-intelligence. After leaving the Air Force, he worked for the U.S. Army in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. There, he worked as a consultant for questioning prisoners.

Saccone also worked in South Korea for 12 years. He was a TV news anchor and worked for different businesses. He also worked in North Korea from 2000 to 2001 as part of a group trying to prevent the country from making nuclear weapons. He wrote two books about his experiences in North Korea.

Political Career

Saccone and his wife greeting U.S. President Donald Trump

Pennsylvania House of Representatives

In 2010, Saccone ran for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He won a very close election, defeating the person who held the seat by only 151 votes. He was re-elected in 2012, 2014, and 2016. His district included parts of Allegheny and Washington counties.

2018 Congressional Special Election

In 2017, a seat in the U.S. Congress for Pennsylvania's 18th district became open. Saccone was chosen as the Republican candidate for a special election to fill the seat.

The election, held on March 13, 2018, received a lot of attention from across the country. Many famous Republicans, including President Donald Trump, came to Pennsylvania to support Saccone. The race was extremely close. In the end, Saccone lost to the Democratic candidate, Conor Lamb, by just over 600 votes.

Later Elections

After the special election, the state's voting maps were redrawn. Saccone's district was changed and became the 14th district. He decided to run for Congress in this new district. However, he lost in the Republican primary election to Guy Reschenthaler.

Involvement in the 2021 Capitol Event

On January 6, 2021, Saccone was part of the crowd of President Trump's supporters at the United States Capitol. He posted a video on his Facebook page from the event. In the video, he said that they were trying to "run out all the evil people in there." He later deleted the video. The next day, he resigned from his job as a professor at Saint Vincent College.

What are Saccone's Political Views?

Support for Donald Trump

Saccone has been a strong supporter of Donald Trump. During his 2018 campaign, he called himself "Trump before Trump was Trump." He said the special election was a test of how popular President Trump was.

Church and State

Saccone believes religion should have a role in public life. In 2012, he introduced a resolution to declare 2012 the "Year of the Bible" in Pennsylvania, which passed.

In 2013, he introduced a bill to require schools to display the national motto, "In God We Trust". The bill did not pass, but a similar one that encouraged displaying the motto passed in 2016. Some groups who believe in the separation of church and state criticized these actions.

Government Spending and Taxes

Saccone supported the large tax cut bill passed by Republicans in 2017. In the Pennsylvania state government, he often argued for cutting government spending. He wanted to lower spending on programs like early childhood education and public libraries.

Gun Rights

Saccone is a strong supporter of the right to own guns. He introduced several bills to expand gun rights in Pennsylvania. One bill aimed to prevent businesses from not allowing customers to carry guns.

Labor Unions

Saccone supports right-to-work laws. These laws say that workers cannot be forced to join a union to keep their job. Because of his views, many labor unions have opposed him.

Personal Life

Saccone is a Baptist. He was married to Yong Saccone, whom he met in South Korea. She passed away in July 2023. They have two sons, Nick and Matthew.

Electoral history