Nico Rios
2022 - Present
2026
2
Nico Rios (Republican Party) is a member of the North Dakota House of Representatives, representing District 23. He assumed office on December 1, 2022. His current term ends on December 1, 2026.
Rios (Republican Party) ran for election to the North Dakota House of Representatives to represent District 23. He won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Biography
Nico Rios' career experience includes working as a wireline operator.[1]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at:editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Rios was assigned to the following committees:
Elections
2022
See also: North Dakota House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Scott Dyk and Nico Rios won election in the general election for North Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on November 8, 2022.
| Total votes: 2,314 | |||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 23 (2 seats)
Scott Dyk and Nico Rios advanced from the Republican primary for North Dakota House of Representatives District 23 on June 14, 2022.
| Total votes: 430 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Nico Rios did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Noteworthy events
Drunk Driving arrest (2023)
On December 15, 2023, Rios was arrested on charges of drunken driving and refusing to submit to a chemical test. According to a police report, the arrest occurred in Williston, South Dakota, after Rios failed to maintain his driving lane.[2][3]
Body camera footage obtained and published by The Associated Press showed Rios using profanity and homophobic language during the traffic stop.[3]
Lawmakers in North Dakota called for Rios' resignation after the body camera footage was published. [4]
On December 18, 2023, Rios made a public apology on social media, indicating he would seek help for his problems with alcohol abuse.
“This past weekend, I had a few too many drinks at a Christmas party. I made the mistake of driving home, and received a DUI,” Rios said on X (formerly Twitter). “I’m deeply embarrassed as this is not how I want to represent the people. My terrible decisions that night will not hinder my ability to represent and fight for the people of District 23. I’m deeply sorry and regretful for my actions.” [5]
On January 8, 2024, Rios pleaded guilty to one count of drunken driving. He was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation, a $1,000 fine, and a 10-day suspended jail sentence. Rios was also required as a condition of his plea to undergo a mandatory evaluation, attend a drunk driving victim impact panel, and pay a $50 fine for an open container citation. [6]
On January 9, 2024, Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor (R) notified Rios that he was being removed from the North Dakota House of Representatives Interim Judiciary Committee. [7]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of North Dakota scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the North Dakota State Legislature was not in session. |
2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the North Dakota State Legislature was in session from January 3 to April 29.
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See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Dakota Legislative Branch, "Nico Rios," accessed January 30, 2023
- ↑ ‘’BNN,’’ “State Rep. Nico Rios Faces Calls for Resignation Amid Drunken Driving Scandal,” December 31, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 AP News, "North Dakota lawmaker made homophobic remarks to officer during DUI stop, bodycam footage shows," December 22, 2023
- ↑ ‘'Associated Press, "North Dakota leaders urge state lawmaker to resign after reported homophobic tirade at traffic stop," December 29, 2023
- ↑ ‘’X/Twitter, “Rep. Nico Rios,” December 18, 2023
- ↑ ‘’Associated Press’’, “North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police in DUI stop gets unsupervised probation and $1,000 fine,” January 18, 2024
- ↑ ‘’KFYR TV (Bismarck, North Dakota)’’, “A North Dakota lawmaker is removed from a committee after insulting police in a DUI stop,” January 10, 2024
