Rick Berg Explained

Rick Berg
Office:Chair of the North Dakota Republican Party
Term Start:March 20, 2018
Term End:June 21, 2021
Predecessor:Kelly Armstrong
Successor:Perrie Schafer
State1:North Dakota
Term Start1:January 3, 2011
Term End1:January 3, 2013
Predecessor1:Earl Pomeroy
Successor1:Kevin Cramer
Office2:Majority Leader of the North Dakota House of Representatives
Term Start2:January 3, 2003
Term End2:January 3, 2009
Predecessor2:Wesley Belter
Successor2:Al Carlson
State House3:North Dakota
District3:45th
Term Start3:January 3, 1985
Term End3:January 3, 2011
Predecessor3:Steve Swiontek
Successor3:Joe Heilman
Birth Name:Richard Alan Berg
Birth Date:16 August 1959
Birth Place:Maddock, North Dakota, U.S.
Party:Republican
Spouse:Tracy Martin
Education:North Dakota State University (BA)

Richard Alan Berg (born August 16, 1959) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2013.[1] Berg served on the House Ways and Means Committee.[2] He is a member of the Republican Party. Before his election to Congress in 2010, he served in the state North Dakota House of Representatives, with stints as majority leader and speaker. On May 16, 2011, Berg announced his run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Kent Conrad but lost narrowly to Democrat Heidi Heitkamp on November 6, 2012.

Early life and education

Berg was born in Maddock and raised on a farm in Hettinger. His father was a large animal veterinarian and his mother was a writer.[3] His grandfather immigrated to the United States from Norway.[4]

Berg graduated from Hettinger High School. He earned a wrestling scholarship to the North Dakota State College of Science.[5] He attended for a year before transferring to North Dakota State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in agricultural economics.

Early career

In 1982, after college he co-founded Midwest Management Company (which became Goldmark Property Management in 1994), a real-estate management firm in Fargo. In 1987 he moved on to an affiliate commercial real estate company spun off from Midwest. In 1996 along with other early partners in Midwest he founded Goldmark Commercial Corporation which has since been renamed to Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate.[6] [7] [8]

North Dakota House of Representatives

Elections

Berg first ran for the North Dakota House of Representatives in 1984 in the 10th House District, based in Fargo. He won and was re-elected every four years after, until his congressional run in 2010.

In 2002, after redistricting he decided to run in the newly redrawn 45th House District, and won a seat with 31%.[9] In 2006, he won re-election with 28%.[10]

Tenure

In 1991, he became the chair of the House Republican caucus. In 1993, he briefly served as speaker of the House. In 2003, he became the House majority leader.

As speaker, he proposed a controversial new education funding system aimed at making payments more equitable.[11]

Berg supported President George W. Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security through private accounts in 2005.[12]

In 2007, Berg voted on ND House Bill 1489, which proposed making abortion a class AA felony, even in the case of rape and incest.[13]

In 2009, he earned the Petroleum Council's Legislator of the Year and the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce's Greater North Dakotan award.[14]

U.S. House of Representatives

Election

See also: 2010 United States House of Representatives election in North Dakota.

On January 20, 2010, Berg officially announced he was seeking the GOP endorsement to run for the United States House of Representatives.[15] [16] In March 2010, Berg won the GOP nomination at the Republican state convention to challenge incumbent Democratic Representative Earl Pomeroy for the state's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives.[17] In the general election Berg defeated the incumbent with 55% of the vote to represent . At the time of his election, Berg was the 13th wealthiest member of Congress.[18]

The biggest donor to Berg's campaign was Goldmark Property Management, Inc.[19] As of 2011, Berg worked at Goldmark since 1981 and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services in 2005.[20]

Tenure

Berg voted for the Paul Ryan budget, which would restructure Medicare and Medicaid.[21]

Berg strongly supports a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.[22]

He voted in favor of the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act and has received "A" and "A+" ratings from the NRA Political Victory Fund for his stance on gun rights.[23] [24] [25]

Berg joined almost 60 other members of Congress in a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that urged committee members not to cut the critical access hospital (CAH) program. The CAH program provides assistance to rural hospitals. 36 CAHs exist in North Dakota, including one in Hettinger, Berg's hometown.[26]

Berg has voted to curtail EPA regulations, stating: "In North Dakota, we know the damaging effects that overreaching government regulations can have on our small businesses and their ability to create jobs."[27] He has also proposed drilling for oil in federal lands, including North Dakota's own Theodore Roosevelt National Park, as a way to provide funding for Social Security.[28] In 2009, he was presented with the Greater North Dakotan Award by the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce for his support of business interests.[29]

Berg is anti-abortion and has voted to prohibit federal funds from being used for health care plans that cover abortions.[30] He is a member of the Congressional Prayer Caucus.[31]

Berg is against same-sex marriage.[32]

Committee assignments

Berg was a member of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee.

Caucus Memberships[33]

2012 U.S. Senate election

See also: 2012 United States Senate election in North Dakota. On May 16, 2011, Berg announced he would run for the United States Senate seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Kent Conrad.[34]

Election night results indicated that Berg had lost to former state Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp by 2,936 votes. As the difference was less than 1% of the ballots cast, Berg declined to concede immediately. The next day, however, Berg acknowledged his Democratic opponent's victory.[35]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. News: GOP's Berg beats Dem Pomeroy for ND US House seat . . November 2, 2010 . Dale . Wetzel.
  2. Web site: Statement on Latest Unemployment Report . https://archive.today/20120713092002/http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&parentid=6&sectiontree=6,25&itemid=262 . dead . July 13, 2012 . November 4, 2011 .
  3. Web site: Rep. Rick Berg (R-ND, At-Large) NationalJournal.com . www.nationaljournal.com . 3 February 2022 . https://archive.today/20120826213058/http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/person/rick-berg-nd/ . 26 August 2012 . dead.
  4. Web site: Rick Berg for Senate » 45 Facts About Rick . July 15, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120809060820/http://www.bergfornorthdakota.com/view/other/home-news/45-facts . August 9, 2012 .
  5. Web site: Biography . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111130235129/http://berg.house.gov/about-rick/ . November 30, 2011 .
  6. Web site: Smith. Nick. Berg sees Senate as key to country's turnaround. October 13, 2012 . TheBismarck Tribune. October 24, 2012.
  7. Web site: Nowatzki. Mike. Passion for business drives Berg. INFORUM. October 24, 2012.
  8. Web site: Election 2012. AP Election Guide. NPR. October 24, 2012.
  9. Web site: ND State House 45 Race – Nov 05, 2002 . Our Campaigns . May 23, 2012.
  10. Web site: ND State House 45 Race – Nov 07, 2006 . Our Campaigns . May 23, 2012.
  11. News: The Legislatures Speaker Presents N.D. School Plan . Jan 20, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160120152633/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=GF&s_site=grandforks&p_multi=GF&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB6E9BC656A5AC2&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. 26 August 2023 . March 10, 1993.
  12. Web site: HCR 3056 Roll Call.
  13. Web site: House Bill No. 1489 . Sixtieth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota . 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20210211025750/https://www.legis.nd.gov/assembly/60-2007/bill-text/HBBD0300.pdf . 11 February 2021 .
  14. Web site: Congressman Rick Berg : Biography . Berg.house.gov . May 17, 2012 . May 23, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120508174455/http://berg.house.gov/biography/ . May 8, 2012 .
  15. http://www.kxnet.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=506122 Berg Announces.
  16. http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/28864/group/home/ Berg to begin campaign for US House.
  17. Cadei, Emily. North Dakota: Berg To Face Pomeroy in November. CQ Politics. March 20, 2010.
  18. cite web|title=The 50 Richest Members of Congress 2011|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307215521/http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html
  19. Web site: Rick Berg Campaign Finances . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062119/http://votesmart.org/candidate/campaign-finance/7693/rick-berg . dead . March 4, 2016 .
  20. Web site: Agent Profile: Rick Berg, CCIM . November 20, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080723132523/http://www.goldmark.com/commercial/agentbios/rberg.asp . July 23, 2008.
  21. News: House Vote 277 – Passes Ryan Budget Bill . dead . August 14, 2012 . The New York Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20120714020137/http://politics.nytimes.com/congress/votes/112/house/1/277 . July 14, 2012 .
  22. Web site: The Time for a Balanced Budget Amendment is Now . Rick Berg . November 10, 2011 . November 21, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120916102047/http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=101&parentid=5&sectiontree=2,5,101&itemid=264 . September 16, 2012 . dead .
  23. Web site: HR 822 Voting Record . November 16, 2011.
  24. Web site: Ratings and Endorsements .
  25. Web site: ND House candidates attract dueling endorsements for pro-gun groups . Grand Forks Herald . 2 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230802111621/https://www.grandforksherald.com/newsmd/nd-house-candidates-attract-dueling-endorsements-for-pro-gun-groups . 2 August 2023 . Fargo . en-US . October 13, 2012 . live.
  26. Web site: Berg Fights to Protect Rural Hospitals . November 7, 2011 . https://archive.today/20120707071404/http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&parentid=6&sectiontree=6,25&itemid=265 . dead . July 7, 2012 .
  27. Web site: Rick Berg . Berg Fights for Regulatory Relief from EPA Overreach . http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20111102224628/http://berg.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid%3D25%26parentid%3D6%26sectiontree%3D6%2C25%26itemid%3D243 . dead . November 2, 2011 . November 13, 2011 .
  28. Web site: Darren Goode . GOP Candidate Suggests Drilling for Oil in Teddy Roosevelt National Park . https://archive.today/20120719050841/http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/118055-gop-candidate-suggests-drilling-in-teddy-roosevelt-park-to-pay-for-social-security . dead . July 19, 2012 . September 10, 2010 .
  29. Web site: Rick Berg . About Rick . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120508174455/http://berg.house.gov/biography/ . May 8, 2012 .
  30. Web site: HR 358 Voting Record . October 13, 2011 .
  31. Web site: Committees and Caucuses . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120609015524/http://berg.house.gov/committees-caucuses/ . June 9, 2012 .
  32. Web site: Candidates Discuss Debate over Same Sex Marriage on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader . July 5, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130413034232/http://kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=57069 . April 13, 2013 .
  33. Web site: Congressman Rick Berg : Committees & Caucuses . Berg.house.gov . May 17, 2012 . May 23, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120609015524/http://berg.house.gov/committees-caucuses/ . June 9, 2012 .
  34. Toeplitz, Shira House Freshman Berg Will Run for Senate in North Dakota Roll Call, May 16, 2011.
  35. https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20121112094740/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/democrat-heidi-heitkamp-defeats-republican-rick-berg-to-win-us-senate-race-in-north-dakota/2012/11/07/3b5d20ea-290e-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html Democrat Heidi Heitkamp defeats Republican Rick Berg to win US Senate race in North Dakota

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