Local representative announces run for state Senate
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REXBURG — A local Idaho House representative is hoping to take over Sen. Brent Hill’s seat this November.
Shortly after Hill announced that he would not be running for re-election this year, Rep. Doug Ricks, R-Rexburg, announced his intent to run for Hill’s Senate seat. Ricks is still in his first term in the House.
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“I’ve always been interested in the possibility of running for the Senate. I certainly wasn’t expecting … it to come this quickly,” Ricks told EastIdahoNews.com. “But I figure this is a good time as any to jump in.”
Ricks narrowly defeated Rep. Ron Nate in the 2018 Republican Primary with 51 percent of the vote. He was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018.
“In the Senate, I think I can carry on and bring a sense of working together. I’ve strived hard to work together with other representatives on legislation and even senators,” Ricks said.
Ricks said by taking his experience in the House to the Senate, he will better represent the people in District 34.
“I’ll continue to work hard, and always strive to put their interests, people in the district, in the forefront of my mind. I don’t represent special interest groups. Every vote that I have has to do with what’s best for the folks back home and in the district,” Ricks said.
There are roughly seven weeks in the 2020 legislative session, and Ricks says he plans to continue to work on legislation.
Ricks recently introduced a bill addressing relief for wrongfully convicted Idahoans. He said he will continue to work on that bill as well as others.
“I’ve got several bills I’m working on,” Ricks said. “I run all day long trying to keep up and get the work done.”
By running for a Senate seat, Ricks is giving up his seat in the House. If he loses the Senate race, he will lose his place in the Legislature.
“That is the risk you run with the election coming up,” he said.
Ricks said he feels that it is an honor to serve in the Legislature.
“I look forward to this new journey and doing what I can to represent our folks back home,” he said.