Nico Rios is an American politician affiliated with the Republican Party. He has served as a representative for the 23rd district in the North Dakota House of Representatives since 2022, alongside Scott Dyk.[1][2]

Early life

Rios was born in Chicago, Illinois in October 1988 and raised in the South Side of the city.[3]

He moved to North Dakota in 2014 to pursue a career in the oil industry.[3]

Career

Prior to moving to North Dakota, Rios worked in Senator Ted Cruz's Washington, D.C., office. As of 2022, he was working as a wireline operator in Williston.

In April 2022, Rios was named as the 23rd Republican candidate for the ND House of Representatives.[4] Regarding the upcoming elections Rios said "The type of medical and economic tyranny we saw across the country due to covid made me want to do something", during his run for office.[5] On November 9, 2022, Rios won the election, which went unopposed, with his role as representative for the 23rd district becoming active from December 1, 2022.[6][7]

After Rios was arrested December 15, 2023 for driving under the influence (DUI), Republican House Majority Leader, Mike Lefor, state party officials, and local Republican Party leaders called for Rios to stand down, with the ND 23rd District GOP Executive Committee requesting his resignation.[8] After being sentenced to probation and a fine in January 2024,[7] Rios refused to resign, saying “My terrible decisions that night will not hinder my ability to represent and fight for the people of District 23.”[9]

On 2 February 2025, after Mexico instituted retaliatory tariffs in response to the Second Trump tariffs, Rios called for the overthrow of Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum in an antisemitic post on Twitter, calling for the CIA to "help Trump overthrow and kick this Jew out of power in Mexico".[10] This led to calls for his resignation.[11] The District 23 NDGOP executive committee adopted a vote of no confidence in Rios' ability to represent the district, and North Dakota Republican Party Chair Sandi Sanford condemned Rios' post and behavior.[12]

In February 2025, Rios filed a Resolution to be passed by the ND House "That North Dakota acknowledge the Kingship of Jesus Christ over all the world so that this great state may at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace, and harmony."[13]

Arrest

On December 15, 2023, Rios was pulled over at around 11:30 p.m. after he failed to stay in his lane.[14] In a police report, he was noted as being "verbally abusive, homophobic, racially abusive and discriminatory" toward an officer.[15][16] During the arrest, Rios told the officers that they would "regret picking on me because you don't know who the fuck I am."[17]

Rios was charged with driving under the influence and refusing to provide a chemical test.[16] He later pleaded guilty to drunk driving and was sentenced to nearly one year of unsupervised probation and a $1,000 fine.[18]

In an apology statement, he said that "I decided to act like a dummie. They did nothing to deserve any sort of disrespect. I owe it to myself, my district, and everyone and I vow to make sure this never happens again."[14]

Personal life

As of 2022, Rios and his wife Caroline had been married for 5 years.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Representative Nico Rios". North Dakota Legislative Branch. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Anthony, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Three Republicans elected to new legislative district west of Williston". KFYR-TV. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c rjean@willistonherald.com, Renée Jean (April 6, 2022). "District 23 begins taking shape for first election season". Williston Herald. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  4. ^ Anthony, Michael (April 8, 2022). "District 23 Republican candidates named for first legislative races". www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  5. ^ rjean@willistonherald.com, Renée Jean (April 6, 2022). "District 23 begins taking shape for first election season". Williston Herald. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  6. ^ Anthony, Michael (November 9, 2022). "Three Republicans elected to new legislative district west of Williston". www.kfyrtv.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police in DUI stop gets unsupervised probation and $1,000 fine". AP News. January 18, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  8. ^ "North Dakota lawmaker's district GOP echoes call on him to resign after slurs to police in DUI stop". AP News. December 30, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  9. ^ "GOP lawmaker caught hurling racist, homophobic abuse during DUI arrest". The Independent. December 23, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  10. ^ "Port: North Dakota lawmaker suggests overthrow of 'Jew' Mexican president". InForum. February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  11. ^ "Letter: It's time for Rep. Nico Rios to resign". InForum. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Achterling, Michael (February 10, 2025). "District, state Republican leaders denounce social media post by Rep. Nico Rios". North Dakota Monitor. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  13. ^ "North Dakota House Concurrent Resolution 3020". LegisScan. February 3, 2025. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Smart, Sara (December 24, 2023). "State lawmaker apologizes after homophobic, xenophobic remarks toward police officer during DUI stop". CNN. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  15. ^ Rissman, Kelly (December 24, 2023). "GOP lawmaker caught hurling racist, homophobic abuse during DUI arrest". The Independent. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Schladebeck, Jessica (December 23, 2023). "North Dakota lawmaker unleashes 'homophobic, racially abusive' tirade during drunk driving arrest: bodycam video". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "North Dakota Republican leaders call on state Rep. Nico Rios to resign after slurs to police during DUI stop - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. December 26, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  18. ^ "North Dakota lawmaker who insulted police in DUI stop gets unsupervised probation and $1,000 fine". AP News. January 18, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.

See also

Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nico_Rios
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