Rick Outman

Rick Outman (born December 15, 1963) is a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Michigan Senate, elected from the 33rd Senate district. He was a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 70th district, from 2011 to 2017. He was term limited out in 2017.

Early life, education, and business career Outman was born on December 15, 1963, in Lakeview, Michigan. He grew up in Montcalm County, Michigan. He received a bachelor's degree from Grand Valley State University. He is the owner and operator of Outman Excavating, a third-generation family business. He formerly was a member of the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, He was defeated in the primary election, coming in fourth place among six candidates. Thomas A. Ginster won the Republican nomination, Outman ran again in 2010 and defeated Huckleberry. Outman was elected to two additional terms in the state House,

In 2012, Outman voted in favor of a "right-to-work law" that barred labor unions from collecting fees from workers represented under collective bargaining agreements. In 2013, he voted against Medicaid expansion bill, which passed on a 76–31 vote (original version) and then a 75–32 vote (final version). Medicaid expansion was supported by almost every Democrat, but Republican members were split, with a little more than half voting no and the rest voting yes.

State Senate He was ineligible to run for reelection to the House in 2016 due to term limits, and was hired as a legislative staffer (district liaison) by Republican state Senator Judy Emmons at the end of 2016.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, Outman criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer for coronavirus restrictions.

In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump; Biden won by three percentage points in Michigan. Trump subsequently launched an effort to overturn the election result and remain in power. In January 2021, Outman was one of 11 Republican Michigan state senators who promoted Trump's false claims of fraud in the 2020 election; in a letter sent to Congress on January 6, 2021, ahead of the formal counting of the electoral votes, Outman and the other members of the group baselessly suggested that there were "credible allegations of election-related concerns surrounding fraud and irregularities."

As of 2022, Outman was chair of the Department of Health and Human Services sub-committee budget and the Environmental Quality Committee. He is married and has three children.