Rick W. Allen

Richard Wayne Allen (born November 7, 1951) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the Republican Party's U.S. representative for since 2015. Georgia's 12th district is in East Central Georgia and favors Republicans by seven points according to the 2025 Cook Partisan Voting Index. Allen began his career as a project manager after graduating from Auburn in 1973 with a degree in building construction.

U.S. House of Representatives

Georgia's 12 district Georgia's 12th congressional district favors Republicans by seven points according to the 2025 Cook Partisan Voting Index.

Campaigns

In 2012, Allen ran in the Republican primary for the 12th district against three other candidates. He advanced to the runoff, but lost to state representative Lee Anderson, 49.7% to 50.3%. Anderson went on to lose the general election to the incumbent and Democrat John Barrow.

In 2013, Allen was the leading Republican challenging Barrow but was having fundraising challenges. In 2014, Allen spent "nearly a million dollars of his own money" and won a "five-way primary with 54% of the vote," thus making it to the general election. Barrow with 54.7% of the vote, a result considered an upset by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution even though the 12th district had been made significantly more Republican by redistricting. Barrow was "Georgia’s only remaining white Democrat in the House." Allen's race was well funded by Republicans, with almost a million coming from the conservative American Future Fund, which was partially sponsored by the Koch brothers. The Almanac summarized the financing of the election by writing that "Barrow outspent Allen $3.5 million to $2.5 million, but the nearly $4 million in national GOP assistance more than made up the difference."

In 2020, Allen was reelected with 58.4% of the vote. He ran against the Democratic candidate Elizabeth Johnson.

In 2022, Allen was endorsed by Trump in the primary, which he won as the incumbent. Allen was reelected with 59.6% of the vote. He ran against the Democratic candidate Elizabeth Johnson.

In 2024, Allen was reelected with 60.3% of the vote. He ran against the Democratic candidate Elizabeth Johnson.

Committee assignments For the 118th Congress: Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce

Caucuses Republican Study Committee Congressional Taiwan Caucus

Tenure In 2017, Allen was one of the Republican supporters of Executive Order 13769, also known as the "Muslim ban." In 2019, Allen was one of 34 House Republicans to vote with Democrats for a disaster relief bill that Trump opposed. In 2022, Allen voted against a bill that passed the House by 350–69. The bill directed the National Science Foundation to award merit-based grants to study "the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections."

Allen opposed the 2023 hardline GOP efforts to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House, which were led by Matt Gaetz. Allen's former legislative director, Katie Mercer, was reported to be working as a lobbyist for Walmart in 2023. Allen has been a supporter of construction at a MOX fuel facility in South Carolina, the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. He has an "F" rating from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his opposition to cannabis-related causes, including medical marijuana.

In 2025, Allen voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Economy In 2017, Allen voted in favor of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, also known as the Trump tax cuts. In 2022, Allen introduced legislation to expand the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act so that entrepreneurs would have access to the same resources as job seekers. Allen has proposed legislation to stymie environmental, social, and governance investing. In the second Trump administration, Allen supported a spending freeze from the Inflation Reduction Act despite $1.6 billion of private investment in his district associated with the law's passage. In so doing, "Allen claimed without evidence that the Biden administration had doled out money improperly." In 2025, Allen spoke approvingly of ending the carried interest loophole.

In response to the 2022 United States infant formula shortage, Allen was initially one of 2 Republicans to vote against the Formula Act, which passed the House in a 421–2 vote and would "temporarily suspend tariffs on baby formula imports." However, hours later, Allen said he mistakenly made the "no" vote and filed paperwork to change his vote.

2020 presidential election results Given the refusal to accept the 2020 election loss of Donald Trump by allies and supporters, Allen voted to reject the results in both Arizona and Pennsylvania immediately after the January 6th Capitol attack. He was one of 139 Republican House members who "heeded President Trump's calls" to object against certifying Biden as president.

Allen was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court that was aimed to prevent the electors of four states, including Georgia, from casting votes for Biden.

After the January 6th Capitol attack Allen sent the following text message to then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on January 8, 2021:

LGBT rights In 2015, Allen cosponsored a resolution to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Allen also cosponsored an amendment disagreeing with the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.

During a 2016 closed-door Republican meeting the morning after an amendment ("The LGBT provision, proposed by Democratic Rep.) Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, would have implemented a 2014 executive order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating by sexual orientation or gender identity" according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. A verse he read says of homosexuals, "they which commit such things are worthy of death." According to The New Civil Rights Movement, he told the assembled Republicans that they were "going to Hell" if they voted for the amendment. According to The Hill, Allen suggested supporting the provision was "defying Christian tenets." Several Republicans walked out, disgusted by the comments. An aide of Allen said that he "did not mention the upcoming vote on the Energy-Water spending bill or [the] amendment." In October 2023, Allen said he could not support Speaker of the House candidate Tom Emmer on the grounds that Emmer had previously supported a bill that would offer the same federal protections to same-sex couples as heterosexual couples.

Foreign policy In response to the 2017–2018 North Korea crisis, Allen reassured a group of Republican constituents that "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, knew 'exactly what to do.' "

In 2019, Allen was one of 60 representatives to vote against condemning President Trump's withdrawal from Syria.

In 2020, Allen voted against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, which would prevent the president from withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan without congressional approval.

In light of Russia's invasion, Allen initially supported Ukraine. In September 2023, Allen "voted against a security assistance bill ... becoming one of dozens of lawmakers" who had withdrawn some of their support for the "embattled nation."

Israel and Palestine Allen considers Jerusalem the "center of the universe." In a 410 to 12 vote, he voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack. In the context of the Gaza War, a prior 2023 hearing on antisemitism, and pro-Palestinian campus protests at Columbia and elsewhere, Allen addressed Columbia leaders including then president Nemat Shafik during a 2024 hearing. The title of the hearing was "Columbia University's Response to Antisemitism." Goldberg wrote that

Healthcare Along with 204 other Republicans in the House, Allen voted against the Mental Health Matters Act of 2022, "a bill that aimed to make mental health care in schools more accessible." Allen "expressed his discontent with the bill saying that 'This bill will only benefit trial lawyers and will lead to a reduction in mental health benefits as employers will have to divert money to pay attorneys' fees."

Apparent STOCK act violations In September 2021, an analysis by Business Insider found that Allen appeared to have violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act of 2012, or STOCK Act, by failing to list on his 2020 financial disclosure form stock holdings in seven companies, worth up to $140,000, that appeared on his 2019 annual financial disclosure form, as well as being about 15 months late in reporting a stock purchase made by his wife in June 2020.

In June 2024, an analysis by Raw Story found that Allen appeared to have violated the STOCK Act by being as much as six-and-a-half years late in reporting 136 stock and other financial transactions, worth up to $8.5 million, on his 2023 financial disclosure form. In response, a spokesperson for Allen blamed the reporting issues on a compliance firm hired by Allen, and stated that Allen had hired a new compliance firm "to ensure all trades have been properly reported." On February 27, 2025, community members numbering from 70 over 100, depending on the time of day, gathered for a sit-in outside of Allen's office in Augusta, Georgia. They protested for Allen to hold a town hall meeting and expressed concerns about the second presidency of Donald Trump and related legislation. Weeks later, in response to the protest, Allen stated that his practice of holding "digital town halls" would continue.

Personal life Allen lives in Augusta, Georgia, with his wife Robin. Allen has four children and 14 grandchildren. He is a Methodist and "active member" of Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church. Allen spent almost a million dollars of his own money on the 2014 Georgia Republican primary, which he won. Allen has participated in charity golf in support of First Tee. His only son, Andy, has worked as a foreign service officer with the State Department.