John Rizzo (politician)

John Joseph Rizzo (born October 3, 1980) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the Missouri Senate since January 2017. In 2020, Rizzo was elected by his colleagues to serve as Minority Floor Leader. Prior to his election into the Senate, Rizzo was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, serving the 19th and 40th districts from 2011 to 2017. In the House, Rizzo also served as Democratic Minority Whip.

John Rizzo
Minority Leader of the Missouri Senate
Assumed office
January 6, 2021
Preceded byGina Walsh
Member of the Missouri Senate
from the 11th district
Assumed office
January 4, 2017
Preceded byPaul LeVota
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
In office
January 9, 2013 – January 4, 2017
Preceded byEd Schieffer
Succeeded byIngrid Burnett
Constituency19th district
In office
January 5, 2011 – January 9, 2013
Preceded byJohn Patrick Burnett
Succeeded byJim Hansen
Constituency40th district
Personal details
Born (1980-10-03) October 3, 1980
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Lindsay
Children2
EducationRockhurst University (BA, BS)
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life, education and career

John J. Rizzo was born in Kansas City, Missouri on October 3, 1980 to Henry and Silvia Rizzo. His father was a Missouri State Representative from 1985 until 2002 and in recent years served as chairman of the Jackson County legislature. His mother, like her husband and son, was also a Jackson County legislator. He has one older brother, Tony, who works for the Kansas City Police Department.

Rizzo went on to earn his BA in English and BS in political science from Rockhurst University in his hometown.[1] At Rockhurst, Rizzo was on the board of directors of Old Northeast, Inc., a non-profit that worked to restore homes in the Old Northeast neighborhood of Kansas City. He also became a Jackson County Committeeman as a Young Democrat, serving Ward 11.

Upon his graduation, he was appointed to the board of directors at Truman Medical Centers, serving on the fiscal responsibility committee there until his election to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2011.[2]

Tenure

Rizzo is an opponent of Missouri's new "right-to-work" legislation arguing, "When you look at dollars and cents, I was told in politics years ago, when it's not about the money, it's about the money. I think we all know obviously what it's about. It's about lower wages.[3]

Rizzo has voted against setting a higher bar for discrimination lawsuits, tightening restrictions on lifetime government benefits and unemployment benefits as well as implementing voter identification laws. He has voted for an increase in the sales tax and against any cuts in income or corporate tax rates. His record indicates a pro-choice stance and support for an expansion of insurance coverage.[4]

Electoral history
Missouri's 40th House District election, 2006
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John P. Burnett 841 48.7
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 834 48.3
Democratic Christopher Hanf 51 3.0
Missouri's 40th House District election, 2008
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John P. Burnett 1,000 59.0
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 694 41.0
Missouri's 40th House District election, 2010
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 664 50.0
Democratic Will Royster 663 50.0
General election
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 2,373 66.7
Libertarian Sean O'Toole 1,187 33.3
Missouri's 19th House District election, 2012
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 870 100.0
General election
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 6,570 100.0
Missouri's 19th House District election, 2014
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 995 100.0
General election
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 2,115 100.0
Missouri's 11th Senate District election, 2016
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 4,571 46.2
Democratic Jessica Podhola 3,750 37.9
Democratic Anthony Banks 718 7.3
Democratic Mary Catherine DiCarlo 862 8.7
General election
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 33,071 52.2
Republican Brent Thurston Lasater 30,318 47.8
Missouri's 11th Senate District election, 2020
Primary election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 12,012 100.0
General election
Democratic John Joseph Rizzo 50,065 100.0

References
  1. "John Rizzo's Biography". Des Moines, IA: Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. "Meet John". John Rizzo: Democrat for Senate. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. "Right-to-work bill nears anticipated completion in Missouri legislature". Jefferson City, MO: Missourinet. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  4. "John Rizzo's Voting Records". Des Moines, IA: Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
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