Oklahoma Republican Party

Oklahoma Republican Party
Chairperson	Matt Pinnell
Senate Leader	Brian Bingman (Sapulpa)
House Leader	Kris Steele (Shawnee)
Founded	1907
Headquarters	Dewey F. Barlett Center 4031 N. Lincoln Blvd Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Ideology	Social conservatism, Fiscal conservatism, Economic liberalism, Libertarian conservatism
Unofficial colors	Red
Political position	Fiscal: Center-right Social: Center-right
Seats in the US Senate	2 / 2
Seats in the US House	4 / 5
Oklahoma statewide offices held	11 / 11
Seats in the OK Senate	32 / 48
Seats in the OK House	70 / 101
Website
Oklahoma Republican Party
Politics of Oklahoma Elections

The Oklahoma Republican Party is a political party affiliated with the United States Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics.

History

The Oklahoma Republican Party takes its roots from the territorial period, gaining most of its support from the Northwestern part of the state, where migrants from the state of Kansas brought with them the "Jay hawker" tradition of Republican Politics. Traditionally the Republican Party is weakest in the old Indian Territory or the area located in the Southeast. Republicans had held seats in congressional offices before the 1920s, but they had never held a seat in the senate. It was not until the 1920 election, that John W. Harreld became the first ever Republican U.S. Senator for the state of Oklahoma. During this time the Republican Party had also received the majority of the seats in congress, attaining five of the nine seats available. But it was the 1930s or The Great Depression that would prove to be the most troublesome for Republicans in Oklahoma. It was during this time that Republican voters had shifted their support to the revitalized Democratic Party.

The Golden Age

Henry Bellmon

In the early 1960s Oklahoma, and the Republican Party headed by Henry Bellmon, had seen a dramatic shift in the political layout of Oklahoma. From the Democratic Party receiving the majority of the votes in nearly every election for governor and the U.S. Senate, to the Republican Party becoming the front runner in almost every election since 1964. Although the party had Achieved great success in the governor and Senate elections, the Democratic Party continued its success in the state legislative and county office elections.

Voter base

Republican voters in Oklahoma tend to be Christian social conservatives, and they tend to be from rural and suburban communities outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

Headquarters and leadership

The headquarters of the Oklahoma Republican Party is located at 4031 North Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. Matt Pinnell is the 37th and current party chairman. He was first elected on April 14, 2007.

Famous Oklahoma Republicans

Don Nickles

• Governor Henry Bellmon
• Governor Dewey F. Bartlett
• Governor Frank Keating
• U.S. Senator Don Nickles
• Bud Wilkinson, legendary University of Oklahoma football coach (lost 1964 U.S. Senate election to Fred R. Harris)
• U.S. Representative J.C. Watts
• U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn

Current elected officials

As of 2011 the Oklahoma Republican Party controls all 12 statewide offices and holds supermajorities in both the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives; Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and four of the state's five U.S. House seats.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

Jim Inhofe,

• James Inhofe
• Dr. Tom Coburn

U.S. House of Representatives

• OK-01: John Sullivan
• OK-03: Frank Lucas
• OK-04: Tom Cole
• OK-05: James Lankford

State Officials

Statewide offices

Mary Fallin official 110th Congress

• Governor: Mary Fallin
• Lieutenant Governor: Todd Lamb
• Secretary of State: Glenn Coffee
• State Auditor and Inspector: Gary Jones
• Attorney General: Scott Pruitt
• Treasurer: Ken Miller
• State School Superintendent: Janet Barresi
• Labor Commissioner: Mark Costello
• Insurance Commissioner: John Doak
• Corporation Commissioners: Bob Anthony, Patrice Douglas and Dana Murphy

Legislative leadership

• President Pro Tem of the Senate: Brian Bingman
  • Senate Majority Leader: Mike Shultz
• Speaker of the House: Kris Steele
  • House Majority Leader: Dale DeWitt

City officials

• Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett
• Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett
• Muskogee Mayor John Tyler Hammons

See also

• Oklahoma
• Oklahoma Democratic Party
• Oklahoma's congressional districts
• Politics of Oklahoma
• Republican Party

External links

• Oklahoma Republican Party Home Page
• Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans
• Oklahoma Republican Party Grassroots Platform 2005
• Current Oklahoma Republican Elected Officials.
• Oklahoma Historical Society page listing Oklahoma Governors.
• Lawton Politics
• Voices of Oklahoma interview with Henry Bellmon. First person interview conducted on April 14, 2009 with Henry Bellmon. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.