David Daniel Boren (born August 2, 1973) is the Secretary of Commerce for the
Chickasaw Nation, based in Oklahoma. He is a retired American politician, who served as the
U.S. Representative for from 2005 to 2013. The district included most of the eastern part of the state outside of
Tulsa. He is a member of the
Democratic Party. He also served as a
State Representative
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...
in the 28th district of the
Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Boren announced on June 7, 2011, that he would not seek re-election to the House in 2012. On June 19, 2012, he announced via a news release that he has been hired as President of Corporate Development for the
Chickasaw Nation, working to promote economic diversification upon completion of his term in Congress. In January 2020, Boren began his role as president and Chief Banking Officer of First United Bank, but returned to the Chickasaw Nation as Secretary of Commerce in May 2022. In June 2022, he was appointed to First United Bank's board of directors.
Early life, family, education and career
Boren was born in
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
, Oklahoma, the son of Janna Lou (née Little) and
David Lyle Boren, former
University of Oklahoma President and former
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex o ...
and
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and power ...
.
His paternal grandfather,
Lyle Boren
Lyle Hagler Boren (May 11, 1909 – July 2, 1992) was a U.S. Democratic Party politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma, serving from 1937 to 1947 and was defeated for renomination in the 1946 election. ...
, served in the U.S. Congress, representing southeastern Oklahoma (
Oklahoma's 4th congressional district
Oklahoma's 4th congressional district is located in south-central Oklahoma and covers (in whole or in part) a total of 15 counties. Its principal cities include Midwest City, Norman, Moore, Ada, Duncan, Lawton/Ft. Sill, and Ardmore. The d ...
) from 1937 to 1947. His maternal grandfather,
Reuel Little helped found the
American Party to support the 1968 presidential campaign of
George Wallace. His first cousin,
Janna Little, is married to former
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI), who was nominated for vice president at the
2012 Republican National Convention
The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the U.S. Republican Party during which delegates officially nominated former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin for president and vic ...
to be the running mate of
Mitt Romney.
Boren was a page in the US Senate in 1989. In 1997, he received a
B.S. from
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University (TCU) is a private research university in Fort Worth, Texas. It was established in 1873 by brothers Addison and Randolph Clark as the Add-Ran Male & Female College. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Discipl ...
(TCU) in
Fort Worth. He obtained an
MBA from the
University of Oklahoma in 2001. He was a member of
Kappa Sigma fraternity.
At the start of his career, Boren served on the staff of Congressman
Wes Watkins, worked as an education administrator and bank teller, and was a member of the staff of the
Oklahoma Corporation Commission for Denise Bode.
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Boren served in the
Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004, representing the 28th House District. He served as Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary. He also served on the Transportation Committee, Wildlife Committee, Appropriations and Budget Committee and the Energy Committee. He was a member of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee assignments
Boren, as of the
111th Congress, was a member of the following committees:
*
Committee on Armed Services
**
Subcommittee on Readiness
**
Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
*
Committee on Natural Resources Committee on Natural Resources may refer to:
* Philippine House Committee on Natural Resources, a committee of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
* United States House Committee on Natural Resources, a committee of the U.S. House of R ...
**
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
**
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
**Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs (Ranking Member)
*
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary commit ...
**
Subcommittee on Terrorism/HUMINT, Analysis and Counterintelligence
**
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
*
Committee on Financial Services
**
Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions
Boren served as co-chair and Whip for the
Blue Dog Coalition and co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus.
On May 15, 2008, Boren was elected to the board of directors of the
National Rifle Association. Boren said that he was a lifetime member of the NRA.
In November 2009, Boren voted along with 39 other Democrats against the
Affordable Health Care for America Act
The Affordable Health Care for America Act (or HR 3962) was a bill that was crafted by the United States House of Representatives of the 111th United States Congress on October 29, 2009. The bill was sponsored by Representative Charles Rangel. ...
. Boren also voted against the final bill, in March. He said "only 17 percent of my constituents supported the bill." In January 2011, Boren was one of 3 Democrats to vote with the unified Republican caucus for its repeal.
Boren, along with Walter Jones, R-N.C., led the U.S. House military depot caucus in 2011. The group of House members focuses on policy issues affecting military facilities including aviation depots, shipyards, arsenals, ammunition plants and energetic material production facilities.
Military issues
On July 10, 2007, Boren was one of ten Democrats to vote against a bill to withdraw troops by April 1, 2008.
Later that month, he announced his opposition to the
2007 Iraq troop surge.
In January 2009, along with all other members of the Oklahoma congressional delegation, Boren said he opposed President Obama's decision to close the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Legislation
Dan Boren was a sponsor of several pieces of legislation including HR 1676 (110th): Native American Home Ownership Opportunity Act of 2007, HR 4544 (110th): Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008. HR 4154 (112th): SAVE Native Women Act, HR 2550 (112th): Spouses of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act, HR 2444 (112th): Department of the Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act of 2011 and HR 1330 (111th Congress): Colorectal Cancer Screening and Detection Coverage Act of 2009.
Retirement
On June 7, 2011, ''
The Oklahoman'' announced that "Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in Oklahoma's seven-person congressional delegation, will not seek re-election in 2012, setting up what could be an intense partisan battle for a seat that spans much of eastern Oklahoma."
On June 12, 2012, Boren announced that following his final term in office, he would join the
Chickasaw Nation as the President of Corporate Development. He later became the President and Chief Banking Officer for First United Bank in the state of Oklahoma.
On May 9, 2022, Boren was appointed as Secretary of Commerce for the Chickasaw Nation by Governor
Bill Anoatuby as the replacement for Bill Lance former Secretary of Commerce who was appointed to be Chickasaw Secretary of State
Political campaigns
In
2004 United States House of Representatives elections
The 2004 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 2, 2004 to elect all 435 seats of the chamber. It coincided with the reelection of President George W. Bush as well as many Senate elections and gubernatorial elect ...
, Boren ran for Oklahoma's second
congressional district
Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
to succeed fellow Democrat
Brad Carson, who was retiring from the House to
run for the United States Senate. He won the primary with 58% of the vote, and then defeated
Republican candidate Wayland Smalley in the general election by more than 85,000 votes (66% to 34%) and was inaugurated in the
109th Congress in January 2005. Boren was one of only two politicians endorsed by
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...
singer
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's '' Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 19 ...
, the other being President
George W. Bush. Boren was reelected in 2006, 2008 and 2010. In 2010, Boren was challenged in the Democratic primary by State Senator
Jim Wilson, who ran as a more liberal candidate, but Boren won with over 75% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Republican Charles Thompson by a margin of 13%, despite the Republican wave that swept the nation that year.
Boren was known as one of the most conservative Democrats in Congress, but his conservatism fit the political demographics of his district. The 2nd was once a Democratic stronghold, but has become increasingly friendly to Republicans as Tulsa's suburbs have begun to encroach on the district and the rural areas have trended right.
The district has voted for the Republican candidate in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Presidential elections, by double-digit margins in the latter two years.
Additionally, the Democrats in the district tend to be more socially and fiscally conservative than their national counterparts.
Boren considered a run for
Governor of Oklahoma
The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex o ...
in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
before deciding to stay in his position with the Chickasaw Nation.
Electoral history
Business career
After leaving Congress in 2013, Boren began work as President of Corporate Development for the Chickasaw Nation. He held this position until December 2019, when he was named Chief Banking Officer and Oklahoma President of
First United Bank, one of the largest banking institutions in the Southwest. He returned to the Chickasaw Nation as Secretary of Commerce in May 2022, succeeding Bill Lance. In June 2022, Boren was appointed to First United Bank's board of directors.
Personal life
Boren is married to Andrea Heupel, who is the sister of
Josh Heupel, the former starting
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
who led the
Oklahoma Sooners
The Oklahoma Sooners are the sport, athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman, Oklahoma, Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early part ...
to win the
2000 BCS National Championship.
Josh Heupel is now the head football coach at the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...
. Boren and his family recently moved to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...
with their two children. Boren is a member of the
Episcopal Church.
See also
*
"30 Something" Working Group
References
External links
*
Representative Dan Boren''official U.S. House website''
Congressman Dan Boren''official campaign website''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boren, Dan
1973 births
21st-century American politicians
American United Methodists
Boren family
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma
Living people
Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
People from Shawnee, Oklahoma
Politicians from Muskogee, Oklahoma
Texas Christian University alumni
University of Oklahoma alumni