Al McAffrey (born June 6, 1948) is an American politician from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

who served in the

Oklahoma Senate The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

, representing District 88. McAffrey unsuccessfully ran for the United States House of Representatives in 2014.

Early life, education and career

The son of a Baptist minister, McAffrey was raised in

Sulphur, Oklahoma Sulphur is a city in and county seat of Murray County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 4,929 at the 2010 census, a 3.4 percent gain over the figure of 4,794 in 2000. The area around Sulphur has been noted for its mineral springs, sin ...

, graduating from Sulphur High School in 1966. After graduating from Oklahoma State University in 1974, McAffrey enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served as a Navy Corpsman. Upon returning to Oklahoma, McAffrey joined the

Oklahoma City Police Department ) , formedyear = 1889 , formedmonthday = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 1,382 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = $226 million (2021) , nongovernment = , country ...

and later went on to own and operate several successful small businesses. He owns and operates OK Cremation & Mortuary Services.

Political career

After winning the Democratic party's three-way primary on July 25, 2006, McAffrey faced no Republican opposition and was sworn into the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

on the State's Centennial birthday on November 16, 2006. McAffrey was unopposed in 2008 and re-elected to a third term in 2010, winning the general election after defeating Republican challenger Dominique DaMon Block, Sr. with 69.6% of the vote. During his last term in the

, McAffrey served on the Public Health, Administrative Rules and Government Oversight, Public Safety and Economic Development, Tourism & Financial Services committees. He also served as assistant minority floor leader. On October 18, 2011, Sen.

Andrew Rice Andrew Monroe Rice (born April 23, 1973) is an American civic leader and politician from Oklahoma. He represented Senate District 46 in the Oklahoma State Senate. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for the United States Senate in 2008, los ...

(D–Oklahoma City) announced that he would resign from the Oklahoma Senate effective January 2012. McAffrey announced his candidacy for Rice's seat and won the special election on February 14, 2012. McAfrey defeated Republican Jason Reese, taking nearly 70% of the vote, and was sworn into office on February 22, 2012. McAffrey was the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives in 2014 in Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He unsuccessfully ran again in 2016.

Community service

McAffrey is a strong supporter of AIDS awareness. He is a board member of the Regional AIDS Intercommunity Network-Oklahoma (RAIN) and is serving on the Advisory Council for the AIDS Walk in Oklahoma City. He is also an active member of the Diversity Business Association.

Personal

An openly gay man, McAffrey was the first openly LGBT person elected to serve in the Oklahoma Legislature. A father of three daughters and grandfather of eight grandchildren, McAffrey lives in Oklahoma City. He is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral in Oklahoma City and is active in the Mesta Park Neighborhood Association. McAffrey also serves as a voting member of the Choctaw Nation. He resides in downtown Oklahoma City.

Electoral history

References

External links

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House of Representatives biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcaffrey, Al 1948 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century Native American politicians American LGBT military personnel Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Candidates in the 2016 United States elections American funeral directors Gay politicians LGBT state legislators in Oklahoma Living people Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma state legislators in Oklahoma Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators People from Konawa, Oklahoma People from Sulphur, Oklahoma Politicians from Oklahoma City United States Navy corpsmen Gay military personnel 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century American LGBT people