Nathan Ryan Dahm (born January 27, 1983) is an American politician who has served as the Oklahoma State Senator for the 33rd district since 2012. Prior to holding office, Dahm worked as a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and was a

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

activist in

Tulsa County Tulsa County is located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 669,279, making it the second-most populous county in Oklahoma, behind only Oklahoma County. Its county seat and largest city is Tulsa, the secon ...

. Dahm has thrice unsuccessfully sought federal office: first running for

Oklahoma's 1st congressional district Oklahoma's 1st congressional district is in the northeastern corner of the state and borders Kansas. Anchored by Tulsa, it is largely coextensive with the Tulsa metropolitan area. It includes all of Tulsa, Washington and Wagoner counties, and ...

in 2010, then running for Oklahoma's 1st congressional district again in 2018, and then running for retiring Senator

Jim Inhofe James Mountain Inhofe ( ; born November 17, 1934) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Oklahoma, a seat he was first elected to in 1994. A member of the Republican Party, he chaired the U.S. Senate Commit ...

United States Senate 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 pow ...

seat in 2022. He is

term-limited A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

in 2024.

Early life and political activism

Dahm was born in

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County, with a portion in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 census, Broken Arrow has a popul ...

on January 27, 1983. In 1994, his family moved to

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

motivated by a desire to

proselytize Proselytism () is the policy of attempting to convert people's religious or political beliefs. Proselytism is illegal in some countries. Some draw distinctions between ''evangelism'' or '' Da‘wah'' and proselytism regarding proselytism as invol ...

in a former communist country. Dahm graduated from

Abeka Abeka Book, LLC, known as A Beka Book until 2017, is an American publisher affiliated with Pensacola Christian College (PCC) that produces K-12 curriculum materials that are used by Christian schools and homeschooling families around the world. ...

Christian Academy Home School in 2001. After graduation, Dahm moved back to

to continue working as a missionary and later became dean of the Biblical school affiliated with his mission. He served as dean from 2003 to 2007. He is fluent in

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...

. After returning to Oklahoma, Dahm was active in the

Republican Party. In 2008, Dahm filed to run for

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 ...

district 75, but was later struck from the ballot. In 2010, he spoke at

rallies in

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

while campaigning for

against incumbent John Sullivan. During the campaign, Dahm supported abolishing the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

. Dahm placed 3rd in the six candidate primary, with Sullivan garnering a majority vote and avoiding a runoff. The same year, he served as the vice-chair of the Tulsa County Alliance of Young Republicans and helped organize

anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life or abolitionist movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in respons ...

rallies in Tulsa. On February 8, 2011, Dahm filed to run for Broken Arrow City Council. He withdrew his candidacy three days later.

Oklahoma Senate

Nathan Dahm served in the 54th Oklahoma Legislature,

55th Oklahoma Legislature The Fifty-fifth Oklahoma Legislature was the 2015 meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, which began with an organizational day on January 6, 2015. The first session met in February 2015 in the Oklahoma State C ...

56th Oklahoma Legislature The Fifty-sixth Oklahoma Legislature was the most recent meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from January 3, 2017, to Janua ...

57th Oklahoma Legislature The Fifty-seventh Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It met in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2021, d ...

, and the

58th Oklahoma Legislature The Fifty-eighth Oklahoma Legislature is the current meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma, composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. It meets in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from January 3, 2021, to January 3, ...

Election and first term

After the 2010 census,

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.Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

to Broken Arrow, creating an open seat. In 2012, the first election after redistricting, Dahm filed to run in the new Oklahoma Senate district 33. Four

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidates - Nathan Dahm, Cliff Johns, Don P. Little, and Tim Wright - filed for the office. Tim Wright led with 38% of the vote in the primary over Dahm's 36%, but both advanced to the runoff. Dahm won the runoff and the seat since no other party contested the race. No Republican had won election in Senate district 33 since 1923. During the first session of the 54th Oklahoma Legislature in 2013, Dahm introduced numerous gun bills, including a bill penalizing the enforcement of federal government gun restrictions in OklahomaKrehbiel, Randy.
Bill would defy federal guns law
," ''

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...

'', January 18, 2013. Dahm also introduced legislation in the Senate to penalize the enforcement of and nullify the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

in Oklahoma.Greene, Wayne.
Bills seek opposite health law demands
," ''

'', January 26, 2013. In the second session of the 54th Oklahoma Legislature in 2014, Dahm introduced the "Piers Morgan Constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms Without Infringement Act" which would allow

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

to be openly carried without a permit. Talk show host

Piers Morgan Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan (; né O'Meara; born 30 March 1965) is a British broadcaster, journalist, writer, and television personality. He began his Fleet Street career in 1988 at '' The Sun''. In 1994, aged 29, he was appointed editor of the ...

invited him onto ''

Piers Morgan Live ''Piers Morgan Live'' (formerly known as ''Piers Morgan Tonight'') was an American television talk show that was hosted by Piers Morgan and broadcast on CNN. The show premiered on January 17, 2011, and filled in the former ''Larry King Live'' ti ...

'' to debate the legislation. Dahm sponsored legislation in the Oklahoma Senate that would subject physicians performing

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

s to

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

charges and revocation of their medical licenses. It passed the Senate, 33–12, on May 19, 2016. The bill was

veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...

ed by Republican Governor

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

Second term

In 2017, Dahm was rated the most conservative senator in the Legislature of Oklahoma by the ''Oklahoma Constitution'', a conservative quarterly newspaper, and named “senate legislator of the year” by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, a conservative think tank based in

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, a ...

Third term

He was re-elected by default in 2020. In 2022, Senator Dahm sponsored Senate Bill 1166, which if passed would have prevented individuals charged for participation in the

2021 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in pow ...

from being transported into or through Oklahoma. Dahm is an opponent of

sanctuary city Sanctuary city (; ) refers to municipal jurisdictions, typically in North America, that limit their cooperation with the national government's effort to enforce immigration law. Leaders of sanctuary cities say they want to reduce fear of deport ...

policies. He has sponsored legislation to ban sanctuary cities in Oklahoma twice. Once in 2020 and another time in 2021. Dahm has filed senate resolution 47, which could officially recognize June 14, as "President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

day". June 14 is Trump's birthday. The bill never received a floor vote. In January 2023, Dahm filed a bill to declare a state of emergency and prohibit any medical entity that provides gender affirming healthcare from receiving any federal, state, or municipal funding whatsoever, even if the funding is not for said care. Dahm was reported as stating that this was to "end the practice of gender destruction in our state". He filed a resolution to prevent 100 Ukrainian troops from training in Oklahoma, saying locals could be killed by errant rockets, and that the Ukrainian troops' presence would bring "unaccountable spending, corruption, and potential money laundering." The resolution was condemned by the U.S. Senate Republicans. Later he filed a bill to host peace talks for the conflict in Oklahoma. In March, he appeared on

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...

's television show ''

The Problem with Jon Stewart ''The Problem with Jon Stewart'' is an American late night current affairs television series hosted by Jon Stewart on Apple TV+. Each episode focuses on a single issue. The series premiered on September 30, 2021. The second season premiered on ...

'' to debate

gun control in the United States Gun politics within American politics is defined by two primary opposing ideologies about civilian gun ownership. Those who advocate for gun control support increased regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose increas ...

. On May 6, 2023 he was elected to a two year term as the chairman of the

Oklahoma Republican Party The Oklahoma Republican Party is the Oklahoma state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party (GOP). Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the dominan ...

after defeating incumbent A.J. Ferate and former state senator Sean Roberts in the leadership election.

2018 congressional election

On May 5, 2017, Dahm announced his candidacy for Representative of

. On June 28, 2018, he lost the Republican Primary for the seat by garnering 20.2% of the vote. Dahm missed advancing to the run-off by 2%.

2022 Senate election

On September 28, 2021, Dahm announced his candidacy for the 2022 United States Senate election in Oklahoma, challenging incumbent Republican senator

James Lankford James Paul Lankford (born March 4, 1968) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2015. ...

. On February 28, 2022, Dahm announced he would instead run in the concurrent special election for

's open Senate seat, upon news of his resignation. He placed third in the primary, as

Markwayne Mullin Mark Wayne "Markwayne" Mullin (born July 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional mixed martial arts fighter, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Oklahoma since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, ...

and T. W. Shannon advanced to a runoff election.

Electoral history

Nathan Dahm was unopposed in the 2012 general election since no other party or independent filed for the race. Nathan Dahm was unopposed for reelection in the 2020 Republican primary and general election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahm, Nathan 1983 births 21st-century American politicians Activists from Oklahoma American anti-abortion activists American gun rights activists American Christian missionaries Candidates in the 2010 United States elections Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Candidates in the 2022 United States Senate elections Living people Republican Party Oklahoma state senators People from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma Tea Party movement activists