The Oklahoma Republican Party is the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

state affiliate of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

(GOP). Along with the

Oklahoma Democratic Party The Oklahoma Democratic Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party. Along with the Oklahoma Republican Party, it is one of the two major parties in Oklahoma politics. The party dominated local politics in Oklahom ...

, it is one of the two major parties in the state. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all five of Oklahoma's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and has supermajorities in both houses of the

state legislature 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 Sta ...

Current structure and composition

The Oklahoma Republican Party headquarters is located on North Lincoln Boulevard 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, and ...

.Oklahoma Republican Party
(accessed May 11, 2013). Additionally, the state party has a

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...

office on East 51st Street. They host the biennial state conventions in odd-numbered years, in which they elect executive officers and delegates to the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in ...

. The state party coordinates campaign activities with Republican candidates and county parties and receives some funding from the national GOP organizations.

History

Territorial period through 1930s

The Oklahoma Republican Party takes its roots from the territorial period, gaining a larger portion of its support from the Northwestern part of the state, where migrants from the state of Kansas brought with them Republican political leanings of the time.Gaddie, Ronald
REPUBLICAN PARTY
, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society (accessed May 11, 2013) For most of Oklahoma history, the Oklahoma Republican Party has the fewest members in the old

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...

or the area located in the Southeast. Republicans held the American presidency during most of the territorial period, resulting in the appointments of Republican territorial governors. Despite the dominance of Republicans as governor and delegate, the two main parties had almost reached parity in the territorial legislature by statehood.Brown, Kenny
OKLAHOMA TERRITORY
, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture] (accessed May 11, 2013) The

at the time of statehood in 1907 was not the party of most Oklahomans, but was the party of most African-Americans. Republican

A. C. Hamlin Albert Comstock Hamlin (February 10, 1881 – August 29, 1912) was the first African American elected to the Oklahoma Legislature. He lost his re-election bid as a direct result of a constitutional amendment that prevented many black Oklahomans ...

was Oklahoma's first black legislator, serving in the first legislature of the new state. Republicans experienced a short-lived resurgence in the early 1920s, with the election of

John W. Harreld John William Harreld (January 24, 1872December 26, 1950) was a United States representative and Senator from Oklahoma. Harreld was the first Republican senator elected in Oklahoma and represented a shift in Oklahoma politics.Gaddie, Ronald Keit ...

in 1920 as the first Republican United States senator for the state of Oklahoma. During this time the Republican Party had gained a majority of the state's seats in United States Congress, attaining five of the nine seats available. 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 ...

saw their first Republican majority and first Republican

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions, but remains a rep ...

from 1921 to 1923. The first female member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives was a Republican. In the 1928 election, Republicans gained 26 new seats in the

due in part to the low popularity of the time of presidential candidate Al Smith and the incumbent governor's stumping on his behalf.A Century to Remember
(accessed May 11, 2013) With a total of forty-seven seats, they were only five seats from having a majority. With thirteen Democratic members, they elected a coalition Democratic Speaker over the incumbent speaker. But it was the 1930s or

The Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

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.

Late 20th century

Beginning in the 1960s, the Oklahoma Republican party made gains in voter registration and state legislative seats.Gaddie, Ronald Keith
Democratic Party
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013) Henry Bellmon won election as Oklahoma's first Republican governor in 1962, by appealing to Democratic voters and as an anti-corruption candidate.Hannemann, Carolyn G

, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013) Only 18 percent of Oklahomans were registered as Republicans at the time. Bellmon's term helped increase the image of Republicans in Oklahoma. Under his administration, total highway projects increased 46 percent over the previous administration and the first retirement system for state employees was created. Bellmon also oversaw the racial integration of Oklahoma schools and the court-ordered reapportionment of the state electoral districts. Bellmon won election to the United States Senate in 1968. Republican Don Nickles succeeded Bellmon in 1980. In 1990, black Republican

J.C. Watts Julius Caesar Watts Jr. (born November 18, 1957) is an American politician, clergyman, and athlete. Watts was a college football quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners and later played professionally in the Canadian Football League. He served in t ...

was elected as Oklahoma's first black statewide officeholder, serving on the

Oklahoma Corporation Commission The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is the public utilities commission of the U.S state of Oklahoma run by three statewide elected commissioners. Authorized to employ more than 400 employees, it regulates oil and gas drilling, utilities and teleph ...

, serving as a member of the commission from 1990 to 1995 and as chairman from 1993 to 1995.

21st century

2000s

After the 2004 Presidential Election, Republicans gained control of the

for the first time since 1921.

2010s

In 2010, Republicans increased their gains in the

and took majority control of 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.supermajority A supermajority, supra-majority, qualified majority, or special majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level of support which is greater than the threshold of more than one-half used for a simple majority. Supermajority ru ...

control of both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature. In 2015, the number of registered Republican voters overtook the number of registered Democratic voters for the first time in the state's history (as of January 15, 2015, there are 886,153 registered Republicans, 882,686 registered Democrats, and 261,429 independent voters).

2020s

After Joe Biden won the 2020 election and Donald Trump refused to concede while making false claims of fraud, Oklahoma Republican Party head John R. Bennett said he would support a primary challenge against incumbent Oklahoma Senator James Lankford because Lankford refused to object to the certification of the Electoral College results in Congress. On July 27, 2021 the Jewish Federation of

and Greater

denounced the Oklahoma Republican Party's use of the yellow

Star of David The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...

in a

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

post by the party. The picture included a yellow

with the words "Unvaccinated" accompanied by numbers meant to be reminiscent of the numbers tattooed on victims of the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

. The post called on party members to call

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, res ...

, who was acting

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 ...

at the time, to call a special legislative session to pass legislation banning

vaccine mandates A vaccination policy is a health policy adopted in order to prevent the spread of infectious disease. These policies are generally put into place by State or local governments, but may also be set by private facilities, such as workplaces or sc ...

. The post was denounced by many high-ranking members of the Oklahoma Republican Party including

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Kevin Stitt John Kevin Stitt (born December 28, 1972) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 28th governor of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he began his first term as governor in January 2019 and was reelected to a second te ...

, Lt. Governor

Matt Pinnell Philip Matthew Pinnell (born August 15, 1979) is an American politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, since 2019. Pinnell is also serving as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism & Branding. Pinnell is a member of the Re ...

U.S. Senators 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 ...

James Lankford &

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 Committ ...

, U.S. Congressman

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 Par ...

, and both the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 1 ...

's leaders

Greg Treat Greg Treat (born May 9, 1978) is an American Republican politician from Oklahoma and the current President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. He represents district 47, which includes parts of Oklahoma City, Edmond, Deer Creek, and Bethany. H ...

and

Charles McCall Charles Adelbert McCall III (born April 19, 1970) is an American politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party, he represents the 22nd House District, which is located in ...

. The post was also denounced in separate statements by

Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction The Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes called the Oklahoma State School Superintendent, is the chief executive officer for the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the president of the Oklahoma State Board of Edu ...

Joy Hofmeister and Oklahoma Republican Party Vice Chair Shane Jemison. The

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish o ...

and the Jewish Federation also denounced the

post. On August 1, 2021, Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman John Bennett defended his comments, saying “When they put that on the Jews, they weren’t sending them directly to the gas chambers, they weren’t sending them directly to the incineraries. This came before that," and “It’s not about the star. It’s about a totalitarian government.” The same day ''The Norman Transcript'' reported a majority of Republicans are unhappy with Bennett and that plans were in the works to remove him from office. Removal of a sitting chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party requires either the vice-chair or one of the other two national committee members to call for a vote for removal. After the vote, a 10 day notice is given before the state committee votes on the removal. Some Republican groups supported Bennett including the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association President Don Spencer and

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 ...

Republican Chairwoman Ronda Vuillemont-Smith.

Electoral history

Note:

Notable Oklahoma Republicans

, Oklahoma's first black state legislator after statehood * George B. Schwabe, first Republican

Bessie S. McColgin Amelia Elizabeth Simison McColgin (January 7, 1875 – July 9, 1972) was an American businesswoman and politician. A native of Kansas, she moved to western Oklahoma Territory in 1901. In 1920, she was the first woman elected to the Oklahoma Hous ...

, one of Oklahoma's first female state legislators *

, Oklahoma's first Republican U.S. Senator * Congresswoman Alice Mary Robertson, Oklahoma's first (and the nation's second) woman to be elected to Congress, first woman to defeat an incumbent congressman * Governor

Henry Bellmon Henry Louis Bellmon (September 3, 1921 – September 29, 2009) was an American Republican politician from the U.S. State of Oklahoma. A member of the Oklahoma Legislature, he went on to become both the 18th and 23rd governor of Oklahoma, ...

, Oklahoma's first Republican governor * Governor

Dewey F. Bartlett Dewey Follett Bartlett Sr. (March 28, 1919 – March 1, 1979) was an American politician who served as the 19th governor of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1971, following his fellow Republican, Henry Bellmon. In 1966, he became the first Roman Cat ...

* Governor Mary Fallin * Governor

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (initially born as David Rowland Keating) (born February 10, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five governors in Okl ...

* Choctaw chief

Green McCurtain Greenwood "Green" McCurtain (November 28, 1848 – December 27, 1910) was a tribal administrator and Principal Chief of the Choctaw Republic (1896–1900 and 1902–1906), serving a total of four elected two-year terms. He was the third of his bro ...

* Choctaw chief Gary Batton * Cherokee chief Ross Swimmer * Speaker of the Chickasaw Tribal Legislature

Lisa Johnson Billy Lisa Johnson Billy (born February 21, 1967) is a Chickasaw-American politician who represented Oklahoma House of Representatives District 42, which includes Cleveland, Garvin, Grady and McClain Counties, from 2004 to 2016. She served as dep ...

Edward P. McCabe Edward P. McCabe (October 10, 1850 – March 12, 1920), also known as Edwin P. McCabe, was a settler, attorney and land agent who became one of the first African Americans to hold a major political office in the American Old West. A Republican of ...

, founder of Langston, Oklahoma, leading figure to stimulate black migration into what was then the territory of Oklahoma * U.S. Senator Don Nickles *

Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...

, legendary

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

football coach (lost 1964 U.S. Senate election to

Fred R. Harris Fred Roy Harris (born November 13, 1930) is an American academic, author, and former politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States Senate from Oklahoma. Born in Walters, Oklahoma, Harris was elected to the Oklahoma Senate a ...

) * U.S. Representative

, Oklahoma's first black U.S. Representative * U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator Tom Coburn * U.S. Senator James Inhofe * Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Neal McCaleb * Historian Muriel Hazel Wright * Christian Evangelist Oral Roberts *

T.W. Shannon Tahrohon Wayne Shannon (born February 24, 1978) is an American banker and politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 62nd district from 2007 to 2015. In a ceremony on January 8, 2013, Shannon took the oath ...

, Oklahoma's first black

* Governor

Current elected officials

As of 2015 the Oklahoma Republican Party controls 11 out of the 12 statewide executive offices and holds majorities in both 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 ...

; Republicans also hold both of the state's U.S. Senate seats and all five of the state's U.S. House seats.

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

File:Jim Inhofe official portrait (cropped).jpg, Senior U.S. Senator File:James Lankford official Senate photo (cropped).jpg, Junior U.S. Senator

U.S. House of Representatives

State Officials

Statewide offices

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

* Secretary of State:

Brian Bingman Brian John Bingman (born December 9, 1953) is an American Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma serving as Secretary of State and Native American Affairs and was formerly the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate. He curr ...

* State Auditor and Inspector:

Cindy Byrd Cindy Byrd (born January 18, 1973) is an American accountant and politician. She has served as the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector since 2019. Byrd is from Coalgate, Oklahoma. She graduated from East Central University in 1997, earning a B ...

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

John M. O'Connor John Michael O'Connor (born December 5, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 19th Attorney General of Oklahoma, attorney general of Oklahoma between 2021 and 2023. O’Connor was previously a shareholder of Hall Estill ...

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

Randy McDaniel Randy McDaniel (born August 8, 1967) is an American politician who served as the Oklahoma State Treasurer from 2019 to 2023. A Republican, he was a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, for the 83rd district, from 2007 through 2019. ...

* Labor Commissioner:

Leslie Osborn Leslie Osborn (born October 17, 1963) is an American politician serving as the Oklahoma labor commissioner. She was previously a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2008 to 2018. Early life and career Leslie was born in Salin ...

* Insurance Commissioner: Glen Mulready * Corporation Commissioners: Bob Anthony, Todd Hiett and Dana Murphy

Legislative leadership

* President Pro Tem of the Senate:

**Senate Majority Floor Leader: Kim David *

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

**House Majority Floor Leader:

Josh West A. Joshua West (born 25 March 1977) is a dual citizen British-American Olympic rower and Earth Sciences professor. He is a two-time World Championship silver medalist, a World Championship bronze medalist, and a four-time Cambridge Blue, and r ...

City officials

* Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt * Tulsa Mayor

G. T. Bynum George Theron Bynum IV (born August 28, 1977) is an American politician and lobbyist from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, Bynum is the 40th mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to becoming mayor, he served as a city council ...

Republican Governors

, there have been a total of six Republican Party Governors.

References

External links

Oklahoma Republican Party Home Page

Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans

Oklahoma Republican Party Grassroots Platform 2005

Current Oklahoma Republican Elected Officials.

Lawton Politics

First person interview conducted on April 14, 2009 with Henry Bellmon. Original audio and transcript archived wit

{{State Republican Parties in the US Republican Party (United States) by state