Monroe Nichols | |
|---|---|
 Nichols in 2016 | |
| 41stMayor of Tulsa | |
| Assumed office December 2, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | G. T. Bynum |
| Member of theOklahoma House of Representatives from the 72nd district | |
| In office November 17, 2016 – November 20, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Seneca Scott |
| Succeeded by | Michelle McCane |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Monroe Nichols IV (1983-09-24)September 24, 1983 (age 42) Waco, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Tulsa (BA) University of Oklahoma (MPA) |
| Football career | |
| Profile | |
| Position | Wide receiver (2002-2005) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bishop Louis Reicher Catholic School |
| College | University of Tulsa |
Monroe Nichols IV (born September 24, 1983) is an American politician who has served as theMayor ofTulsa, Oklahoma, since 2024. He previously served in theOklahoma House of Representatives representing the 72nd district from 2016 to 2024.
Nichols was born inWaco, Texas. He played football atBishop Louis Reicher Catholic School and theUniversity of Tulsa. After graduation, he worked inTulsa MayorKathy Taylor's administration. In 2008, he unsuccessfully ran for the 72nd district of theOklahoma House of Representatives, but in 2016 he won the election to represent the district. He was the firstAfrican American to represent the district and was reelected in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
In2024, Nichols was elected Mayor of Tulsa, the first African American elected to the position. He assumed office on December 2, 2024.
Monroe Nichols IV was born September 24, 1983, in Waco, Texas, to Ramona Curtis and Monroe Nichols III.[1][2] His father and uncle were bothpolice officers.[3] His mother was aparole officer and his grandfather was a pastor andUnited States Air Force veteran.[4] He later graduated high school fromBishop Louis Reicher Catholic School inWaco, Texas, where he played on his high school's football team as aquarterback.[5][6] He attended theUniversity of Tulsa where in 2002 he walked-on the football team aswide receiver.[5] After redshirting the2002 season, he played six games off the bench in2003. He then sat out the2004 season due to an injury.[1] As a senior in2005, Nichols played in 13 games, with 10 receptions for 114 yards.[7]
When interviewed about pursuing anNFL career in 2005, Nichols told theTulsa World he instead wanted to focus on politics and hoped to one day become Governor of his home state of Texas.[8] He graduated with a degree inpolitical science andeconomics.[9]In 2006, shortly after graduating from college Nichols was hired byTulsa mayorKathy Taylor to work on a crime initiative to prevent gang activity.[10] He worked again for Taylor as her campaign manager for the2013 Tulsa mayoral election.[11]
Nichols also worked as the chief of staff for former OU-Tulsa president Gerry Clancy, as an economic development manager at theOklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, and as a director of business retention and expansion programs for the Tulsa RegionalChamber of Commerce. In 2014, he cofounded the nonprofit ImpactTulsa.[3] From 2014 to 2016 he served on theTulsa Technology Center Board of Education.[12] Nichols also worked as the Director of Policy and Partnerships for StriveTogether, a nonprofit.[3]
Nichols first campaigned for the 72nd district of theOklahoma House of Representatives in 2008 while working in Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor's office. IncumbentDarrell Gilbert was term limited from seeking re-election.[13] He received 9% of the vote whileSeneca Scott and Christie Breedlove advanced to a runoff.[14]
Nichols was listed as one of over 30 individuals who filed for office with ties to education in 2016.[15]During the 2016 election, no Libertarian or independent candidate filed to run in district 72.[6]One Republican, Whitney Cole, filed to run in the district. However, Nichols filed a challenge to their candidacy and the Election Board removed them from the ballot, making the Democratic primary election the de facto election for the seat.[16] Maria Barnes, a former Tulsa city councilor, and Nichols were the only two candidates.[6] TheTulsa World endorsed Nichols in the 2016 Democratic primary election calling him a voice "for the future."[17]Nichols was also endorsed byKathy Taylor. He narrowly defeated Maria Barnes in the primary election.[18] On November 17, 2016, Monroe Nichols became the first African-American elected to represent Oklahoma House District 72.[3]
On May 1, 2017, Nichols co-hosted the first Hispanic Cultural Day at the state Capitol.[19]
In 2018, A.C. Forst challenged Nichols in the Democratic primary. Forst campaigned on being more politically moderate than Nichols.[20] Nichols was endorsed by theTulsa World and Tulsa RegionalChamber of Commerce.[21][22] Nichols won the Democratic primary and faced no general election opponent.[23]
In January 2020, Nichols was one of over 200 signatories askingTulsa mayorG.T. Bynum to not bringLive PD to Tulsa.[24] Later that month he was one of a group of lawmakers who criticized GovernorKevin Stitt for appointing members to theUniversity of Oklahoma board of regents who live outside of the state. All three members of the board appointed by Stitt had recently missed an eight hour board meeting.[25] In June, he called for the creation of a state level independent monitor to investigate police shootings and an Oklahoma law enforcement database to alert departments if an applicant had previously resigned from employment during an internal investigation and prior to being fired for cause.[26][27]
In 2020, Maria Barnes challenged Nichols in the Democratic primary for a second time.[28] TheTulsa World endorsed Nichols again for the 2020 election.[29] Nichols defeated Barnes with 69% of the vote in the Democratic primary. Republican Ismail A. Shan had been removed from the ballot after a challenge to his candidacy for living outside the district.[30] Therefore, Nichols was re-elected without a general election.[31]
During the 2020 election cycle Nichols also worked as a senior advisor for theMichael Bloomberg presidential campaign in Oklahoma.[32] He also endorsed Greg Robinson in the2020 Tulsa mayoral election.[9]
In May 2021, Nichols stepped down from theTulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission in protest of GovernorKevin Stitt's signing ofHB 1775, calling the bill "a direct shot in the face for all of us who have been working hard on the commission, for all of us who have been working toward recognition, reconciliation. I would have to say it was the most disruptive thing that a governor could have done. And Kevin Stitt did it with a smile on his face."[33]
While Nichols reportedly considered running in the2022 Oklahoma gubernatorial election, he declined after bothConnie Johnson andJoy Hofmeister announced their campaigns.[34] Nichols was re-elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives without opposition in 2022.[35] During the59th Oklahoma Legislature, Nichols authored legislation which allowed police officers to issue warnings to people with outstandingwarrants, instead of requiring anarrest.[3]
On July 13, 2023, Nichols announced he would not seek re-election in the House and would instead be a candidate in the2024 Tulsa mayoral election.[3][4] He faced Casey Bradford, Kaleb Hoosier, John Jolley,Karen Keith, Paul Tay, and Brent VanNorman in the first round of the election.[36] He was endorsed by theTulsa World andThe Black Wall Street Times.[37][38] He also got endorsements from formerGovernors of OklahomaBrad Henry andDavid Walters, as well as former mayorKathy Taylor.[39][40]
Nichols advanced to a runoff election alongside Keith, guaranteeing the office would flip fromRepublican to Democrat.[41] He won the runoff with over 55% of the vote and became the first Black mayor of Tulsa.[2][42]
Nichols took office December 2, 2024.[43] Weeks before, he announced several staff and named theTulsa Police Department's first public safety commissioner.[44]
In June 2025, Nichols signed a settlement agreement alongsideMuscogee Nation Principal ChiefDavid Hill to settle a lawsuit filed by the nation over the city's prosecution of tribal citizens. The agreement was praised byChuck Hoskin Jr., Principal Chief of theCherokee Nation, but was criticized by GovernorKevin Stitt.[45][46]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Seneca Scott | 559 | 42% | |
| Democratic | Christie Breedlove | 377 | 29% | |
| Democratic | Elverez Allen | 157 | 12% | |
| Democratic | Monroe Nichols | 122 | 9% | |
| Democratic | John Slater | 102 | 8% | |
| Total votes | 1,317 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Monroe Nichols | 927 | 51.99 | |
| Democratic | Maria Barnes | 856 | 48.01 | |
| Total votes | 1,783 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Monroe Nichols | 2,347 | 75.08 | |
| Democratic | A. C. Forst | 779 | 24.92 | |
| Total votes | 3,126 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Monroe Nichols | 1,655 | 68.93 | |
| Democratic | Maria Barnes | 746 | 31.07 | |
| Total votes | 2,401 | 100.00 | ||
Nichols was re-elected without opposition in2022.[35]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Nichols | 18,729 | 33.10 | |
| Karen Keith | 18,457 | 32.62 | |
| Brent VanNorman | 18,019 | 31.84 | |
| Casey Bradford | 823 | 1.45 | |
| John Jolley | 366 | 0.65 | |
| Kaleb Hoosier | 105 | 0.19 | |
| Paul Tay | 86 | 0.15 | |
| Total votes | 56,585 | 100.00 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe Nichols | 76,300 | 55.62% | |
| Karen Keith | 60,873 | 44.38% | |
| Total votes | 137,173 | 100.00 | |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor of Tulsa 2024–present | Incumbent |
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