Oklahoma Republican Party | |
|---|---|
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| Chairperson | Charity Linch |
| President pro tempore of the Senate | Lonnie Paxton |
| Speaker of the House | Kyle Hilbert |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Headquarters | Dewey F. Barlett Center 4031 N. Lincoln Blvd Oklahoma City 73105 |
| Membership(2023) |  1,154,464[1] |
| Ideology | Conservatism |
| National affiliation | Republican Party |
| Unofficial colors | Red |
| Statewide Executive Offices | 12 / 12 |
| Seats in theUnited States Senate | 2 / 2 |
| Seats in theUnited States House of Representatives | 5 / 5 |
| Seats in theOklahoma Senate | 40 / 48 |
| Seats in theOklahoma House of Representatives | 81 / 101 |
| Tribal Chiefs | 1 / 5 |
| Election symbol | |
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| Website | |
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TheOklahoma Republican Party is anOklahomapolitical party affiliated with theRepublican Party. Along with theOklahoma Democratic Party, 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'sU.S. House seats, bothU.S. Senate seats, thegovernorship, and has supermajorities in both houses of thestate legislature.
The Oklahoma Republican Party headquarters is located on North Lincoln Boulevard inOklahoma City.[2] Additionally, the state party has aTulsa office on East 51st Street.[2] They host the biennial state conventions in odd-numbered years, in which they elect executive officers and delegates to theRepublican National Committee.[2]
The state party coordinates campaign activities with Republican candidates and county parties and receives some funding from the national GOP organizations.
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 themRepublican political leanings of the time.[3] For most of Oklahoma history, the Oklahoma Republican Party has the fewest members in the oldIndian Territory or the area located in the Southeast.[3]
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.[4]
TheRepublican Party at the time of statehood in 1907 was not the party of most Oklahomans, but was the party of most African-Americans. RepublicanA. C. Hamlin was Oklahoma's first black legislator, serving in the first legislature of the new state.[5]
Republicans experienced a short-lived resurgence in the early 1920s, with the election ofJohn W. Harreld 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. TheOklahoma House of Representatives saw their first Republican majority and first RepublicanSpeaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923.[6] The first female member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives was a Republican.[7] Also, the first woman to preside over theHouse of Representatives,Alice Robertson, was from Oklahoma.
In the 1928 election, Republicans gained 26 new seats in theOklahoma House of Representatives due in part to the low popularity of the time of presidential candidate Al Smith and the incumbent governor's stumping on his behalf.[8] With a total of forty-seven seats, they were only five seats from having a majority.[8] With thirteen Democratic members, they elected a coalition Democratic Speaker over the incumbent speaker.[8]
But it was the 1930s orThe Great Depression 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.[3]
Beginning in the 1960s, the Oklahoma Republican party made gains in voter registration and state legislative seats.[9] Henry Bellmon won election as Oklahoma's first Republican governor in 1962, by appealing to Democratic voters and as an anti-corruption candidate.[10] Only 18 percent of Oklahomans were registered as Republicans at the time.[9]
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.[10] 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.[10] RepublicanDon Nickles succeeded Bellmon in 1980.
In 1990, black RepublicanJ.C. Watts was elected as Oklahoma's first black statewide officeholder, serving on theOklahoma Corporation Commission,[11] serving as a member of the commission from 1990 to 1995 and as chairman from 1993 to 1995.
After the2004 Presidential Election,Republicans gained control of theOklahoma House of Representatives for the first time since 1921.[12]
In 2010, Republicans increased their gains in theOklahoma House of Representatives and took majority control of theOklahoma Senate.[13] Furthermore, Republicans captured every statewide office and came within six percentage points of capturing the 2nd District (the only Congressional seat that it did not already hold); in 2012 it would capture that seat as well and gainsupermajority 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).[14]
After Joe Biden won the 2020 election andDonald Trump refused to concede while makingfalse claims of fraud, Oklahoma Republican Party head John R. Bennett said he would support a primary challenge against incumbent Oklahoma SenatorJames Lankford because Lankford refused to object to the certification of the Electoral College results in Congress.[15]
On July 27, 2021, theJewish Federation ofTulsa and GreaterOklahoma City denounced the Oklahoma Republican Party's use of the yellowStar of David in aFacebook post by the party. The picture included a yellowStar of David with the words "Unvaccinated" accompanied by numbers meant to bereminiscent of the numbers tattooed on victims of theHolocaust. The post called on party members to callLieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, who was actingGovernor of Oklahoma at the time, to call a special legislative session to pass legislation banningvaccine mandates. The post was denounced by many high-ranking members of the Oklahoma Republican Party includingGovernorKevin Stitt,Lt. GovernorMatt Pinnell,U.S. SenatorsJames Lankford &Jim Inhofe,U.S. CongressmanMarkwayne Mullin, and both theOklahoma Legislature's leadersGreg Treat andCharles McCall.[16] The post was also denounced in separate statements byOklahoma Superintendent of Public InstructionJoy Hofmeister and Oklahoma Republican Party Vice Chair Shane Jemison.[17] TheAmerican Jewish Committee and theJewish Federation also denounced theFacebook post.[18][19] On August 1, 2021, Oklahoma Republican Party ChairmanJohn 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.”[19] The same dayThe 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.[20] Some Republican groups supported Bennett including the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association President Don Spencer andTulsa County Republican Chairwoman Ronda Vuillemont-Smith.[21]
| Election year | No. of House seats | +/– | Governorship | No. of Senate seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1907 | 16 / 101 | 16 | Charles N. Haskell | 6 / 48 | 6 |
| 1908 | 39 / 101 | 23 | 10 / 48 | 4 | |
| 1910 | 26 / 101 |  13 | Lee Cruce | 13 / 48 | 3 |
| 1912 | 19 / 101 | 7 | 10 / 48 | 3 | |
| 1914 | 18 / 101 | 1 | Robert L. Williams | 6 / 48 | 4 |
| 1916 | 26 / 101 | 6 | 5 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1918 | 30 / 101 | 4 | James B.A. Robertson | 10 / 48 | 6 |
| 1920 | 73 / 101 | 43 | 17 / 48 | 7 | |
| 1922 | 14 / 101 | 59 | Jack C. Walton | 12 / 48 | 5 |
| 1924 | 24 / 101 | 10 | Martin Trapp | 6 / 48 | 6 |
| 1926 | 22 / 101 | 2 | Henry S. Johnston | 9 / 48 | 3 |
| 1928 | 47 / 101 | 25 | 10 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1930 | 10 / 101 | 37 | William H. Murray | 12 / 48 | 2 |
| 1932 | 4 / 101 | 6 | 5 / 48 | 7 | |
| 1934 | 7 / 101 | 3 | E.W. Marland | 1 / 48 | 4 |
| 1936 | 3 / 101 | 4 | 0 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1938 | 13 / 101 | 10 | Leon C. Phillips | 1 / 48 | 1 |
| 1940 | 7 / 101 | 6 | 2 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1942 | 24 / 101 | 17 | Robert S. Kerr | 4 / 48 | 2 |
| 1944 | 22 / 101 | 2 | 6 / 48 | 2 | |
| 1946 | 22 / 101 |  0 | Roy J. Turner | 6 / 48 | 0 |
| 1948 | 12 / 101 | 10 | 5 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1950 | 20 / 101 | 8 | Johnston Murray | 4 / 48 | 1 |
| 1952 | 13 / 101 | 7 | 6 / 48 | 2 | |
| 1954 | 19 / 101 | 6 | Raymond D. Gary | 5 / 48 | 1 |
| 1956 | 20 / 101 | 1 | 3 / 48 | 2 | |
| 1958 | 10 / 101 | 10 | J. Howard Edmondson | 3 / 48 | 0 |
| 1960 | 13 / 101 | 3 | 4 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1962 | 24 / 101 | 11 | Henry Bellmon | 6 / 48 | 2 |
| 1964 | 22 / 101 | 2 | 7 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1966 | 23 / 101 | 1 | Dewey F. Bartlett | 9 / 48 | 2 |
| 1968 | 22 / 101 | 1 | 10 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1970 | 22 / 101 | 0 | David Hall | 9 / 48 | 1 |
| 1972 | 23 / 101 | 1 | 10 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1974 | 23 / 101 | 0 | David L. Boren | 10 / 48 | 0 |
| 1976 | 20 / 101 | 3 | 10 / 48 | 0 | |
| 1978 | 24 / 101 | 4 | George Nigh | 11 / 48 | 1 |
| 1980 | 26 / 101 | 2 | 12 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 26 / 101 | 0 | 14 / 48 | 2 | |
| 1984 | 32 / 101 | 6 | 14 / 48 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 31 / 101 | 1 | Henry Bellmon | 17 / 48 | 3 |
| 1988 | 32 / 101 | 1 | 14 / 48 | 3 | |
| 1990 | 34 / 101 | 2 | David Walters | 12 / 48 | 2 |
| 1992 | 34 / 101 | 0 | 13 / 48 | 1 | |
| 1994 | 41 / 101 | 7 | Frank Keating | 17 / 48 | 4 |
| 1996 | 42 / 101 | 1 | 19 / 48 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 42 / 101 | 0 | 19 / 48 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 48 / 101 | 6 | 21 / 48 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 47 / 101 | 1 | Brad Henry | 22 / 48 | 1 |
| 2004 | 46 / 101 | 1 | 22 / 48 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 57 / 101 | 11 | 24 / 48 | 2 | |
| 2008 | 61 / 101 | 4 | 26 / 48 | 2 | |
| 2010 | 70 / 101 | 9 | Mary Fallin | 32 / 48 | 6 |
| 2012 | 72 / 101 | 2 | 36 / 48 | 4 | |
| 2014 | 72 / 101 | 0 | 40 / 48 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 75 / 101 | 3 | 40 / 48 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 76 / 101 | 1 | Kevin Stitt | 39 / 48 | 1 |
| 2020 | 82 / 101 | 5 | 39 / 48 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 81 / 101 | 1 | 40 / 48 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 81 / 101 | 0 | 40 / 48 | 0 |
Note:Lieutenant GovernorJari Askins provided tie breaking vote in the State Senate following the 2006 elections, giving Democrats a majority
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As of 2023, the Oklahoma Republican Party controls all 12 statewide executive offices and holds majorities in both theOklahoma Senate and theOklahoma House of Representatives; Republicans also hold both of the state'sU.S. Senate seats and all five of the state's U.S. House seats.[22]
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| District | Member | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Kevin Hern |  |
| 2nd | Josh Brecheen |  |
| 3rd | Frank Lucas |  |
| 4th | Tom Cole |  |
| 5th | Stephanie Bice | .jpg) |
As of 2019[update], there have been a total of six Republican Party Governors.
| # | Name | Picture | Lifespan | Gubernatorial start date | Gubernatorial end date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Henry Bellmon | | 1921–2009 | January 14, 1963 | January 9, 1967 |
| 19 | Dewey F. Bartlett | .jpg) | 1919–1979 | January 9, 1967 | January 11, 1971 |
| 23 | Henry Bellmon | | 1921–2009 | January 12, 1987 | January 14, 1991 |
| 25 | Frank Keating |  | 1944– | January 9, 1995 | January 13, 2003 |
| 27 | Mary Fallin |  | 1954– | January 10, 2011 | January 14, 2019 |
| 28 | Kevin Stitt | _(cropped).jpg) | 1972– | January 14, 2019 |
| Election | Gubernatorial candidate | Votes | Vote % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Frank Keating | 466,740 | 46.9% | Won Y |
| 1998 | Frank Keating | 505,498 | 57.9% | WonY |
| 2002 | Steve Largent | 441,277 | 42.6% | Lost N |
| 2006 | Ernest Istook | 310,327 | 33.50% | LostN |
| 2010 | Mary Fallin | 625,506 | 60.45% | WonY |
| 2014 | Mary Fallin | 460,298 | 55.80% | WonY |
| 2018 | Kevin Stitt | 644,579 | 54.33% | WonY |
| 2022 | Kevin Stitt | 639,484 | 55.45% | WonY |
