James Lankford | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Official portrait, 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator fromOklahoma | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 Serving with Markwayne Mullin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Tom Coburn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma's5th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Mary Fallin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Steve Russell | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Paul Lankford (1968-03-04)March 4, 1968 (age 57) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | University of Texas at Austin (BS) Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (MDiv) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Paul Lankford (born March 4, 1968) is an AmericanSouthern Baptistminister and politician serving as theseniorUnited States senator fromOklahoma, a seat he has held since 2015.[a] A member of theRepublican Party, he representedOklahoma's 5th congressional district in theU.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015.
From 1996 to 2009, Lankford was president of theFalls Creek Baptist Conference Center, a youth camp operated by theBaptist General Convention of Oklahoma. He is an ordained Southern Baptist minister. In2010, Lankford ran forOklahoma's 5th congressional district. In the Republican primary, he defeatedstate representativeKevin Calvey in arunoff, and he defeatedDemocratic nominee Billy Coyle in the general election. Lankford was reelected in2012; shortly thereafter, he was named chair of theHouse Republican Policy Committee.
In lieu of running for a third term in the House, Lankford announced he would run in the2014 U.S. Senate special election following SenatorTom Coburn's planned resignation. He won the June 2014 primary with 57% of the vote, becoming the Republican nominee. Lankford won the special election with nearly 68% of the vote, defeating Democratic nomineeConnie Johnson. He was reelected in2016 with nearly 68% of the vote and in2022 with 64% of the vote. Lankford became the state'ssenior senator in 2023, when SenatorJim Inhofe retired.
Lankford was born March 4, 1968, inDallas, Texas,[2] the son of Linda Joyce (née House) and James Wesley Lankford.[3][4] His mother was an elementary schoollibrarian.[5] His maternal grandparents owned a small dry-cleaning business, his father and paternal grandparents a dairy farm.[6] His stepfather was a career employee ofAC Delco, the parts division ofGeneral Motors.[6]
Lankford's parents divorced when he was four; he lived with his mother and older brother for a time in his grandparents' garage apartment. He became aChristian at eight. His mother remarried when he was twelve, and the family moved toGarland, Texas, with his stepfather.[5]
Lankford attendedLakeview Centennial High School in Garland. While there, he participated in theClose Up Washington civic education program. He earned aBachelor of Science degree insecondary education (specializing in speech and history) from theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1990, and aMaster of Divinity degree fromSouthwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994.[5] Lankford is an ordained Southern Baptist minister.[7]
Lankford moved to Oklahoma in 1995.[8] He was president of theFalls Creek Baptist Conference Center, a youth camp operated by theBaptist General Convention of Oklahoma, from 1996 to 2009.[9] Lankford stepped down from his position at Falls Creek in 2009 to run for Congress.[8][10]
After two-term incumbent RepublicanMary Fallin announced she was giving up her seat to run forgovernor of Oklahoma, Lankford entered the race to succeed her.[2] He finished first in a seven-way Republican primary—the important contest in this heavily Republican district—and defeated formerState RepresentativeKevin Calvey in the runoff.[11] He then defeated Democrat Billy Coyle in the general election with 62.53% of the vote.[5][12][2]
Lankford defeated Democrat Tom Guild with 59% of the vote in 2012.[13] Following the election, he was named chairman of theHouse Republican Policy Committee.[14][15]
In January 2014, Lankford announced he would run in the2014 Senate special election to succeed retiring Republican SenatorTom Coburn.[18] Lankford won the June 2014 Republican primary, defeating former state House speakerT.W. Shannon and former state senatorRandy Brogdon.[19] In November, Lankford won the election for the final two years of Coburn's second term, defeating retiring state senatorConstance N. Johnson, 67.9%-29.0%. Independent candidate Mark Beard won the remaining 3.2% of the vote.[20]
Lankford was elected to a full six-year term in the Senate in 2016, defeating Democratic consultant Mike Workman with 68% of the vote.[21]
On April 6, 2021, Lankford announced he would seek reelection.[22] He was reelected with 64% of the vote.[23]
Lankford was sworn into office on January 6, 2015, byVice PresidentJoe Biden.[24]
On December 21, 2017, Lankford was one of six senators to introduce the Secure Elections Act, which would authorize block grants to states to update outdated voting technology.[25]
Lankford became the senior U.S. senator from Oklahoma in 2023 upon the retirement of SenatorJim Inhofe.[26][27]
Lankford was the lead Senate Republican negotiator on a bipartisan bill intended to resolve theMexico–United States border crisis. House Republicans were skeptical of the bill before the text was released, and Senate Republicans also swiftly turned against the bill upon its release on February 4, 2024, afterDonald Trump said he did not wantPresident Joe Biden to score a political win with it. On February 7, Senate Republicans blocked the bill in a floor vote, with only four of the 14 Republican votes needed in favor. Lankford said on the floor before the vote that a "popular commentator" had told him a month earlier, "If you try to move a bill that solves the border crisis during this presidential year, I will do whatever I can to destroy you, because I do not want you to solve this during the presidential election." Two days before the vote, Trump told a radio host, "This is a very bad bill for his career", while also falsely asserting he had never endorsed Lankford.[28] TheOklahoma Republican Party censured Lankford days before the bill was released, asserting he was "playing fast and loose" with Democrats.[29] TheNational Border Patrol Council, a union representing 18,000 border patrol officers, quickly endorsed the bill upon its release; the union had endorsed Trump in 2020 and sharply criticized Biden's border policies.[30]
In 2025, Lankford voted for theBig Beautiful Bill championed by the Trump administration after it passed the House. The bill cuts funding forMedicaid and adds a work requirement for those receiving benefits.[31] It also adds a "projected $3.3 trillion to thenation's debt over a decade".[32] An estimated 110,000 Oklahomans would lose healthcare coverage,[33] while the wealthiest households would see the largest tax breaks.[34] An Oklahoma Policy Institute spokesperson said the bill would give the largest tax breaks to the top 1% of earners.[35] Oklahoma doctors spoke out against the cuts to Medicaid.[36]
Lankford supports budget austerity through lowering taxes and reducing government spending.[40] He took the taxpayer protection pledge promising to support no new taxes.[40] He supports the repeal of the income and estate taxes and supports a sales tax to tax consumption and not savings or earnings.[40]
In 2014, Lankford was endorsed by theNRA Political Victory Fund and had an "A" grade from the group.[41][42][43] Lankford supports loosening restrictions on interstate gun purchases.[40] He opposesfirearm microstamping, a controversial method of imprinting casings with a unique marking to match it with a specific firearm, and would allow veterans to register unlicensed firearms.[40]
After the 2018Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in which the perpetrator used aSmith & Wesson M&P15AR-15 style rifle to kill 17 and wound 17 others, Lankford said onNBC News'Meet the Press that he was open to requiring more comprehensivebackground checks for firearm purchases, saying, "The problem is not owning anAR-15, it’s the person who owns it."[44][45][46]
Lankford opposed a 2018 ballot measure tolegalize medical marijuana in Oklahoma, calling it "harmful to the social fabric of Oklahoma" and arguing that it would have a "dramatic effect on our families and our schools and our businesses and the future of our state".[47][48] He also appeared in a video ad calling for defeat of the initiative, stating: "Our families won't be better if more parents and grandparents smoke more marijuana."[49]The measure passed with 57% of the vote.[50]
In 2015, Lankford introduced the Keeping out Illegal Drugs (KIDS) Act to block federal funds for Indian tribes thatallow the cultivation or distribution of marijuana on their land.[51] Lankford stated: "It is important for our nation to help address this issue for the sake of the next generation of Native Americans. This legislation is a good step in trying to protect young tribal members and fulfill our trust responsibility to Native Americans."[52]
Lankford supports extending thePatriot Act and expanding roving wiretaps occurring in the US.[40]
Lankford supports expanding exploration of gas and oil both domestically and on the outer continental shelf.[40] He opposes theEnvironmental Protection Agency regulating emission standards as he believes it hinders economic growth.[40] Lankford believes manure and other fertilizers should not be classified as pollutants or hazardous.[40]
Lankford has rejected thescientific consensus on climate change, calling it a "myth" in 2010.[53] In 2018, he strongly criticized the National Science Foundation for funding projects that seek to increase reporting on climate change in weathercasts, saying it "is not science—it is propagandizing."[54][55]
According toOpenSecrets, during his career, Lankford has taken over $1.5 million from the oil and gas industry, his largest industry donor.[56]
Lankford opposes theAffordable Care Act (Obamacare) and has voted to repeal it.[57][58] In a 2017Facebook post, he claimed "Since 2013, a majority of states are seeing premiums and costs double, including states that expandedMedicaid".[59]
Lankford has stated his belief that federally funded health insurance is unconstitutional and that he will oppose any and all moves for a federal healthcare system.[40] He supported an initiative to allowMedicare choice and institute budget cuts.[40]
Lankford opposesabortion.[40] He believes Congress should recognize life at the moment of fertilization.[40] He opposes any federally funded programs that allow for abortion, as well asPlanned Parenthood and other similar groups.[40]
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Lankford opposessame-sex marriage. In the early days of his 2010 campaign for the House of Representatives, Lankford disparaged theMatthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expandedhate crime legislation to include greater penalties for hate crimes motivated by the victim's sexual orientation or race.[60]
Lankford supportedOklahoma Question 711, a statewide constitutional ban on same-sex marriage andcivil unions that passed in 2004 with 75% of the vote and remained law until it was challenged in court and struck down by a federal judge as unconstitutional in 2014. Lankford lambasted the decision, saying that "marriage is a state issue and Oklahoma has spoken."[60] He also endorsed theDefense of Marriage Act and condemned the 2013Supreme Court decision striking down parts of the law.
Lankford has defended businesses and individuals opposing LGBTQ rights, includingChick-fil-A in the wake of itsdenunciation over donations to groups opposing same-sex marriage, andPhil Robertson after he was suspended fromDuck Dynasty in 2013 followingcomments regarded as anti-LGBTQ and racist. Lankford attackedA&E for suspending Robertson, writing that Robertson "should be able to speak his views without fear of being silenced."[60]
In 2012, five days after PresidentBarack Obama announced his support for same-sex marriage and became the first sitting U.S. president to do so, Lankford told aThinkProgress interviewer that he believed homosexuality is a choice and that employers should be allowed to terminate workers for their sexual orientation: "I think it's a choice issue." After LGBT advocates condemned his statements, Lankford defended himself onlocal television, reiterating his view that homosexuality is a choice.[61][62][63]
After theSouthern Poverty Law Center designated theAlliance Defending Freedom (ADF) ananti-LGBT hate group, Lankford criticized the designation and defended the ADF, which had described same-sex marriage as a threat to a "healthy, free and stable society."[64][65]
In 2015, Lankford condemned theSupreme Court ruling inObergefell v. Hodges, which held that same-sex marriage bans violated the constitution.[66]
In 2022, Lankford voted against theRespect for Marriage Act, which later passed, repealing theDefense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and requiring allU.S. states andterritories to recognize the validity ofsame-sex marriages. He said the bill disrespected religious liberty and had the potential to cause even more division among Americans. According to Lankford, the bill was about not equality but rather "making some people's rights more important than others'".[67][68]
In August 2018, Lankford,Marco Rubio, and 15 other lawmakers urged the Trump administration to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act againstChinese officials responsible forhuman rights abuses in westernChina'sXinjiang region.[69] They wrote: "The detention of as many as a million or more Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in "political reeducation" centers or camps requires a tough, targeted, and global response."[70]
In June 2020, Lankford criticized President Trump's decision towalk to the St John's Episcopal Church near the White House, calling it "confrontational". In a BBC interview he said that racism passes on from one generation to the next, and he challenged families to invite a family of a different ethnicity to their home for a meal, to "allow friendship to develop where there has only been friendliness in the past".[71]
In January 2021, after Lankford questioned the validity of the 2020 presidential election, some BlackTulsa leaders called for him to resign from both the 1921 Race Massacre Centennial Committee and the Senate. They saw the fraud allegations, which focused on primarily Black cities, as an attack on Black voters.[72] Lankford later apologized for his role in casting doubt on Black votes.[73]
AfterJoe Biden won the2020 presidential election and Trump refused to concede, Lankford said he would intervene and ensure that Biden, the incoming president, would receive intelligence briefings. Shortly thereafter, he backtracked, said the media had twisted his words, and said "I'm not in a hurry, necessarily, to get Joe Biden these briefings."[74]
Lankford initially announced plans to object to the counting of some swing states'electoral votes as part of anattempt to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election, but he reversed course after the2021 United States Capitol attack.[75] He later apologized for casting doubt on the validity of the presidential election results in several swing states.[73]
Lankford voted to acquit in thesecond impeachment trial of Donald Trump.[76]
On May 28, 2021, Lankford voted against creating theJanuary 6 commission.[77]
In 2021, Lankford opposed bringing backearmarks to the Senate.[78]
Lankford praised theSupreme Court decisionGroff v. DeJoy for making it "clear to every employer that Americans can have a faith and live their faith everywhere, including at work".[79]
In 2022, Lankford was among the 11 senators who voted against theHonoring our PACT Act of 2022, a bill that funded research and benefits for up to 3.5 million veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service.[80][81]
Lankford and his wife, Cindy, have two daughters.[82] He attends Quail Springs Baptist Church, aSouthern Baptist church inOklahoma City.[83]
| Republican primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford | 18,760 | 33.58 | ||
| Republican | Kevin Calvey | 18,147 | 32.48 | ||
| Republican | Mike Thompson | 10,008 | 17.91 | ||
| Republican | Shane Jett | 5,956 | 10.66 | ||
| Republican | Johnny Roy | 1,548 | 2.77 | ||
| Republican | Rick Flanigan | 762 | 1.36 | ||
| Republican | Harry Johnson | 686 | 1.23 | ||
| Total | 55,867 | 100 | |||
| Republican primary runoff | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford | 29,817 | 65.22 | ||
| Republican | Kevin Calvey | 15,902 | 34.78 | ||
| Total | 45,719 | 100 | |||
| General election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford | 123,236 | 62.52 | ||
| Democratic | Billy Coyle | 68,074 | 34.54 | ||
| Independent | Clark Duffe | 3,067 | 1.56 | ||
| Independent | Dave White | 2,728 | 1.38 | ||
| Total | 197,105 | 100 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| General election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford (Incumbent) | 153,603 | 58.70 | ||
| Democratic | Tom Guild | 97,504 | 37.30 | ||
| Independent | Pat Martin | 5,394 | 2.10 | ||
| Independent | Robert Murphy | 5,176 | 2.00 | ||
| Total | 261,677 | 100 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Republican primary | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford | 152,749 | 57.20 | ||
| Republican | T. W. Shannon | 91,854 | 34.40 | ||
| Republican | Randy Brogdon | 12,934 | 4.80 | ||
| Republican | Kevin Crow | 2,828 | 1.10 | ||
| Republican | Andy Craig | 2,427 | 0.90 | ||
| Republican | Eric McCray | 2,272 | 0.90 | ||
| Republican | Jason Weger | 1,794 | 0.70 | ||
| Total | 266,858 | 100 | |||
| General election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford | 557,002 | 67.90 | ||
| Democratic | Connie Johnson | 237,923 | 29.00 | ||
| Independent | Mark T. Beard | 25,965 | 3.20 | ||
| Total | 820,890 | 100 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| General election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford (Incumbent) | 980,892 | 67.7 | ||
| Democratic | Mike Workman | 355,911 | 24.58 | ||
| Libertarian | Robert Murphy | 43,421 | 3.00 | ||
| Independent | Sean Braddy | 40,405 | 2.79 | ||
| Independent | Mark T. Beard | 27,418 | 1.89 | ||
| Total | 1,448,047 | 100.00 | |||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| General election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Republican | James Lankford (Incumbent) | 739,960 | 64.3 | ||
| Democratic | Madison Horn | 369,370 | 32.1 | ||
| Independent | Michael Delaney | 20,907 | 1.8 | ||
| Libertarian | Kenneth Blevins | 20,495 | 1.8 | ||
| Total | 100.00 | ||||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOklahoma's 5th congressional district 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Republican Policy Committee 2013–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromOklahoma (Class 3) 2014,2016,2022 | Most recent |
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of theSenate Republican Conference 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Oklahoma 2015–present Served alongside:Jim Inhofe,Markwayne Mullin | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee 2019–2021 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Vice Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee 2021–2025 | |
| Chair of theSenate Ethics Committee 2025–present | Incumbent | |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 50th | Succeeded by |
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