View source for Politics of Oklahoma

{{Short description|Oklahoma Politics}}
{{About|political groups and tendencies in Oklahoma|the political and administrative structures|Government of Oklahoma}}
<!-- This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! -->
{{Politics of Oklahoma}}
{{PresHead|place=Oklahoma|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=40&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison—Oklahoma|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=December 29, 2009|author=Leip, David}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|1,036,213|499,599|30,361|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|1,020,280|503,890|36,529|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|949,136|420,375|83,481|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|891,325|443,547|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|960,165|502,496|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|959,792|503,966|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|744,337|474,276|15,616|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1996|Republican|582,315|488,105|136,293|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1992|Republican|592,929|473,066|324,364|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|678,367|483,423|9,246|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|861,530|385,080|9,066|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|695,570|402,026|52,112|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1976|Republican|545,708|532,442|14,101|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|759,025|247,147|23,728|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1968|Republican|449,697|301,658|191,731|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|412,665|519,834|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1960|Republican|533,039|370,111|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|473,769|385,581|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1952|Republican|518,045|430,939|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|268,817|452,782|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|319,424|401,549|1,663|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|348,872|474,313|3,027|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|245,122|501,069|3,549|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|188,165|516,468|0|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1928|Republican|394,046|219,174|5,207|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|226,242|255,798|46,375|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1920|Republican|243,831|217,053|25,726|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|97,233|148,113|47,070|Oklahoma}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|90,786|119,156|43,859|Oklahoma}}
{{PresFoot|1908|Democratic|110,474|122,363|22,146|Oklahoma}}

The '''politics of Oklahoma''' exists in a framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]] modeled after the United States. The [[governor of Oklahoma]] is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], and of a pluriform [[two-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the governor and the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in the governor and the bicameral [[Oklahoma Legislature]]. [[Judicial power]] is vested in the [[judiciary of Oklahoma]]. The political system is laid out in the 1907 [[Oklahoma Constitution]].

Oklahoma is currently categorized politically as [[conservatism|conservative]]. The state has a history of [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] state government dominance. Oklahoma came into being as a state at the height of the era of [[Jim Crow Laws]] and had a [[Ku Klux Klan]] presence in the 1920s. Race politics gave way to Democratic political infighting over the New Deal in the 1930s and 1940s and the gradual growth of the [[Oklahoma Republican Party]]'s power. As a result, Oklahoma has voted for Republican presidential candidates all but once since 1952 (in 1964), with the Democratic candidate having failed to pick up a single county in the state in all elections since 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US presidential elections: Oklahoma electoral votes since 1908 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1130595/oklahoma-electoral-votes-since-1908/ |access-date=October 4, 2024 |website=statista.com}}</ref> Today all of Oklahoma's federal offices and statewide offices, plus both chambers of the state legislature (with supermajorities), are either held by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] or are non-partisan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oklahoma state executive offices |url=https://ballotpedia.org/Oklahoma_state_executive_offices |access-date=October 4, 2024 |website=ballotpedia.org}}</ref>

Until 1964, [[Oklahoma]] was considered a "[[swing state]]" in American politics, shifting back and forth in its support for the [[two party system|two major]] [[Political parties in the United States|parties]]. This was in part due to Oklahoma's situation both as a part of the [[Great Plains]] states, which tended to be reliably [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], and the [[Southern United States|South]], which was heavily [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] at that time. Between statehood and 1964, the state voted for the losing candidate just three times, in 1908, 1924, and 1960. However, Oklahoma voters would [[Split-ticket voting|split their political allegiances]] by electing Democrats for [[Local government in the United States|local government]], but Republicans for national office.

==History==
===Early history===
Prior to statehood, [[Republican Party of the United States|Republicans]] dominated [[Oklahoma Territory]] politics.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Murphy |first=Lionel V. |date=1933 |title=Two Trials of Oklahoma's Run-Off Primary |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/42864880 |journal=The Southwestern Social Science Quarterly |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=156–174 |issn=0276-1742}}</ref> However, from statehood through [[World War I]], Oklahoma was dominated by the [[Democratic Party of the United States|Democratic Party]], with the Republican Party and the [[Socialist Party of America|Socialist Party]] vying to challenge the Democratic Party's dominance. The [[2nd Oklahoma Legislature]] included Oklahoma's first Black member, Republican [[A. C. Hamlin]], but passed legislation that made it nearly impossible for African-Americans to seek elective office, which limited him to one term.<ref>Bruce, Michael L. "[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HA015.html Hamlin, Albert Comstock (1881–1912)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119122546/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/H/HA015.html |date=2012-11-19 }}," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society. (accessed April 17, 2013)</ref> In the 1910s, the [[Oklahoma Legislature]] included [[Socialist Party of America|Socialists]], but the only bill they sponsored that became law involved hunting.<ref name="leghistory">[http://www.okhouse.gov/Documents/CenturyToRemember.pdf A Century to Remember] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120910204833/http://www.okhouse.gov/Documents/CenturyToRemember.pdf |date=2012-09-10 }} (accessed August 9, 2013)</ref> Socialists were also elected to local office and received the nation's highest vote count per capita for the party's candidate, [[Eugene V. Debs]] in 1916. The [[Jim Crow Laws|Jim Crow Law]] in Oklahoma was struck down by the [[United States Supreme Court]], but a special session was called by the Democratic governor and focused on [[Disfranchisement after the Reconstruction era|voting laws that limited black voter participation]].<ref name="leghistory"/> The [[Ku Klux Klan]] and the civil rights struggles of the [[World War I]] era came to Oklahoma in the 1920s, leading to the [[Tulsa race massacre]], lynchings and other violence.<ref>O'Dell, Larry. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/K/KU001.html Ku Klux Klan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009193345/https://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/K/KU001.html |date=2008-10-09 }}, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. (accessed August 9, 2013)</ref> Following the practical destruction of the Socialist party in the aftermath of the [[Green Corn Rebellion]], state politics became a two-party system that continued to exclude black voters.

===New Deal coalition===
At the [[President of the United States|U.S. Presidential]] level, Oklahoma's [[United States electoral college|electoral college]] vote was a reliable part of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin D. Roosevelt's]] "[[New Deal]]" [[New Deal coalition|coalition]] (which began in the [[1932 United States presidential election|U.S. election of 1932]]). Oklahoma did support President [[Dwight Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] in [[1952 United States presidential election|1952]] and [[1956 United States presidential election|1956]], but then returned to supporting the Democrats in [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]] (Oklahoma split its electoral college vote Nixon–Byrd 7–1, due to a maverick elector, commonly referred to as a [[faithless elector]], in [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]).

During this same period, [[Governor of Oklahoma|Oklahoma's Governors]], [[Oklahoma Legislature|legislature]], and [[United States Congressional Delegations from Oklahoma|delegation to Congress]] continued to be dominated by the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]]. However, there was political infighting over deficit spending in the late 1930s, leading to a successful bipartisan push for a 1941 constitutional amendment requiring legislators to pass a balanced budget.<ref>Everett, Dianna. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BU003.html Budget-Balancing Amendment] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119142219/http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BU003.html |date=2012-11-19 }}, Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed August 9, 2013)</ref> [[Leon C. Phillips]], who opposed New Deal programs, rose to prominence, first as [[Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives]] and later as [[Governor of Oklahoma|governor]].<ref name="scales">Scales, James R. and Danny Goble (1982). ''Oklahoma Politics: A History''. University of Oklahoma Press.</ref>

===Southern strategy===
[[File:1963 Oklahoma State Capitol.jpg|thumb|right|Oklahoma State Capitol in 1963.]]
During the [[1968 United States presidential election|presidential campaign in 1968]], Oklahoma was targeted by the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] to be included in what was called the [[Southern Strategy]]. Beginning with the second Presidential campaign of [[Richard Nixon]] (who appealed to Oklahoma voters on the issue of [[law and order (politics)|law and order]]), Oklahoma gradually changed in its voting pattern in national elections to become an increasingly reliable Republican state for presidential tickets. President [[George W. Bush]] carried Oklahoma twice (by a wide margin), in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]] and [[2004 United States presidential election|2004]], for example. Starting with the 2004 election results, every county in Oklahoma has gone to the Republican candidate. In 2008, Oklahoma was the only state in which every county was carried by [[John McCain]].

Gradually, the success of the Republican Party began to translate into Congressional, legislative, and other local political races.

===21st century===
By the start of the 21st century, conservative Republicans increased their strength in Oklahoma on the statewide level, but Democrats were still a major factor in statewide politics. This began to change in 2004, when the Republicans took control of the state House for only the second time ever, and the first time since 1922. In [[2006 Oklahoma gubernatorial election|2006]], incumbent Democratic governor [[Brad Henry]] won re-election to a second term in a landslide, taking 66% of the vote against former Republican Congressman [[Ernest Istook]], and carrying every county except the three in the strongly Republican [[Oklahoma Panhandle]]. Despite this landslide Democratic victory, the Republicans gained two seats in the State Senate (resulting in a 24–24 tie, although the Democratic Party held the tie-breaking Lieutenant Governor's vote) and increased their lead in the House to 57–44.

In 2008, the Republicans gained two state senate seats, taking control 26–22 of that chamber for the first time in state history, while increasing their membership in the state House to a 61–40 advantage. The Republicans thus had complete control of the state legislature for the first time ever. In addition, Oklahoma was the only state where John McCain carried every county (even though Democrats still had a majority of registered voters).<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbLWLdnF1sA OKGOP "Reddest State" Christmas Card], [https://www.youtube.com/ YouTube] (accessed September 3, 2013)</ref>

The 2010 statewide election saw a historic sweep, as for the first time in Oklahoma history, the GOP won every statewide office up for election that year. In 2010, the GOP increased its majority in the House by six seats and in the Senate by five seats.<ref>McGuigan, Patrick B. "[http://www.capitolbeatok.com/reports/fond-dreams-come-true-for-oklahoma-republicans-democrats-wake-up-to-a-nightmare Fond dreams come true for Oklahoma Republicans, Democrats wake up to a nightmare]," CapitolBeatOK.com. (accessed September 3, 2013)</ref> (One seat, State Senate District 47, was vacant, as incumbent [[Todd Lamb (politician)|Todd Lamb]] was elected Lieutenant Governor, and was filled by special election in January 2011.) The Republicans thus had complete control of state government for the first time ever. On the Congressional front, [[Tom Coburn]] held his [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] seat and the GOP maintained control of the four House seats it held, and came within 6 points of taking [[Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district]], the only Oklahoman Congressional seat not held by the GOP. No Democrat has won a statewide election in Oklahoma since, although incumbent [[Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction|Superintendent of Public Instruction]] [[Joy Hofmeister]], who was elected twice as a Republican, switched her affiliation to Democratic in 2021 and retired in 2023.

In the 2012 statewide election, the GOP captured the 2nd District seat, and thus held every statewide office as well as the entire Congressional delegation. The GOP also increased its majorities in the Oklahoma Legislature by four seats in the [[Oklahoma House of Representatives]] for a total of 71 seats and one in the [[Oklahoma Senate]] for a total of 32 seats. In both cases, the GOP gained a [[supermajority]]. The 2014 statewide election saw the GOP maintain its hold of all the statewide and Congressional seats (all five House seats and, due to both [[James Inhofe]]'s seat being up for re-election and [[Tom Coburn]] resigning his seat mid-term, both Senate seats), its hold of its 71 seats in the House, and increase its Senate bloc to 39 seats. However, in 2018, Republican Representative [[Steve Russell (politician)|Steve Russell]] from the 5th congressional district was defeated in his second reelection bid by Democratic nominee [[Kendra Horn]], marking the first time a Democrat had been elected to the seat since 1974. This result reflected a growing shift in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas to the Democratic Party, as although Republicans won the district back in 2020 and carried it in the presidential election, Democrats won the area in the 2022 elections.

==Political institutions==
As in the national government of the United States, power in Oklahoma is divided into three main branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

===Executive===
The [[Capital (political)|capital]] of the state is [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|Oklahoma City]] and the [[Governor of Oklahoma]] is [[Kevin Stitt]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]. His first term began on January 14, 2019. The current [[Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma]] is Republican [[Matt Pinnell]]. Pinnell concurrently serves, by virtue of his office as lieutenant governor, as the [[Oklahoma Senate|president of the Oklahoma Senate]]. The offices of the governor and lieutenant governor have four-year terms. The Governor is assisted by a [[Oklahoma State Cabinet|Cabinet]] consisting of the assembled heads of the various executive departments called Secretaries. Of the Secretaries, the highest in rank is [[Secretary of State of Oklahoma|Secretary of State]], currently [[Michael Rogers (Oklahoma politician)|Michael Rogers]], a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], who is the only appointed executive officer under the [[Oklahoma Constitution]].

Other statewide executive offices are contested in elections and serving four-year terms that run concurrent with that of the Governor, with the exception of the three members of the [[Oklahoma Corporation Commission]]. Those members serve staggered six-year terms, with one member's term up for election every two years.

{{See also|Governor of Oklahoma|}}

====Current executive branch====
{| class=wikitable

! Office
! Current Officer
! Since
! Party
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Governor of Oklahoma]]
|[[Kevin Stitt]]
|January 14, 2019
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma|Lieutenant Governor]]
|[[Matt Pinnell]]
|January 14, 2019
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Secretary of State of Oklahoma|Secretary of State]]
|[[Brian Bingman]]
|January 14, 2019
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector|State Auditor and Inspector]]
|[[Cindy Byrd]]
|January 14, 2019
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Attorney General of Oklahoma|Attorney General]]
|[[Gentner Drummond]]
|January 9, 2023
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[State Treasurer of Oklahoma|State Treasurer]]
|[[Todd Russ]]
|January 9, 2023
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction|State School Superintendent]]
|[[Ryan Walters (politician)|Ryan Walters]]
|January 9, 2023
|Republican 
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Labor Commissioner|Labor Commissioner]]
|[[Leslie Osborn]]
|January 14, 2019
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner|Insurance Commissioner]]
|[[Glen Mulready]]
|January 14, 2019
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Corporation Commission|Corporation Commissioner]] (by length of tenure)
|[[Bob Anthony]]
|January 9, 1989
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Corporation Commission|Corporation Commissioner]]
|[[Dana Murphy]]
|January 12, 2009
|Republican
|- {{Party shading/Republican}}
|[[Oklahoma Corporation Commission|Corporation Commissioner]]
|[[Todd Hiett]]
|January 12, 2015
|Republican
|}

===Legislative===
{{Main|Oklahoma Legislature}}
[[File:Senate chamber of the Oklahoma Senate, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.jpg|thumb|right|Chamber of the Oklahoma Senate]]
The state legislature is a [[bicameralism|bicameral]] body consisting of the [[Oklahoma Senate]] and [[Oklahoma House of Representatives]], with members elected directly by the people. There are 48 state senators, each serving a staggered four-year term and 101 members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, each serving a two-year term. Members of both houses are elected from single member districts of equal population.

The state has term limits for their legislature that restrict any one person to a total of twelve years service in both the House and Senate.

The state legislature convenes in regular session at noon each odd-numbered year on the first Monday in February.<ref name="ArtV">[http://oklegal.onenet.net/okcon/V-26.html Article V, Section 26], Oklahoma Constitution (accessed August 9, 2013)</ref> However, in the odd-numbered years following an election, the state legislature must meet on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January for the sole purpose of determining the outcome of the statewide elections. The state constitution limits the state legislature to meeting 160 legislative days during each biennium.<ref>[http://oklegal.onenet.net/okcon/V-25.html Article V, Section 25], Oklahoma Constitution (accessed May 27, 2013)</ref> In addition, the legislature may not meet in regular session after the last Friday in May of each year.<ref name="ArtV"/>

====Current composition====
In the [[59th Oklahoma Legislature|58th Legislature]], the Republicans control both houses with an 81-20 majority in the House and a 40-8 majority in the Senate.

'''The Oklahoma House of Representatives'''
{| class=wikitable
|-
! colspan=2 align=center valign=bottom | Affiliation
! valign=bottom | Members
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
| align=center |81
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
| align=center | 20
|-
| bgcolor="black"|
| Seat Vacant
| align=center | 0
|-
| colspan=2 | &nbsp;'''Total'''
| align=center | '''101'''
|}

'''The Oklahoma Senate'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" valign="bottom" | Affiliation
! valign="bottom" | Members
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]
| align="center" | 40
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]
| align="center" | 8
|-
| bgcolor="black"|
| Seat Vacant
| align=center | 0
|-

! colspan="2" align="center" | '''Total'''
! align="center" | '''48'''
|}

====Current leadership====
'''The Oklahoma House of Representatives'''
{{office-table}}
|[[Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives|Speaker of the Oklahoma House]]
|[[Charles McCall]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|January 3, 2017
|-
|[[Speaker Pro Tempore|Speaker Pro Tempore of the House]]
|[[Kyle Hilbert]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|-
|[[Majority Leader]]
|[[Jon Echols]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|-
|[[Minority Leader]]
|[[Emily Virgin]]
|[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]
|
|}

'''The Oklahoma Senate'''
{{office-table}}
|-
|[[President of the Oklahoma Senate|President of the Senate and Lieutenant Governor]]
|[[Matt Pinnell]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|January 14, 2019
|-
|[[President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate|President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate]]
|[[Greg Treat]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|-
|[[Floor Leader|Republican Floor Leader]]
|[[Greg McCortney]]
|[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|
|-
|[[Floor Leader|Democratic Floor Leader]]
|[[Kay Floyd]]
|[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]
|
|}
<ref>{{cite web |title=House Leadership |url=https://www.okhouse.gov/Members/Leadership.aspx |website=okhouse.gov |publisher=Oklahoma State Legislature |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://oksenate.gov/leadership |website=oksenate.gov |publisher=Oklahoma Senate |access-date=1 April 2021}}</ref>

===Judicial===
The [[Judiciary of Oklahoma]] has six levels. Most cases start in the district courts, which are courts of general jurisdiction. The lowest level courts are the Municipal Courts which exist to oversee the administration of justice within cities and have jurisdiction only over the violation of city ordinances. Appeals from Municipal Courts are heard by District Courts. There are 77 District Courts, with each having either a single or multiple District Judges with at least one Associate District Judge to administer justice. Appeals from the District Courts and challenges to certain governmental decisions are heard by either the [[Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals]] for civil appeals or the [[Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals]] for criminal appeals. The Court of Civil Appeals has twelve judges who sit in two-judge divisions and the Court of Criminal Appeals has five judges.

Two specialized courts within administrative agencies have been established, the Court of Tax Review hears disputes involving illegal taxes levied by county and city governments, and the Workers’ Compensation Court.

The nine-justice [[Oklahoma Supreme Court]] is the court of last resort for all civil appeals. The Court has [[appellate jurisdiction]] on all civil issues, the Court of Civil Appeals, the Court of Tax Review and the Worker's Compensation Court. The Court only has [[original jurisdiction]] when new first impression issues, or important issues of law, or matters of great public interest are at stake.

Within the Oklahoma court system there are two independent courts: the [[Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary]] which monitors the actions of all judges and justices and the [[Oklahoma Court of Impeachment]], which is the [[Oklahoma Senate]] sitting, which acts serves as the only court that can remove the highest levels of state government officials from their offices.

Federal court cases are heard in the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma]] based in [[Muskogee, Oklahoma|Muskogee]], the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma]] based in [[Tulsa, Oklahoma|Tulsa]], and the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma]] based in [[Oklahoma City]]. Appeals are heard by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit]] based in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]].

==Federal representation==
[[File:113th U.S. House districts in Oklahoma.svg|right|thumb|Map of Oklahoma showing all [[United States Congressional Delegations from Oklahoma|five congressional districts]]]]
[[File:James Lankford official portrait, 118th Congress (cropped).jpg|left|160px|thumb|U.S. Senator James Lankford]]
[[File:Markwayne Mullin official Senate photo (cropped).jpg|left|160px|thumb|U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin]]

Oklahoma's two [[United States Senate|U.S. Senators]], Republicans [[James Lankford]] and [[Markwayne Mullin]], are elected at-large, serving since 2015 and 2023, respectively.

Oklahoma is currently represented by five [[congressional districts]] in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. At one point, Oklahoma had as many as eight congressional districts and as many as three [[Oklahoma's At-large congressional district|at-large districts]], but the state's sluggish population growth resulted in the state losing its seventh and eighth districts in 1953 and its sixth district in 2003.

[[Oklahoma's 1st congressional district]] is based in Tulsa and covers the northeastern corner of the state and it borders [[Kansas]] to the north. It is represented by [[Kevin Hern]], a Republican.

[[Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district]] covers (approximately) the eastern one-fourth of the state, bordering [[Kansas]] to the north, [[Missouri]] and [[Arkansas]] to the east, and [[Texas]] along the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] to the south. It is represented by [[Josh Brecheen]], a Republican.

[[Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district]] covers western Oklahoma, from the Panhandle to the Tulsa suburbs, and borders [[New Mexico]] to the west, [[Colorado]] and [[Kansas]] to the north, and the [[Texas panhandle]] to the south. It is represented by [[Frank Lucas (Oklahoma politician)|Frank Lucas]], a Republican.

[[Oklahoma's 4th congressional district]] covers south-central Oklahoma and borders [[Texas]] along the Red River to the south. It is represented by [[Tom Cole]], a Republican.

[[Oklahoma's 5th congressional district]], centered in Oklahoma City, covers central Oklahoma and borders all of the other congressional districts except District 1. It is represented by [[Stephanie Bice]], a Republican.

<gallery>
<!-- FREE IMAGES ONLY -->
File:Rep. Kevin Hern official photo, 116th congress (cropped).jpg| [[Kevin Hern]], [[Oklahoma's 1st congressional district|1st district]]
File:Rep. Josh Brecheen official photo, 118th Congress (cropped).jpg|[[Josh Brecheen]], [[Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district|2nd district]]
File:Frank Lucas (cropped).jpg|[[Frank Lucas (Oklahoma politician)|Frank Lucas]], [[Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district|3rd district]]
File:Rep-Tom-Cole-117thCong (cropped).jpeg|[[Tom Cole]], [[Oklahoma's 4th congressional district|4th district]]
File:Stephanie Bice 117th U.S Congress (cropped).jpg|[[Stephanie Bice]], [[Oklahoma's 5th congressional district|5th district]]
</gallery>

{{USCongDistStateOK}}

Oklahoma is part of the [[United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma]], the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma]], and the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma]] in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the Denver-based United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

==See also==
* [[Oklahoma Democratic Party]]
* [[Oklahoma Republican Party]]
* [[Green Party of Oklahoma]]
* [[Oklahoma Libertarian Party]]
* [[Pirate Party of Oklahoma]]
* [[Socialist Party of Oklahoma]]
* [[Political party strength in Oklahoma]]
* [[Governor of Oklahoma]]
* [[Oklahoma Legislature]]
* [[United States congressional delegations from Oklahoma]]
* [[List of United States senators from Oklahoma]]
* [[Oklahoma's congressional districts]]
* [[List of politics by U.S. state]]
* [[Split-ticket voting]]
* [[Party switching in the United States]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-205921 Brief on Oklahoma politics.]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060621071438/http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/opsa/ Oklahoma Political Science Association Homepage.]
* [https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=OK Oklahoma's two U.S. Senators]
* [http://www.okdemocrats.org/ Oklahoma Democratic Party]
* [http://www.okgop.com/ Oklahoma Republican Party]
* [http://www.newsok.com/article/2825137/ Republican State Senator Nancy Riley switches parties from Republican to Democrat]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190402153542/http://www.lawtonpolitics.com/  Lawton Politics]

{{Oklahoma}}
{{Politics in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Politics of Oklahoma| ]]

[[simple:Oklahoma#Politics]]