The Oklahoma Republican Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Republican Party. Along with the Oklahoma 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's U.S. House seats, both U.S. Senate seats, the governorship, and has supermajorities in both houses of the state legislature.

Current structure and composition The Oklahoma Republican Party headquarters is located on North Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City.Oklahoma Republican Party (accessed May 11, 2013). Additionally, the state party has a Tulsa 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 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 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 Republican Party 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 was Oklahoma's first black legislator, serving in the first legislature of the new state.Bruce, Mic hael. HAMLIN, ALBERT COMSTOCK (1881-1912), Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013)

Republicans experienced a short-lived resurgence in the early 1920s, with the election of John 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. The Oklahoma House of Representatives saw their first Republican majority and first Republican Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923.Hannemann, Carolyn G. SCHWABE, GEORGE BLAINE , Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013) The first female member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives was a Republican.Pappas, Christine. MCCOLGIN AMELIA ELIZABETH SIMISON , Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013) Also, the first woman to preside over the House of Representatives, Alice Robertson, was from Oklahoma.

In the 1928 election, Republicans gained 26 new seats in the Oklahoma 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.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 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. BELLMON, HENRY LOUIS , 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 was elected as Oklahoma's first black statewide officeholder, serving on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, 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 Oklahoma House of Representatives for the first time since 1921.McNutt, Michael. "Republicans select speaker designate" http://newsok.com/republicans-select-speaker-designate/article/2969390, The Oklahoman November 10, 2006.

2010s In 2010, Republicans increased their gains in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and took majority control of the Oklahoma Senate.McNutt, Michael. "Oklahoma's legislative leaders pledge to work with Democrats", The Oklahoman, November 7, 2010. 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 gain supermajority 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 accurate 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 Tulsa and Greater Oklahoma City denounced the Oklahoma Republican Party's use of the yellow Star of David in a Facebook post by the party. The picture included a yellow Star of David with the words "Unvaccinated" accompanied by numbers meant to be reminiscent of the numbers tattooed on victims of the Holocaust. The post called on party members to call Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma, who was acting Governor of Oklahoma at the time, to call a special legislative session to pass legislation banning vaccine mandates. The post was denounced by many high-ranking members of the Oklahoma Republican Party including Governor Kevin Stitt, Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell, U.S. Senators James Lankford & Jim Inhofe, U.S. Congressman Markwayne Mullin, and both the Oklahoma Legislature's leaders Greg Treat and Charles McCall. The post was also denounced in separate statements by Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister and Oklahoma Republican Party Vice Chair Shane Jemison. The American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation also denounced the Facebook 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 Republican Chairwoman Ronda Vuillemont-Smith.

Electoral history Election yearNo. ofHouse seats+/–GovernorshipNo. ofSenate seats+/–1907 16Charles N. Haskell 61908 23 41910 13Lee Cruce 31912 7 31914 1Robert L. Williams 41916 6 11918 4James B.A. Robertson 61920 43 71922 59Jack C. Walton 51924 10Martin Trapp 61926 2Henry S. Johnston 31928 25 11930 37William H. Murray 21932 6 71934 3E.W. Marland 41936 4 11938 10Leon C. Phillips 11940 6 11942 17Robert S. Kerr 21944 2 21946 0Roy J. Turner 01948 10 11950 8Johnston Murray 11952 7 21954 6Raymond D. Gary 11956 1 21958 10J. Howard Edmondson 01960 3 11962 11 Henry Bellmon 21964 2 11966 1 Dewey F. Bartlett 21968 1 11970 0 David Hall 11972 1 11974 0 David L. Boren 01976 3 01978 4 George Nigh 11980 2 11982 0 21984 6 01986 1 Henry Bellmon 31988 1 31990 2 David Walters 21992 0 11994 7 Frank Keating 41996 1 21998 0 02000 6 22002 1 Brad Henry 12004 1 02006 11 22008 4 22010 9 Mary Fallin 62012 2 42014 0 42016 3 02018 1 Kevin Stitt 12020 5 02022 1 12024 0 0

Note:

Notable Oklahoma Republicans

Dewey F. Bartlett, Oklahoma's first Roman Catholic governor Henry Bellmon, Oklahoma's first Republican governor Lisa Johnson Billy, Speaker of the Chickasaw Tribal Legislature David Ross Boyd, first President of the University of Oklahoma Tom Coburn, physician in Family Medicine and U.S. Senator Gilbert Dukes, Choctaw chief who lost the 1910 lieutenant governor's election to J. J. McAlester Mary Fallin, Oklahoma's first female governor A. C. Hamlin, Oklahoma's first black state legislator after statehood John W. Harreld, Oklahoma's first Republican U.S. Senator Patrick J. Hurley, United States Secretary of War under Herbert Hoover Shane Jett, chairman of the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus Victor Locke, Jr., Choctaw chief from 1911 to 1918, delegate to the 1904 Republican National Convention Edward P. McCabe, founder of Langston, sought to stimulate black migration into the Oklahoma Territory Bessie S. McColgin, one of Oklahoma's first female state legislators Green McCurtain, last elected Choctaw chief before Oklahoma statehood Mary Millben, singer Don Nickles, youngest Republican ever elected to the U.S. Senate Alice Robertson, first woman to defeat an incumbent congressman, second elected to the U.S. House George B. Schwabe, first Republican Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives T.W. Shannon, Oklahoma's first black Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Ross Swimmer, Cherokee chief from 1975 to 1985 RJ Walker, Osage Assistant Principal Chief from 2022 to 2026 J.C. Watts, Oklahoma's first black U.S. Representative Bud Wilkinson, legendary University of Oklahoma football coach who lost the 1964 U.S. Senate election to Fred R. Harris

Current elected officials As of 2023, the Oklahoma Republican Party controls all 12 statewide executive offices and holds majorities in both the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives; 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

U.S. House of Representatives +DistrictMemberPhoto1st2nd3rd4th5th

State Officials

Statewide offices Governor: Kevin Stitt