Thomas Jeffery Cole is the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 4th congressional district,serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party and serves as the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Before serving in the House of Representatives,he was the 26th Secretary of State of Oklahoma from 1995 to 1999.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is a Native American reservation occupying portions of southeastern Oklahoma in the United States. At roughly 6,952,960 acres,it is the second-largest reservation in area after the Navajo,exceeding that of eight U.S. states. The seat of government is located in Durant,Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma,the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
The government of the U.S. State of Oklahoma,established by the Oklahoma Constitution,is a republican democracy modeled after the federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches:the executive,legislative,and judicial. Through a system of separation of powers or "checks and balances," each of these branches has some authority to act on its own,some authority to regulate the other two branches,and has some of its own authority,in turn,regulated by the other branches.
The politics of Oklahoma exists in a framework of a 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.
Kenneth Corn is a former member of the Oklahoma Senate,representing an electoral district that includes Sequoyah and Le Flore counties. He served as caucus chair for the Democratic caucus in the Oklahoma Senate. He previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1998 to 2002 and served as the Democratic caucus secretary. He ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma losing to Republican Todd Lamb on November 2,2010. He served as City Manager of Anadarko,Oklahoma from 2015 to 2022 when he accepted an appointment to serve as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) State Director for Rural Development in Oklahoma by President Joseph Biden,Jr.
The Muscogee Nation,or Muscogee (Creek) Nation,is a federally recognized Native American tribe based in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The nation descends from the historic Muscogee Confederacy,a large group of indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands. Official languages include Muscogee,Yuchi,Natchez,Alabama,and Koasati,with Muscogee retaining the largest number of speakers. They commonly refer to themselves as Este Mvskokvlke. Historically,they were often referred to by European Americans as one of the Five Civilized Tribes of the American Southeast.
Eugene Edward "Gene" Stipe was an American politician from Oklahoma who holds the record as the longest serving member of the Oklahoma Senate. His influence in the state senate earned him the nickname "the Prince of Darkness," and he had a reputation for filibustering. He was a member of the Democratic Party.
Brian John Bingman is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who has served in elected and appointed offices since the 1990s. A member of the Republican Party,he was first elected to the Sapulpa city commission in 1992,before being elected mayor by his fellow commissioners in 1994. He would serve in both of these offices until 2004,when he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent the 30th district. After one term in the house,Bingman ran for the 12th district of the Oklahoma Senate in 2006 and would hold the seat until term limited in 2016. In 2011,he was elected by Republican senators to serve as the President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate,a position he would hold until retirement in 2016.
Enoch Kelly Haney was an American politician and internationally recognized Seminole/Muscogee artist from Oklahoma,He served as principal chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma from 2005 until 2009 and previously served as a member of both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. He created a bronze statue that sits atop the Oklahoma State Capitol,called The Guardian. Another statue he created is located at the Chickasaw Nation headquarters in Ada,Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission is an agency of the state of Oklahoma that issues rules on the ethical conduct for state elected officials and employees. It also investigates and prosecutes violations of its rules. The Ethics Commission was created by a two-to-one vote of the people of the state per an initiative effort adding Article XXIX to the Oklahoma Constitution. The statewide vote on the amendment was held September 18,1990. The commission was created in 1990 during the term of Governor Henry Bellmon. Commissioners were sworn in and began meeting in July 1991.
The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention was an American Indian-led attempt to secure statehood for Indian Territory as an Indian-controlled jurisdiction,separate from the Oklahoma Territory. The proposed state was to be called the State of Sequoyah.
Douglas L. Combs is an associate justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. He was appointed by Governor Brad Henry to the Oklahoma Supreme Court,effective January 1,2011,filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Rudolph Hargrave. Combs was selected to become Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court,effective December 1,2016,and served until December 31,2018.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Oklahoma face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Oklahoma as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy laws. Both same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples have been permitted since October 2014. State statutes do not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity;however,the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBT people is illegal. This practice may still continue,as Oklahoma is an at-will employment state and it is still legal to fire an employee without requiring the employer to disclose any reason.
Fred P. Branson was a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1926 to 1929,serving as chief justice from 1927 to 1929.
The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Oklahoma were held on November 6,2018,to elect the five U.S. representatives from the state of Oklahoma,one from each of the state's five congressional districts. The elections coincided with other elections to the House of Representatives,elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primary elections were held on June 26 and runoff elections were held two months later on August 28. The state's U.S. House delegation Republican majority changed from 5–0 to 4–1. As of 2023 this is the only time since 2010 that Democrats won any house race in Oklahoma.
Amanda Swope is an American politician who has served as the Oklahoma House of Representatives member from the 71st district since November 16,2022. She was the Tulsa County Democratic Party Chairwoman between 2019 and 2022,the youngest person and first Native American to hold the position. She is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation.
