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Oklahoma Democratic Party

Field	Value
name	Oklahoma Democratic Party
logo	Oklahoma Democratic Party logo.png
logo_size	250px
colorcode	#00AEF3
membership_year	2025
womens_wing	Oklahoma Federation of Democratic Women
membership	658,136
headquarters	3815 N Santa Fe Ave., Suite 122
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118
website
chairwoman	Erin Brewer
leader1_title	Senate leader
leader1_name	Julia Kirt
leader2_title	House leader
leader2_name	Cyndi Munson
leader3_title	Executive Director
leader3_name	Lauren Craig
foundation	1907
youth_wing	Young Democrats of Oklahoma
national	Democratic Party
blank1_title	Unofficial colors
blank1	Blue
seats1_title	Statewide Executive Offices
seats1
seats2_title	Seats in the United States Senate
seats2
seats3_title	Seats in the United States House of Representatives
seats3
seats4_title	Seats in the Oklahoma Senate
seats4
seats5_title	Seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives
seats5
seats6_title	Chiefs of the Five Tribes
seats6
seats7_title	Osage Executives
seats7
country	Oklahoma
symbol	[[File:Democratic Disc.svg	100px]]

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118 The Oklahoma Democratic Party (ODP) is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Democratic Party. It and the Oklahoma Republican Party, are the state's two major parties.

The party dominated local politics in Oklahoma almost since the days of early statehood in 1907 to 1994. In national politics, the party became a dominant force beginning with the presidential election of 1932 and the Franklin D. Roosevelt political re-alignment. From 1932 to 1994, the majority of members of Congress from Oklahoma have been Democrats, and of the 28 men and women who have been elected to the office of Governor of Oklahoma, 22 have been Democrats.

However, the party has fared poorly since 1994; Democrats lost five out of six congressional races that year. Since then, they have won only a handful of seats, which they no longer hold. In response, the traditionally disorganized Oklahoma Democrats moved to create a more organized state party, hiring a professional executive director in 1995. Even so, ODP continued to decline in the 2000s, losing control of both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate. In the 2008 Presidential Election, Oklahoma gave one of the lowest percentage of any state's vote to Barack Obama, second only to Wyoming. Since 2004, Republicans have won every county in Presidential Elections in Oklahoma.

As of January 21, 2025, there are 658,136 registered Democratic voters in Oklahoma. This marks an increase in absolute terms from 652,611 in 2024, but a relative decrease from 28.4% to 26.6% of registered voters.

History

Statehood and the 20th Century

The Oklahoma Democratic Party once dominated state politics for much of Oklahoma history from with its strength in greatest concentrations in Oklahoma's 5th congressional district and the southeastern part of the state.

Upon statehood, all but one of the Congressional seats was held by Democrats. The Democrats won eighteen of the twenty-one gubernatorial elections since its statehood in 1907. The Democratic Party held on average 81 percent of the seats in the state legislature between 1907 and 1973. With the onset of the Great Depression, the party gained even more influence for several decades

Democratic opposition to deficit spending in the late 1930s marked a growing conservative movement in the party, which led to a 1941 constitutional amendment requiring legislators to pass a balanced budget.

After the federal Voting Rights Act and congressional reapportionment in Oklahoma in the 1960s, black state lawmakers returned to the Oklahoma Legislature, this time many aligning with the Democratic Party and hailing from Tulsa or Oklahoma City.

Since the 1980s the party has seen a decline as Christian fundamentalists have shifted to the Republican Party. The Democratic Party has not attained more than 41 percent of the vote for president.

21st Century

As of 2000 about 55 percent of Oklahoma voters registered as Democrats. The party continued to decline in strength in both the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch during the 2000 and 2010s. In 2011, Republicans held all statewide-elected offices, a first for the party. However, this downward trend was halted in the late 2010s, with Oklahoma Democrats stabilizing at approximately 20 seats in the State House and 8 seats in the State Senate. Furthermore, Kendra Horn managed to defeat Republican Steve Russell in 2018, becoming the first Democratic Representative from Oklahoma since 2010.

In the 2020 Oklahoma elections, Democrat Mauree Turner became the first Muslim Oklahoma state legislator and the first publicly non-binary U.S. state legislator in the United States.

In the 2022 Gubernatorial Election, ODP ran Joy Hofmeister the State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Hofmeister, a former Republican, defeated Constance Johnson a State Senator associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, in the Democratic primary. In the general election against incumbent Republican Governor Kevin Stitt, education and pandemic-related issues dominated the closer than expected race, however, Stitt won re-election with 55.4% of the vote against Hofmeister's 41.8%.

In the 2024 Tulsa Mayoral election, Monroe Nichols made history as Tulsa's first African-American mayor and its first Democratic mayor since 2006

Electoral history

Election year	No. of
House seats	+/–	Governorship	No. of
Senate seats	+/–	1907	1908	1910	1912	1914	1916	1918	1920	1922	1924	1926	1928	1930	1932	1934	1936	1938	1940	1942	1944	1946	1948	1950	1952	1954	1956	1958	1960	1962	1964	1966	1968	1970	1972	1974	1976	1978	1980	1982	1984	1986	1988	1990	1992	1994	1996	1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	2008	2010	2012	2014	2016	2018	2020	2022	2024
	16	Charles N. Haskell		6
	23		4
	13	Lee Cruce		3
	7		3
	1	Robert L. Williams		4
	6		1
	4	James B.A. Robertson		6
			43				7
	59	Jack C. Walton		5
	10	Martin Trapp		6
	2	Henry S. Johnston		3
	25		1
	37	William H. Murray		2
	6		7
	3	E.W. Marland		4
	4		1
	10	Leon C. Phillips		1
	6		1
	17	Robert S. Kerr		2
	2		2
	0	Roy J. Turner		0
	10		1
	8	Johnston Murray		1
	7		2
	6	Raymond D. Gary		1
	1		2
	10	J. Howard Edmondson		0
	3		1
	11	Henry Bellmon		2
	2		1
	1	Dewey F. Bartlett		2
	1		1
	0	David Hall		1
	1		1
	0	David L. Boren		0
	3		0
	4	George Nigh		1
	2		1
	0		2
	6		0
	1	Henry Bellmon		3
	1		3
	2	David Walters		2
	0		1
	7	Frank Keating		4
	1		2
	0		0
	6		2
	1	Brad Henry		1
	1		0
	11				2
	4		2
	9	Mary Fallin		6
	2		4
	0		4
	3		0
	1	Kevin Stitt		1
	5		0
	1		1

Note: Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins provided tie breaking vote in the State Senate following the 2006 elections, giving Democrats a majority

Current structure and composition

ODP hosts a statewide convention in June of odd-numbered years, where delegates representing the county parties elect executive officers. The State Convention is the highest governing body and possesses the exclusive right to amend the Party Constitution. Additionally, the State Convention elects Oklahoma's delegates to the Democratic National Committee, which is responsible for promoting Democratic campaign activities, overseeing the process of writing the national Democratic Platform, and supervising the Democratic National Convention. Delegates serve four-year terms concurrent with presidential elections.

The Chair is the highest ranking member of the ODP. The current ODP Chair is Erin Brewer. Former Governor David Walters and Kalyn Free are delegates for the Democratic National Committee.

State Central Committee

Between conventions, the State Central Committee functions as the senior most decision making body in ODP and wields the same powers as the State Convention, "except for those matters exclusively vested in the State Convention [i.e. Amendment power] by this Constitution and supporting Bylaws." (Article VII, Section 7)

The State Central Committee is composed of the State Party Officers, the chair, vice-chair, and secretary of each Congressional District Convention, four affirmative action offices to represent historically marginalized groups, two members of the County Chairs Association, the president of each recognized federation of a State Democratic club. The following persons are members of the State Central Committee:

State Executive Party Officers

Source:

Chair, Erin Brewer
Vice Chair, TBA
Secretary, Alberto Alonso-Sandoval
Treasurer, Kati Cain

Congressional District 1

Chair, Rachel Hunsucker
Vice Chair, Jim Provenzano
Secretary, Emily Gamel

Congressional District 2

Chair, Stacy Gorley
Vice Chair, Dustin Phelan
Secretary, Charlotte Young

Congressional District 3

Chair, Sarah Carnes
Vice Chair, Avery McIntyre
Secretary, Jim Potts

Congressional District 4

Chair, Carroll Asseo
Vice Chair, Travis Darling
Secretary, Vacant

Congressional District 5

Chair, Mary Jo Kinzie
Vice Chair, Ward Curtain
Secretary Rachel Morse

Affirmative Action Committee

Rachel Morse
Matthew Lucas
Amber Jensen
Joshua Harris-Till

African-American Federation

Chair, Burlinda Radney

Disability Federation

Chair, Sheri Dickerson

Latin Federation

Chair, Alex Yeverino

Native American Federation

Chair, Anastasia Pittman

Stonewall Federation

Tate Freeman

Veterans' Committee [Federation]

Chair, Rita Maxwell

Women's Federation

Chair, Bettye Rector

Young Democrats of Oklahoma [Federation]

Chair, JeKia Harrison

Staff

ODP staff are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the party and mostly operate at ODP office located in Oklahoma City. ODP staffwork is assisted by interns and volunteers.

Ideology & Issues

The Oklahoma Democratic Party (ODP) does not explicitly identify itself with any ideology. The Preamble of the Party Constitution reads:We, the Democrats of the State of Oklahoma, united under the banner of the oldest political party in the world, hereby rededicate ourselves to the principles which have historically sustained our Party. While recognizing the limits of government, we regard democratic government as a force for good and a source of hope. We seek individual freedom in the framework of a just society. We pledge ourselves to uphold the United States Constitution and to work openly and honestly in our efforts to conduct public affairs in a manner worthy of a society of free and responsible citizens.The 2024 State Party Platform restates this big-tent approach saying ODP, "is preprepared to work collaboratively with our fellow Oklahomans, regardless of political party, to invest in and enrich our communities throughout the state. Together, we will meet the challenges and opportunities before us with wisdom, determination, and compassion." [Emphasis in original]

Historically, ODP was composed of conservative, centrist and liberal factions. Less than a third of registered Democratic voters in Oklahoma supported President Barack Obama in 2012, due to the larger amount of conservative and centrist members of the ODP vis other state parties. In recent years the party has adopted more liberal positions on social and economic issues. At the 2023 State Convention, the platform endorsed a more progressive tax code to pay for public services and endorsed positions on abortion and transgender healthcare in line with the national party.

Church & State Issues

Crime

Drugs

Firearms

Republicans have loosened gun restrictions in Oklahoma, resulting in Oklahoma possessing one of the most permissive firearm regimes in the world. Examples of laws enacted include reciprocal recognition of concealed carry licenses from other states, a law which was rendered moot by the passage of a constitutional amendment recognizing the right of adults over the age of 21 to openly carry loaded firearms without a permit, license, or background check.

Oklahoma has one of the highest gun violence rates in the country, with 19.9 gun deaths per 100k residents, higher than the national average of 13.7 per 100k residents. Furthermore, Oklahoma has one oft the highest gun suicide rates in the country.

ODP lawmakers broadly support the 2nd Amendment, but believe in what they describe as responsible gun regulations. Examples of laws proposed by Democratic state legislators include universal background checks, an extended waiting period for gun purchases, and raising the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21. Another Democratic proposal came from State Senator Jo Anna Dossett (D-Tulsa), which would exempt trigger locks, gun safes, and lock boxes from the state sales tax. Such a measure is aimed at reducing the number of firearms stolen or misused (i.e. youths stealing their parents firearm to commit suicide).

Policing

The issue of police funding has been a major political issue in cities such as Norman and Oklahoma City. Though candidates for city council run as non-partisans, they are usually members of one of the major political parties. Among Oklahoma City Democrats there is a divide between those who support reducing police funding to fund mental health services and those who are opposed. According to Campaign Zero, a police reform group, 63 people were killed between 2013 and 2023. Adjusted for population, OKCPD possesses the second rate of police killings in the United States.

A similar fight over police funding dominated Norman politics in 2020. The city council, one of the few majority liberal in the state, voted to reduce a previously planned increase to the NPD from $1.1 million to $865,000, with the saved monies getting allocated to non-police responses to disturbances created by mental illness or homelessness. Despite the revised budget still amounting to an increase in police funding, opponents decried the revision as "defunding the police." Democratic councilors such as Kate Bierman, were faced with an organized campaign of harassment including verbal intimidation and a lawsuit from the police union.

Economics

ODP accepts the existence of a capitalist economic system. In their 2023 Platform, they argue, "Democrats responsibly support business development and job creation...We cannot live in a prosperous state without both a vibrant business community and a skilled dedicated labor force."

Within the context of a capitalist economy, ODP supports active state involvement. Their 2023 platform endorses a progressive tax code to fund expansions of public infrastructure, education, and healthcare. Furthermore, they support an "all of the above" energy policy, wherein wind, solar, and other renewables compliment oil & gas production.

Unions

ODP supports the rights of labor unions, however it presently lacks a dedicated federation/caucus in the state party, putting it at odds with most state Democratic Parties.

Human Rights

Elections and Referendum

ODP's 2023 platform advocates for the abolition of Oklahoma's closed primary system and its replacement with, "an open primary that advances the top four finishers to a ranked-choice voting general election." This is modelled off Alaska's primary election model. ODP has not taken a public position regarding State Question 836, a petition launched by Oklahoma United that would create a top-two primary, wherein every candidate is listed on one ballot and the top two advance to a general election.

ODP supports defending voting rights and "expanding access to absentee or mail-in ballots." Furthermore, they oppose the use of voter roll purges for partisan or discriminatory ends and support abolishing straight-party voting.

ODP opposes ongoing efforts by Republicans to impose restrictions on petitions. Senate Bill 1027, proposed by State Senator David Bullard (R-Durant), "would require that no more than 10% of signatures on an initiative petition come from a county where 400,000 or more people reside. That would affect only residents of Tulsa and Oklahoma counties by capping the total share of signatures from those two counties at 20%." This measure would make it significantly harder for Democrats to use petitions to organize referendums as Oklahoma City and Tulsa are areas with a greater concentration of Democratic voters.

LGBT Rights

ODP's LGBT wing is the Oklahoma Federation of Stonewall Democrats.

ODP is supportive of LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage and transgender healthcare, both of which are targeted by the Oklahoma Republican Party.

Current elected officials

Democrats have not won the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2002 nor the Oklahoma State Senate since 2006, when they last won any statewide election (with Democrats winning most statewide executive offices on the ballot that year). The last Democrat to hold statewide office in Oklahoma is Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister, who switched parties from Republican to Democrat in October 2021 and subsequently left office in January 2023, having been term limited and unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Oklahoma in 2022. She was succeeded by Republican Ryan Walters. Oklahoma’s congressional delegation has been entirely Republican since 2021 and previously from 2013 to 2019.

State Legislative leadership

Senate Minority Leader: Julia Kirt
Senate Minority Whip : Jo Anna Dossett
House Minority Leader: Cyndi Munson
House Minority Whip: Forrest Bennet

City officials

Tulsa Mayor: Monroe Nichols
Norman Mayor: Stephen Tyler Holman
Bethany Mayor: Amanda Sandoval
Tahlequah Mayor: Suzanne Myers
McAlester Mayor: Justin Few
Idabel Mayor: Craig Young
Stilwell Mayor: Jean Ann Wright

Tribal Chiefs

Cherokee Nation: Chuck Hoskin Jr.
Chickasaw Nation: Bill Anoatubby
Muscogee Nation: David Hill
Seminole Nation: Sena Yesslith

Osage Executives

The Oklahoma Democratic Party does not hold any power in the Osage Nation executive branch. The last Democrat elected to Osage leadership was Scott Bighorse, who served as assistant chief from 2010 to 2014, and also as interim principal chief in 2014.

Democratic Governors

, there have been a total of 22 Democratic Party Governors.

#	Name	Picture	Lifespan	Gubernatorial
start date	Gubernatorial
end date
1	Charles N. Haskell	[[File:HASKELL, C.N. GOVERNOR LCCN2016858937 (cropped).jpg	75px]]	1860–1933	November 16, 1907	January 9, 1911
2	Lee Cruce	[[File:Lee Cruce.jpg	75px]]	1863–1933	January 9, 1911	January 11, 1915
3	Robert L. Williams	[[File:RobertLWilliams.jpg	75px]]	1868–1948	January 11, 1915	January 13, 1919
4	James B. A. Robertson		1871–1938	January 13, 1919	January 8, 1923
5	Jack C. Walton	[[File:Jack Walton.jpg	75px]]	1881–1949	January 8, 1923	November 19, 1923
6	Martin E. Trapp	[[File:MartinETrapp.jpg	75px]]	1877–1951	November 19, 1923	January 10, 1927
7	Henry S. Johnston	[[File:Henry S. Johnston2.jpg	75px]]	1867–1965	January 10, 1927	March 20, 1929
8	William J. Holloway	[[File:Governor William Holloway.jpg	75px]]	1888–1970	March 20, 1929	January 12, 1931
9	William H. Murray	[[File:Murray 3820618984 5cb0d9555b o.jpg	75px]]	1869–1956	January 12, 1931	January 14, 1935
10	E. W. Marland	[[File:E. W. Marland (Oklahoma Governor).jpg	75px]]	1874–1941	January 15, 1935	January 9, 1939
11	Leon C. Phillips		1890–1958	January 9, 1939	January 11, 1943
12	Robert S. Kerr	[[File:Robert S. Kerr.jpg	75px]]	1896–1963	January 11, 1943	January 13, 1947
13	Roy J. Turner	[[File:Roy J. Turner.jpg	75px]]	1894–1973	January 13, 1947	January 8, 1951
14	Johnston Murray	[[File:Gov Johnston Murray.jpg	75px]]	1902–1974	January 8, 1951	January 10, 1955
15	Raymond D. Gary	[[File:Raymond Gary (cropped).jpg	75px]]	1908–1993	January 10, 1955	January 12, 1959
16	J. Howard Edmondson	[[File:JHEdmondson.jpg	75px]]	1925–1971	January 12, 1959	January 6, 1963
17	George Nigh
[[File:George Nigh 1972.jpg	75px]]	1927–2025	January 6, 1963	January 14, 1963
20	David Hall	[[File:David Hall (Oklahoma Governor).jpg	75px]]	1930–2016	January 11, 1971	January 13, 1975
21	David Boren	[[File:David Boren (OK).png	75px]]	1941–2025	January 13, 1975	January 8, 1979
22	George Nigh	[[File:George Nigh (cropped).jpg	75px]]	1927–2025	January 8, 1979	January 12, 1987
24	David Walters	[[File:David Walters.jpg	75px]]	1951–	January 14, 1991	January 9, 1995
26	Brad Henry	[[File:BradhenryDEA.jpg	75px]]	1963–	January 13, 2003	January 10, 2011

References

"Home". Okdemocrats.
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[http://www.okhistory.org/res/okgov.html Oklahoma Government], Oklahoma Historical Society (accessed February 11, 2010).
"Presidential Big Board - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times".
Yim, Matthew. (1 April 2025). "Has every county in Oklahoma voted Republican in presidential elections for the past 20 years/".
[https://oklahoma.gov/elections/newsroom/2021/january/state-election-board-releases-annual-voter-registration-statisti.html State Election Board Releases Annual Voter Registration Statistics], Oklahoma State Election Board (accessed 21 June 2021)
Carney, George O., "[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/M/MC027.html McGuire, George O. (1865-1930)] {{Webarchive. link. (2010-07-18 ," ''[http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/ Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture] {{webarchive). link. (May 31, 2010 '' (accessed May 28, 2010).)
Everett, Dianna. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/B/BU003.html Budget-Balancing Amendment] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-11-19 , Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture (accessed May 11, 2013))
Franklin, Jimmie Lewis. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AF003.html African Americans] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-11-03 , [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture] {{webarchive). link. (April 16, 2009 (accessed May 11, 2013))
Gaddie, Ronald Keith.. (2011-11-07). "Democratic Party". Oklahoma Historical Society.
"Oklahoma State Legislature".
"Kendra Horn".
(16 April 2021). "Rep. Mauree Turner is 'comfortable with being uncomfortable' in Oklahoma's Legislature". The Oklahoman.
Love, Ryan. (6 November 2022). "Election 2022: Kevin Stitt wins re-election as Oklahoma governor".
Murphy, Sean. (8 November 2022). "Kevin Stitt wins governor's race in Oklahoma".
"Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2022".
[https://okdemocrats.org/state-central-committee/ State Central Committee], Oklahoma Democratic Party (accessed February 11, 2010).
"State Central Committee".
"Oklahoma Democratic Party".
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[http://soonerpoll.com/2012-election-analysis-obama-and-oklahoma-democrats/ 2012 Election Analysis: Obama and Oklahoma Democrats], Soonerpoll.com (accessed May 11, 2013)
Gjelen, E.A.. (14 March 2025). "Open and Concealed Gun Carry Laws in Oklahoma".
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Carter, Ray. (2 June 2022). "Oklahoma Democrats Call for Gun Control".
Rose, Justin Allen. (11 February 2025). "Democratic state senator gets bill incentivizing firearm safety pruchases across committee hurdle.".
Gorman, Reese. (10 February 2023). "In Oklahoma City, a progressive faces a moderate challenger after protesting police funding and economic development".
Schuppe, Jon. (22 September 2020). "How a debate over police funding escalated in Norman, Oklahoma- and divided the town".
"Oklahoma State Question 836, Top-Two Primary Elections Initiative (2026)".
Martinez-Keel, Nuria. (19 March 2025). "Oklahoma Senate passes restrictions on initiative petition process". KOSU (NPR affiliate).
"About Us".
(2023-03-07). "Human Rights Campaign Condemns Oklahoma Senate Passage of Three…".
"Kay Floyd | Oklahoma Senate".
Deaton, David. (2025-01-12). "Leader Munson announces House Democratic Caucus Leadership Team for 60th Oklahoma Legislature - OKW News".

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