New leaders, members installed in Legislature

Rep. Hilbert tapped to lead House while Sen. Paxton narrowly wins race to lead Senate.

November 25, 2024‍

The Oklahoma Legislature is in a time of transition.

New faces, new titles, new offices. It’s an exciting time at the State Capitol as newly elected members of the Senate and the House of Representatives recently took their oaths of office, ahead of the Sixtieth Oklahoma Legislature, which will convene on Monday, February 3 at noon when Governor Kevin Stitt’s gives his State of the State address.

New leadership will also be installed for the new session, as former Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat and former House Speaker Charles McCall left office on November 19 due to term limits. “I truly feel that as my time as Speaker comes to a close, Oklahoma is in a better place than it was twelve years ago,” McCall said, while Treat posted on social media that “serving in the Oklahoma Senate has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime.”

The transition of power in the House seems to have been relatively smooth. The House Republican caucus on November 19 elected Representative Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) as Speaker-elect. Hilbert served as speaker pro tempore for the House the past two years. He will be the forty-fifth Speaker of the House and the ninth Republican speaker. “Together, we must rise to the occasion of the urgent challenges facing Oklahomans, including the ongoing pinch of inflation, a widening workforce skills gap and much-needed investment in our public infrastructure system including transportation, water, wastewater, and broadband connectivity,” Hilbert said in a statement.

At thirty years old, Hilbert will be the youngest House speaker in Oklahoma state history and only the second Republican speaker thirty-or-under in any state since 1873. The entire body of the House will formally vote for its next speaker during Organizational Day on January 7.

Representative Anthony Moore (R-Clinton) was elected as speaker pro tempore-elect by the House Republican caucus. The speaker pro tempore is the chamber’s second highest officer and assists in leadership in all facets of administering House business as well as serving as a voting member on all House committees. “It’s an honor to be selected by my peers to serve in this capacity,” said Moore, first elected to the House in 2020. “We will work toward improving our state’s economy to ensure the needs of all Oklahomans are met.”

Other newly elected Republican leadership for next session includes Representative Stan May (R-Broken Arrow) as caucus chair, Representative Nick Archer (R-Elk City) as caucus vice chair, and Representative Josh Cantrell (R-Kingston) as caucus secretary.

Far-right Republicans made gains in the state Senate this year, including the ouster of Pro Tempore-designee Greg McCourtney during June’s primary elections. The Senate Republican caucus held a secret-ballot election two weeks ago to name a new leader. Senator Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) won that contest, 20-19, over Senator David Bullard (R-Durant), according to sources with knowledge of the vote tally. The final vote will be held during Organizational Day on January 7, including both Senate Republicans and Democrats. “Whether a member of the Senate Republican caucus voted for me or for Senator Bullard, I look forward to working directly with new and returning members,” Paxton said in a statement.

Paxton appointed key members of his leadership team on November 12, including Senator Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville) as senate majority floor leader, Senator Chuck Hall (R-Perry) as appropriations chair, and Senator John Haste (R-Broken Arrow) as vice chair of appropriations.

With former Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd leaving office due to term limits, she announced Senator Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City) as her successor on November 12. Additionally, Floyd announced that Senator Michael Brooks (D-Oklahoma City) will succeed former Senator Kevin Matthews as caucus chair.

“We have the greatest confidence in the leadership skills and experience of Senators Kirt and Brooks and wish all of our newly elected and returning members the very best as they prepare for the Sixtieth Legislature,” Floyd said on behalf of herself and Matthews.

New members sworn in

In all, fourteen new members were sworn into the Oklahoma Senate on November 13, an unusually large freshman class, according to lobbyist and former House speaker Steve Lewis.

The eleven new Republican senators include:

• Julie McIntosh (R-Porter), District 3

• Avery Frix (R-Muskogee), District 9

• Jonathan Wingard (R-Ada), District 13

• Lisa Standridge (R-Norman), District 15

• Randy Grellner (R-Cushing), District 21

• Brian Guthrie (R-Bixby), District 25

• Spencer Kern (R-Duncan), District 31

• Christi Gillespie (R-Broken Arrow), District 33

• Aaron Reinhardt (R-Jenks), District 37

• Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard), District 43

• Kelly Hines (R-Edmond), District 47.

The three new Democratic senators are:

• Regina Goodwin (R-Tulsa), District 11

• Mark Mann (D-Oklahoma City), District 46

• Nikki Nice (D-Oklahoma City), District 48.

The Democratic freshmen all come from previously elected office. Goodwin served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives while Nice served as an Oklahoma City Council member and Mann served on the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education.

Senator Jo Anna Dossett (D-Tulsa) also won re-election and returns to the Senate as an incumbent.

A total of ninety-nine House members were sworn in on November 20, including seventeen new members and eighty-four returning members.

The new Republican House members include:

• Mark Chapman (R-Broken Arrow), District 12

• Tim Turner (R-Shady Point), District 15

• Jonathan Wilk (R-Goldsby), District 20

• Ryan Eaves (R-Atoka), District 22

• Derrick Hildebrant (R-Catoosa), District 23

• Jim Shaw (R-Chandler), District 32

• Molly Jenkins (R-Coyle), District 33

• Stacy Jo Adams (R-Duncan), District 50

• Jason Blair (R-Moore), District 53

• Mike Kelley (R-Yukon), District 60

• Rob Hall (R-Tulsa), District 67

• Mike Lay (R-Jenks), District 68

• Emily Gise (R-Oklahoma City), District 90

• Gabe Woolley (R-Broken Arrow), District 98.

The new Democratic House members include:

• Michelle McCane (D-Tulsa), District 72

• Ron Stewart (D-Tulsa), District 73

• Ellen Pogemiller (D-Oklahoma City), District 88.

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