Blake Stephens
Blake Stephens | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Oklahoma Senate from the 3rd district | |
| In office January 11, 2021 – November 13, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Wayne Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Julie McIntosh |
| Personal details | |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Kathy Stephens |
| Residence(s) | Tahlequah, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Sapulpa High School Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College Northeastern State University |
| Profession | Retired Counselor of Locust Grove Public Schools, Owner & Operator of Stephens Family Ranch |
Blake Stephens is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Oklahoma Senate as representing the 3rd district from 2020 to 2024.[a][1] He was first elected in the 2020 Oklahoma Senate election after defeating incumbent Wayne Shaw in the Republican primary on June 30, 2020 and going on to win the general election on November 3, 2020.[2] He was defeated by Julie McIntosh in the 2024 Oklahoma Senate election.
Early life and career
[edit | edit source]Stephens graduated from Sapulpa High School and was the Sapulpa Future Farmers of America president .[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in agricultural education from Oklahoma State University.[1][3] He worked on an assembly line, as a residential therapist, and as a manager.[3] He later received a graduate degree in counseling from Northeastern State University. He then worked at Locust Grove Public Schools as a counselor for over two decades.[3] He also owns a family ranch in Moodys, Oklahoma.[1]
Stephens ran for governor in the 2018 Oklahoma gubernatorial election.[4] In December 2020, Stephens signed onto a letter requesting the Oklahoma Congressional delegation to not certify the 2020 election results.[5]
Oklahoma State Senate (2021–present)
[edit | edit source]Stephens defeated incumbent Wayne Shaw in the Republican primary on June 30, 2020.[6] He then went on to win the 2020 Oklahoma Senate election for District 3.[7] He served in the 58th Oklahoma Legislature.
58th and 59th Legislature
[edit | edit source]Sen. Stephens co-authored SB 834, the 'Back the Blue' Bill, to allow cities to paint blue lines and other "signage for the purpose of expressing support for law enforcement". The bill passed the Oklahoma Senate 39–6.[8] He also authored SB 644 which would allow cities to authorize their employees to carry concealed firearms on the job if properly licensed.[9] Stephens wrote HB 1564 which was introduced in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by Tom Gann. The bill substantially expands the power of landlords to carry out evictions.[10] He lost the Republican runoff election in 2024 to Julie McIntosh.[11]
Electoral history
[edit | edit source]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mick Cornett | 132,806 | 29.3 | |
| Republican | Kevin Stitt | 110,479 | 24.4 | |
| Republican | Todd Lamb | 107,985 | 23.9 | |
| Republican | Dan Fisher | 35,818 | 7.9 | |
| Republican | Gary Jones | 25,243 | 5.6 | |
| Republican | Gary Richardson | 18,185 | 4.0 | |
| Republican | Blake Stephens | 12,211 | 2.7 | |
| Republican | Christopher Barnett | 5,240 | 1.2 | |
| Republican | Barry Gowdy | 2,347 | 0.5 | |
| Republican | Eric Foutch | 2,292 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 452,606 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Blake Stephens | 4,028 | 60.41 | |
| Republican | Wayne Shaw (Incumbent) | 2,891 | 39.59 | |
| Total votes | 7,303 | 100.0% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Blake Cowboy Stephens | 22,988 | 79.5% | ||
| Democratic | Dyllon Fite | 5,929 | 20.5% | ||
| Total votes | 28,917 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Blake Stephens (incumbent) | 3,253 | 38.1% | |
| Republican | Julie McIntosh | 3,198 | 37.4% | |
| Republican | Patrick Sampson | 2,092 | 24.5% | |
| Total votes | 8,543 | 100% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Julie McIntosh | 5,551 | 60.8% | |
| Republican | Blake Stephens (incumbent) | 3,585 | 39.2% | |
| Total votes | 9,136 | 100% | ||
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ District 3 includes parts of Adair County, Cherokee County, Delaware County, Mayes County and Rogers County.
References
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