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Mary Fallin

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Mary Fallin
Governor of Oklahoma
Incumbent
In office
January 10, 2011 - Present
Years in position 1
PartyRepublican
Prior offices
U.S. House of Representatives, Oklahoma, 5th District
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2011
Personal
BirthdayDecember 9, 1954
Websites
Office website

Contents

Mary Fallin (born December 9, 1954 in Warrensburg, Missouri) is the Republican Governor of Oklahoma and a former United States Congresswoman representing Oklahoma's 5th congressional district, which includes most of Oklahoma City. She is the second woman elected to the United States Congress from Oklahoma and the first since 1921 when Alice Mary Robertson was elected to Congress and served for one term from 1921 to 1923.

Fallin was the first Republican and first woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. She served in that post from 1995 to 2007. She resigned her office on January 2, 2007 in order to be sworn in to Congress on January 4, 2007. Lieutenant Governor-elect Jari Askins was appointed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry to fill the remaining days of Fallin's term.

Congresswoman Fallin ran successfully for Governor of Oklahoma in 2010. She won the July 27, 2010 primary with 54.79% of the vote iand the November general election by a 20.99% margin.

Biography

Fallin's mother and father both served terms as mayor of Tecumseh, Oklahoma where she was raised. A native of Tecumseh and a current resident of Oklahoma City, Fallin is a long-time resident of the Fifth District. She is a graduate of Tecumseh High School and attended Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Fallin also holds a degree from Oklahoma State University. She and her two children, Christina and Price, make their home in Oklahoma City, where they are active members of Crossings Community Church.

Fallin was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1990. During her two terms as a State Representative she was recognized by the American Legislative Exchange Council as Legislator of the Year and named Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business.

Political career

Governor of Oklahoma (2010-Present)

See also: Oklahoma gubernatorial election, 2010
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In 2008, Republicans made gains in the state legislature and took control of both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma State Senate for the first time in Oklahoma history. The incumbent governor, Democrat Brad Henry was unable to seek re-election because of the 2 term limit.

Fallin announced in February 2010 that she would be campaigning for the Republican nomination in the 2010 gubernatorial election in Oklahoma. A recent survey conducted by Sooner Poll found that she was ahead of her Republican challenger, Randy Brogdon, by 48.8 points. In head-to-head matchups between her and the two Democratic candidates, she is up 12.3 points against Jari Askins, and 15.6 points against Randy Brogdon.

In her campaign for governor, Mary named job growth, education and improving the quality of life here in Oklahoma as priorities.

On June 17th, 2010, Sarah Palin gave her official endorsement for Mary Fallin's campaign for Governor.[1]

U.S.Congress (2007-2010)

Fallin did not seek re-election in 2006 as lieutenant governor, but ran for the 5th Congressional District seat being vacated by Ernest Istook, who ran for governor. In the July 25 GOP primary, she was the top vote-getter, receiving 35% of the vote. On August 22, 2006, she faced the second place finisher of the July primary Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett [1] in the GOP candidate runoff election, and won with 63% of the vote [2].

Fallin was elected on November 7, defeating Democrat Paul David Hunter.[3] She is the first woman elected to Congress from Oklahoma since 1921. Alice Mary Robertson was the first woman to be elected to U.S. Congress from Oklahoma. Fallin easily won re-election in 2008.

Fallin currently served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Small Business. She also served on the Executive Committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Small Business Chair on the Republican Policy Committee and Vice Chairman of the Women’s Caucus.

Committee assignments

Fallin, as of the 111th Congress, was a member of the following committees:

  • United States House Committee on Armed Services
    • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness
    • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces
    • United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel
  • United States House Committee on Small Business
    • United States House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology
    • United States House Small Business Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight (Ranking Member)
  • United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
    • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation
    • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
    • United States House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit

Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma (1995–2007)

In 1995, Fallin became Oklahoma’s first woman and first Republican to be elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma. As lieutenant governor, Fallin served as president of the Senate and on 10 boards and commissions that impact the quality of life and business in Oklahoma, including the Tourism and Recreation Commission, State Board of Equalization, Oklahoma Land Commission and Film Advisory Commission. She pursued an aggressive agenda focusing on economic development, education, health care and government reform during her 12 years in office.

In the Cabinet-level position of small business advocate during the Keating administration, Fallin fought the rising cost of health insurance and excessive government regulation. Fallin was also instrumental in initiating several economic development events including the first-ever Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo, Small Business Day at the Capitol and Telecommunications Day at the Capitol. She also hosted the Lieutenant Governor’s Invitational Turkey Hunt.

In the wake of the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, she formed a task force to rebuild the childcare center lost in the disaster. Fallin also initiated Project Homesafe, a gun safety program that has distributed more than 80,000 free cable gun locks to Oklahomans.

Issues

Health care legislation

In response to the December 13, 2010 Eastern District of Virginia ruling on Ken Cuccinelli's suit challenging the constitutionality of the 2010 health care reform law, Governor-elect Fallin commented, adding that more would be needed to put the final nail in the coffin of ObamaCare, as it were.[2]

Presidential preference

2012

See also: Endorsements by state officials of presidential candidates in the 2012 election

Mary Fallin has endorsed Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election. [3]

Honors

Fallin has been honored with numerous awards including Women in Communication’s Woman in the News Award, induction into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame, Clarence E. Page Award, induction into the Oklahoma Aviation Hall of Fame, 1998 Woman of the Year in Government and 1993 Legislator of the Year.

Mary has been named a “Guardian of Small Business,” by the National Federation of Independent Business, a “Hero of the Taxpayer,” by Americans for Tax Reform, a “Friend of the Wildcatter” from the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and received the “True Blue” award from Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council as well as the “Spirit of Enterprise” award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She has a lifelong score of 96 from the American Conservative Union, the highest of any congressman in the Oklahoma delegation.

Campaign donors

Ballotpedia collects information on campaign donors for each year in which a candidate or incumbent is running for election. The following table offers a breakdown of Mary Fallin's donors each year.[4] Click [show] for more information.


See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.facebook.com/notes/sarah-palin/the-nature-of-those-tough-self-sufficient-bears/399842678434
  2. ↑ "Top Oklahoma Republicans praise fed. judge’s ruling on ObamaCare’s unconstitutional provisions," Oklahoma Watchdog, December 13, 2010
  3. ↑ Norman Transcript, "Fallin endorses Romney in OKC," May 10, 2012
  4. ↑ Follow the Money.org
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